Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lund and Sala, Sweden

For one person, living is cheaper in Sala: $1,555 a month against $1,859 in Lund, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

90

Cost of Living Index in Lund
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Lund Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Sala
Learn more

Sala Living Index

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Lund

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,859

/mo nomad

Sala

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,555

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lund and in Sala

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 Sala actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,859 in Lund versus $1,555 in Sala.

Lund $1,859
Sala $1,555

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,013 in Lund versus $2,301 in Sala.

Lund $3,013
Sala $2,301

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,167 in Lund versus $3,046 in Sala.

Lund $4,167
Sala $3,046

Living in Lund is roughly 20% more expensive than in Sala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lund 37% above, Sala 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.19 SEK 129

$12.16 SEK 119

8.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.6 SEK 889

$60.1 SEK 590

50.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.83 SEK 116

$9.87 SEK 96.9

19.86%

Cappuccino

$4.66 SEK 45.70

$3.04 SEK 29.84

53.29%

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

$2.81 SEK 27.62

$1.74 SEK 17.05

61.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 SEK 20.09

$2.24 SEK 21.97

-8.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.81 SEK 76.7

$7.19 SEK 70.5

8.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.83 SEK 67.1

$7.24 SEK 71.1

-5.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 SEK 16.49

$1.72 SEK 16.89

-2.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.49 SEK 24.44

$2.57 SEK 25.25

-3.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.52 SEK 34.52

$3.42 SEK 33.61

2.92%

Eggs

$4.40 SEK 43.15

$5.26 SEK 51.6

-16.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.62 SEK 124

$11.30 SEK 111

11.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.93 SEK 117

$12.99 SEK 127

-8.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.61 SEK 153

$22.54 SEK 221

-30.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 SEK 29.39

$2.90 SEK 28.43

3.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.52 SEK 24.70

$2.67 SEK 26.21

-5.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.84 SEK 27.83

$2.68 SEK 26.32

5.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 SEK 44.47

$4.59 SEK 45.05

-1.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 SEK 16.28

$1.45 SEK 14.21

14.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 SEK 13.49

$1.13 SEK 11.11

21.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.57 SEK 25.20

$2.53 SEK 24.81

1.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 SEK 15.13

$1.03 SEK 10.14

49.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.76 SEK 76.1

$6.96 SEK 68.3

11.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.98 SEK 108

$6.01 SEK 59.0

82.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 SEK 18.84

$2.01 SEK 19.70

-4.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 SEK 27.12

$1.76 SEK 17.30

56.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.28 SEK 32.17

$2.98 SEK 29.25

10.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.8 SEK 616

$20.73 SEK 203

202.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.09 SEK 49.98

$5.86 SEK 57.5

-13.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 SEK 10.45

$1.78 SEK 17.48

-40.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.02 SEK 403

$81.0 SEK 795

-49.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 SEK 17.10

$1.70 SEK 16.70

2.35%

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

$32.7K SEK 320.6K

$33.9K SEK 332.6K

-3.60%

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

$34.3K SEK 337.1K

$33.6K SEK 330.0K

2.14%

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

$79.2 SEK 777

$178 SEK 1,742

-55.38%

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

$28.76 SEK 282

$19.84 SEK 195

44.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.32 SEK 415

$39.07 SEK 383

8.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.09 SEK 354

$45.69 SEK 448

-21.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.83 SEK 273

$19.95 SEK 196

39.50%

Cinema Ticket

$15.04 SEK 148

$16.33 SEK 160

-7.90%

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

$158 SEK 1,551

$221 SEK 2,164

-28.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,219 SEK 12.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.0 SEK 775

$44.53 SEK 437

77.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.8 SEK 568

$34.85 SEK 342

65.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 SEK 1,003

$52.4 SEK 514

94.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 SEK 1,228

$55.0 SEK 540

127.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 SEK 8,863

$716 SEK 7,028

26.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$767 SEK 7,531

$516 SEK 5,065

48.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,832 SEK 18.0K

$921 SEK 9,035

98.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,482 SEK 14.5K

$713 SEK 7,001

107.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,909 SEK 58.0K

$3,986 SEK 39.1K

48.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,688 SEK 36.2K

$2,798 SEK 27.5K

31.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,947 SEK 28.9K

$2,432 SEK 23.9K

21.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.03

2.8

8.21%

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

Last update for Lund: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sala: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lund

$767 41.3%

Sala

$516 33.2% 32.7% $251

Groceries & Markets

Lund

$355 19.1%

Sala

$363 23.4% 2.2% $7.7

Eating Out

Lund

$269 14.5%

Sala

$230 14.8% 14.6% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Lund

$164 8.8%

Sala

$84 5.4% 48.7% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lund

$150 8.1%

Sala

$236 15.2% 57.3% $86

Getting Around

Lund

$86 4.7%

Sala

$47 3.1% 45.1% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Lund

$66 3.6%

Sala

$78 5% 18.4% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $903 in Lund and $716 in Sala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lund pays 21% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $91 in Lund vs $60 in Sala. Groceries flip the comparison at $355 vs $363, with Lund cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Lund

🇸🇪 Sala

🕒 Local time

05:03 5:03 AM

Same time as Lund

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

82,800

22,994

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.19 USD

100 SEK = 9.13 EUR

100 SEK = 10.19 USD

100 SEK = 9.13 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lund Sala 520 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lund
Sala

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 Sala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sala wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Lund. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Sala the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 21% higher in Lund, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $903 in Lund versus $716 in Sala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $158 in Lund versus $221 in Sala. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sala – a meal for two runs $60 versus $91 in Lund. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Sala is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Lund and Sala are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Sala wins on affordability, Lund on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.