Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lund and Skovde

For one person, living is cheaper in Skovde: $1,761 a month against $1,859 in Lund, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lund outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Lund, Sweden
Skovde, Sweden
Lund
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,859
/mo nomad
Skovde
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,761
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lund and in Skovde

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,859 in Lund versus $1,761 in Skovde.

  • Lund $1,859
  • Skovde $1,761

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,013 in Lund versus $2,768 in Skovde.

  • Lund $3,013
  • Skovde $2,768

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,167 in Lund versus $3,776 in Skovde.

  • Lund $4,167
  • Skovde $3,776

Living in Lund is roughly 6% more expensive than in Skovde, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lund 37% above, Skovde 29% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lund
Skovde
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.19 SEK 131
$13.25 SEK 132
-0.45%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$90.6 SEK 900
$81.4 SEK 809
11.30%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.83 SEK 117
$10.21 SEK 101
15.87%
Cappuccino
$4.66 SEK 46.25
$4.19 SEK 41.57
11.22%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.81 SEK 27.95
$3.02 SEK 29.97
-6.95%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.05 SEK 20.34
$2.39 SEK 23.76
-14.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.81 SEK 77.6
$8.08 SEK 80.3
-3.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.83 SEK 67.9
$9.93 SEK 98.6
-31.22%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lund
Skovde
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.68 SEK 16.69
$1.43 SEK 14.18
17.48%
White Bread (500g)
$2.49 SEK 24.73
$2.85 SEK 28.31
-12.63%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.52 SEK 34.94
$4.56 SEK 45.24
-22.81%
Eggs
$4.40 SEK 43.66
$3.68 SEK 36.51
19.57%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.62 SEK 125
$9.99 SEK 99.2
26.33%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.93 SEK 118
$13.20 SEK 131
-9.62%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.61 SEK 155
$18.04 SEK 179
-13.47%
Apples (1kg)
$2.99 SEK 29.74
$4.15 SEK 41.20
-27.95%
Banana (1kg)
$2.52 SEK 25.00
$2.76 SEK 27.42
-8.70%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.84 SEK 28.16
$3.50 SEK 34.80
-18.86%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.53 SEK 45.00
$5.17 SEK 51.3
-12.38%
Potato (1kg)
$1.66 SEK 16.47
$1.54 SEK 15.29
7.79%
Onion (1kg)
$1.37 SEK 13.65
$1.69 SEK 16.74
-18.93%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.57 SEK 25.50
$2.57 SEK 25.53
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.54 SEK 15.32
$1.32 SEK 13.14
16.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.76 SEK 77.0
$8.10 SEK 80.5
-4.20%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.98 SEK 109
$7.81 SEK 77.5
40.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.92 SEK 19.07
$2.51 SEK 24.95
-23.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.76 SEK 27.44
$2.56 SEK 25.45
7.81%
🚌 Getting Around
Lund
Skovde
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.28 SEK 32.56
$3.71 SEK 36.81
-11.59%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$62.8 SEK 624
$83.8 SEK 832
-25.06%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.09 SEK 50.6
$5.27 SEK 52.3
-3.42%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.06 SEK 10.57
$1.29 SEK 12.85
-17.83%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$41.02 SEK 407
$60.6 SEK 601
-32.27%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.74 SEK 17.30
$1.79 SEK 17.75
-2.79%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.7K SEK 324.4K
$33.7K SEK 334.6K
-3.03%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.3K SEK 341.1K
$33.7K SEK 334.9K
1.85%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lund
Skovde
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$79.2 SEK 787
$111 SEK 1,104
-28.76%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.76 SEK 286
$10.90 SEK 108
163.85%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.32 SEK 420
$48.39 SEK 481
-12.54%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lund
Skovde
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.09 SEK 358
$36.63 SEK 364
-1.47%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$27.83 SEK 276
$29.70 SEK 295
-6.30%
Cinema Ticket
$15.04 SEK 149
$17.99 SEK 179
-16.40%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lund
Skovde
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$158 SEK 1,570
$126 SEK 1,248
25.83%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$4,824 SEK 47.9K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lund
Skovde
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$79.0 SEK 784
$104 SEK 1,030
-23.88%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$57.8 SEK 574
$29.95 SEK 297
93.09%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$102 SEK 1,015
$59.9 SEK 595
70.66%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$125 SEK 1,243
$200 SEK 1,982
-37.29%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lund
Skovde
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$903 SEK 8,969
$803 SEK 7,970
12.54%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$767 SEK 7,622
$592 SEK 5,879
29.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,832 SEK 18.2K
$1,359 SEK 13.5K
34.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,482 SEK 14.7K
$1,003 SEK 9,965
47.73%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,909 SEK 58.7K
$4,027 SEK 40.0K
46.73%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,688 SEK 36.6K
$2,847 SEK 28.3K
29.54%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lund
Skovde
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,947 SEK 29.3K
$3,253 SEK 32.3K
-9.41%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.03
3
1.00%

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

Last update for Lund: October 25, 2026

Last update for Skovde: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lund
$767
Skovde
$592 22.9% $176
Groceries & Markets
Lund
$355
Skovde
$370 4.2% $15
Eating Out
Lund
$269
Skovde
$269 0.1% $0.3
Clothing & Footwear
Lund
$164
Skovde
$177 8% $13
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lund
$150
Skovde
$170 13.4% $20
Getting Around
Lund
$86
Skovde
$110 27.8% $24
Sport & Entertainment
Lund
$66
Skovde
$73 9.7% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $903 in Lund and $803 in Skovde. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Skovde pays 10% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $91 in Lund vs $81 in Skovde. Groceries flip the comparison at $355 vs $370, with Lund cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇸🇪 Lund
🇸🇪 Skovde
🕒 Local time
17:46 5:46 PM
17:46 5:46 PM
Same time as Lund
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
82,800
34,466
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.93 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.05 SEK (100 SEK = 9.05 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lund Skovde 300 km
From you
  • Lund
  • Skovde

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 Skovde: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Lund or Skovde?
Skovde wins on cost – living expenses run 5% lower than in Lund. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Skovde the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Lund or in Skovde?
On paper, salaries run 9% lower in Lund. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Lund compared to Skovde?
Rent for a central apartment: $903 in Lund versus $803 in Skovde. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How much does it cost to live in Lund compared to Skovde?
All in, you’ll spend $1,859 per month in Lund versus $1,761 in Skovde – a 6% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
How expensive is transport in Lund compared to Skovde?
A monthly transit pass in Lund runs roughly 25% less than in Skovde. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Lund or Skovde?
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.
How safe is Lund compared to Skovde?
Safety-wise, Lund and Skovde are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

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