Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lund and Umea

For one person, living is cheaper in Umea: $1,646 a month against $1,859 in Lund, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lund outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

90

Cost of Living Index in Lund
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Lund Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Umea
Learn more

Umea Living Index

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Lund

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,859

/mo nomad

Umea

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,646

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lund and in Umea

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,859 in Lund versus $1,646 in Umea.

Lund $1,859
Umea $1,646

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,013 in Lund versus $2,615 in Umea.

Lund $3,013
Umea $2,615

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,167 in Lund versus $3,583 in Umea.

Lund $4,167
Umea $3,583

Living in Lund is roughly 13% more expensive than in Umea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lund 37% above, Umea 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.19 SEK 129

$14.95 SEK 146

-11.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.6 SEK 884

$79.0 SEK 771

14.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.83 SEK 115

$11.93 SEK 116

-0.84%

Cappuccino

$4.66 SEK 45.43

$3.96 SEK 38.62

17.68%

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

$2.81 SEK 27.45

$3.15 SEK 30.74

-10.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 SEK 19.98

$2.47 SEK 24.10

-17.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.81 SEK 76.2

$8.62 SEK 84.1

-9.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.83 SEK 66.7

$7.44 SEK 72.5

-8.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 SEK 16.39

$1.74 SEK 16.99

-3.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.49 SEK 24.30

$3.42 SEK 33.32

-27.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.52 SEK 34.32

$4.09 SEK 39.92

-13.94%

Eggs

$4.40 SEK 42.89

$4.06 SEK 39.59

8.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.62 SEK 123

$11.38 SEK 111

10.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.93 SEK 116

$10.74 SEK 105

11.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.61 SEK 152

$16.82 SEK 164

-7.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 SEK 29.21

$2.58 SEK 25.18

15.89%

Banana (1kg)

$2.52 SEK 24.56

$2.18 SEK 21.23

15.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.84 SEK 27.67

$2.72 SEK 26.57

4.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 SEK 44.21

$4.30 SEK 41.94

5.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 SEK 16.18

$1.65 SEK 16.07

0.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 SEK 13.41

$1.69 SEK 16.46

-18.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.57 SEK 25.05

$2.49 SEK 24.29

3.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 SEK 15.05

$1.33 SEK 12.93

15.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.76 SEK 75.7

$7.09 SEK 69.2

9.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.98 SEK 107

$10.19 SEK 99.5

7.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 SEK 18.73

$2.31 SEK 22.51

-16.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 SEK 26.96

$2.44 SEK 23.81

13.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.28 SEK 31.98

$2.89 SEK 28.19

13.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.8 SEK 613

$57.8 SEK 564

8.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.09 SEK 49.69

$7.08 SEK 69.1

-28.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 SEK 10.39

$4.99 SEK 48.64

-78.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.02 SEK 400

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 SEK 16.99

$1.68 SEK 16.37

3.57%

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

$32.7K SEK 318.7K

$33.8K SEK 329.7K

-3.34%

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

$34.3K SEK 335.1K

$33.2K SEK 323.9K

3.46%

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

$79.2 SEK 773

$84.7 SEK 827

-6.50%

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

$28.76 SEK 281

$32.54 SEK 317

-11.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.32 SEK 413

$27.49 SEK 268

53.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.09 SEK 352

$48.29 SEK 471

-25.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.83 SEK 272

$35.41 SEK 345

-21.41%

Cinema Ticket

$15.04 SEK 147

$16.40 SEK 160

-8.29%

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

$158 SEK 1,542

$139 SEK 1,360

13.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.0 SEK 771

$99.7 SEK 972

-20.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.8 SEK 564

$37.16 SEK 363

55.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 SEK 997

$119 SEK 1,159

-14.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 SEK 1,221

$141 SEK 1,371

-10.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 SEK 8,811

$742 SEK 7,237

21.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$767 SEK 7,487

$505 SEK 4,928

51.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,832 SEK 17.9K

$1,104 SEK 10.8K

66.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,482 SEK 14.5K

$842 SEK 8,214

76.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,909 SEK 57.6K

$4,640 SEK 45.3K

27.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,688 SEK 36.0K

$3,050 SEK 29.8K

20.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,947 SEK 28.7K

$2,692 SEK 26.3K

9.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.03

3.65

-16.99%

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

Last update for Lund: October 25, 2026

Last update for Umea: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lund

$767 41.3%

Umea

$505 30.7% 34.2% $262

Groceries & Markets

Lund

$355 19.1%

Umea

$352 21.4% 1% $3.6

Eating Out

Lund

$269 14.5%

Umea

$283 17.2% 5.3% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Lund

$164 8.8%

Umea

$178 10.8% 8.8% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lund

$150 8.1%

Umea

$145 8.8% 3.7% $5.5

Getting Around

Lund

$86 4.7%

Umea

$101 6.2% 17.4% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Lund

$66 3.6%

Umea

$81 4.9% 22.5% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $903 in Lund and $742 in Umea. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lund pays 9% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $91 in Lund vs $79 in Umea for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $355 vs $352 per month, with Umea cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Lund

🇸🇪 Umea

🕒 Local time

18:28 6:28 PM

Same time as Lund

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

82,800

79,594

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.25 USD

100 SEK = 9.19 EUR

100 SEK = 10.25 USD

100 SEK = 9.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lund Umea 980 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lund
Umea

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 Umea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Umea wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Lund. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Umea the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 9% 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 $742 in Umea. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $158 in Lund versus $139 in Umea. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Umea – a meal for two runs $79 versus $91 in Lund. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Umea gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Umea is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Lund, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

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

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