Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lund and Kalmar

For one person, living is cheaper in Lund: $1,859 a month against $1,953 in Kalmar, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

90

Cost of Living Index in Lund
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Lund Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in Kalmar
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Kalmar Living Index

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Lund

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,859

/mo nomad

Kalmar

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,953

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lund and in Kalmar

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Lund and in Kalmar actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,859 per month in Lund vs $1,953 in Kalmar, rent included.

Lund $1,859
Kalmar $1,953

A couple spends around $3,013 per month in Lund vs $2,895 in Kalmar, rent included.

Lund $3,013
Kalmar $2,895

A family of three spends $4,167 per month in Lund vs $3,837 in Kalmar, rent included.

Lund $4,167
Kalmar $3,837

Lund is about 5% cheaper than Kalmar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lund and Kalmar sit above the global median – Lund by 37%, Kalmar by 44%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.19 SEK 131

$15.36 SEK 152

-14.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.6 SEK 897

$71.1 SEK 704

27.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.83 SEK 117

$10.47 SEK 104

12.99%

Cappuccino

$4.66 SEK 46.11

$4.67 SEK 46.27

-0.21%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 SEK 27.86

$2.81 SEK 27.87

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 SEK 20.27

$2.55 SEK 25.27

-19.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.81 SEK 77.4

$9.69 SEK 96.0

-19.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.83 SEK 67.7

$7.25 SEK 71.8

-5.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 SEK 16.63

$1.48 SEK 14.61

13.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.49 SEK 24.66

$3.01 SEK 29.84

-17.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.52 SEK 34.83

$3.07 SEK 30.42

14.66%

Eggs

$4.40 SEK 43.53

$4.65 SEK 46.08

-5.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.62 SEK 125

$16.58 SEK 164

-23.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.93 SEK 118

$10.89 SEK 108

9.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.61 SEK 155

$22.80 SEK 226

-31.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 SEK 29.65

$2.49 SEK 24.63

20.08%

Banana (1kg)

$2.52 SEK 24.92

$2.77 SEK 27.38

-9.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.84 SEK 28.08

$3.57 SEK 35.35

-20.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 SEK 44.87

$4.46 SEK 44.18

1.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 SEK 16.42

$1.67 SEK 16.57

-0.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 SEK 13.61

$2.27 SEK 22.49

-39.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.57 SEK 25.43

$1.93 SEK 19.07

33.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 SEK 15.27

$1.67 SEK 16.56

-7.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.76 SEK 76.8

$7.79 SEK 77.1

-0.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.98 SEK 109

$9.14 SEK 90.5

20.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 SEK 19.01

$1.93 SEK 19.13

-0.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 SEK 27.36

$2.54 SEK 25.19

8.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.28 SEK 32.46

$3.21 SEK 31.79

2.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.8 SEK 622

$78.4 SEK 776

-19.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.09 SEK 50.4

$10.03 SEK 99.4

-49.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 SEK 10.54

$1.72 SEK 17.05

-38.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.02 SEK 406

$47.45 SEK 470

-13.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 SEK 17.25

$1.71 SEK 16.88

1.75%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$32.7K SEK 323.5K

$30.2K SEK 298.8K

8.27%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$34.3K SEK 340.1K

$29.3K SEK 290.4K

17.12%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$79.2 SEK 784

$144 SEK 1,430

-45.15%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$28.76 SEK 285

$27.58 SEK 273

4.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.32 SEK 419

$32.34 SEK 320

30.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.09 SEK 357

$30.33 SEK 300

18.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.83 SEK 276

$26.38 SEK 261

5.50%

Cinema Ticket

$15.04 SEK 149

$14.58 SEK 144

3.16%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$158 SEK 1,565

$142 SEK 1,401

11.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,986 SEK 49.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.0 SEK 782

$49.41 SEK 489

59.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.8 SEK 573

$44.31 SEK 439

30.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 SEK 1,012

$79.2 SEK 784

29.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 SEK 1,239

$100 SEK 992

24.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 SEK 8,942

$908 SEK 8,992

-0.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$767 SEK 7,599

$778 SEK 7,699

-1.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,832 SEK 18.1K

$1,325 SEK 13.1K

38.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,482 SEK 14.7K

$1,123 SEK 11.1K

32.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,909 SEK 58.5K

$4,073 SEK 40.3K

45.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,688 SEK 36.5K

$2,733 SEK 27.1K

34.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,947 SEK 29.2K

$2,864 SEK 28.4K

2.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.03

3.93

-22.90%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Lund: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kalmar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Lund

$767 41.3%

Kalmar

$778 39.8% 1.3% $10

Groceries & Markets

Lund

$355 19.1%

Kalmar

$384 19.7% 8.2% $29

Eating Out

Lund

$269 14.5%

Kalmar

$295 15.1% 9.6% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Lund

$164 8.8%

Kalmar

$123 6.3% 25% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lund

$150 8.1%

Kalmar

$204 10.5% 36% $54

Getting Around

Lund

$86 4.7%

Kalmar

$110 5.6% 27.3% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Lund

$66 3.6%

Kalmar

$59 3.1% 10.1% $6.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $903 in Lund versus $908 in Kalmar. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 3% higher in Lund, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91 in Lund versus $71 in Kalmar. Groceries tell a different story – $355 in Lund vs $384 in Kalmar – so Lund wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Lund

🇸🇪 Kalmar

🕒 Local time

14:56 2:56 PM

Same time as Lund

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

82,800

35,170

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.1 USD

100 SEK = 9.05 EUR

100 SEK = 10.1 USD

100 SEK = 9.05 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lund Kalmar 220 km

From you

Lund
Kalmar

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lund vs Kalmar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,859 in Lund, $1,953 in Kalmar – Lund comes out roughly 5% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,788 per month in Lund and $2,930 in Kalmar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $903 in Lund and $908 in Kalmar. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $158 per month in Lund and $142 in Kalmar. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Kalmar, though the gap depends on what you buy.

It depends on your priorities. Lund has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,859 in Lund to $1,953 in Kalmar. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.