Cost of Living Comparison Between Milan and Lulea Cost of Living Comparison Between Milan and Lulea

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,645 in Milan versus $1,919 in Lulea.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,044 in Milan versus $3,101 in Lulea.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,444 in Milan versus $4,283 in Lulea.

Living in Milan is roughly 38% more expensive than in Lulea, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Milan 92% above, Lulea 40% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.76 €21.36

$12.44 SEK 120

99.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.3 €84.0

$99.1 SEK 954

-1.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.91 €12.00

$11.59 SEK 112

20.02%

Cappuccino

$2.13 €1.84

$4.58 SEK 44.07

-53.49%

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

$4.02 €3.47

$2.64 SEK 25.39

52.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.78

$1.97 SEK 18.94

4.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.89 €5.94

$9.32 SEK 89.8

-26.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.96 €6.00

$9.80 SEK 94.4

-28.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.54

$1.87 SEK 18.01

-4.28%

White Bread (500g)

$3.34 €2.88

$3.43 SEK 33.03

-2.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.78 €3.26

$4.91 SEK 47.27

-23.01%

Eggs

$5.07 €4.37

$4.67 SEK 44.95

8.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.70 €20.45

$12.63 SEK 122

87.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.03 €12.97

$13.62 SEK 131

10.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.74 €20.48

$27.73 SEK 267

-14.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.22 €2.78

$2.66 SEK 25.59

21.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.55 €2.20

$2.82 SEK 27.20

-9.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 €3.02

$2.50 SEK 24.06

40.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.59 €3.96

$4.35 SEK 41.88

5.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.47 €2.13

$2.22 SEK 21.40

11.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.85

$1.55 SEK 14.95

38.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 €1.59

$3.44 SEK 33.16

-46.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 €0.51

$1.28 SEK 12.37

-53.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.52 €6.49

$7.17 SEK 69.1

4.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.35 €8.07

$12.68 SEK 122

-26.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 €1.77

$1.88 SEK 18.14

9.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.04

$1.84 SEK 17.71

28.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.49 €2.14

$3.42 SEK 32.96

-27.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.87 €39.58

$57.6 SEK 555

-20.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.07 €6.96

$9.51 SEK 91.6

-15.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.37 €2.05

$2.25 SEK 21.67

5.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$65.0 €56.1

$71.9 SEK 693

-9.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.85

$1.76 SEK 16.98

22.16%

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

$38.3K €33.0K

$33.5K SEK 322.7K

14.20%

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

$37.7K €32.5K

$35.8K SEK 344.4K

5.37%

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

$267 €230

$173 SEK 1,663

54.63%

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

$10.89 €9.40

$32.34 SEK 312

-66.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.70 €26.49

$27.89 SEK 269

10.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$88.4 €76.3

$49.35 SEK 475

79.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.05 €29.38

$36.98 SEK 356

-7.92%

Cinema Ticket

$12.87 €11.11

$13.46 SEK 130

-4.38%

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

$862 €744

$161 SEK 1,552

435.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.1K €17.3K

$5,808 SEK 55.9K

245.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 €91.8

$123 SEK 1,182

-13.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.6 €45.37

$34.18 SEK 329

53.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 €101

$126 SEK 1,211

-7.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$170 €147

$166 SEK 1,599

2.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,740 €1,502

$806 SEK 7,766

115.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,223 €1,055

$600 SEK 5,775

103.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,638 €3,139

$1,533 SEK 14.8K

137.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,089 €1,802

$1,151 SEK 11.1K

81.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.1K €9,585

$3,240 SEK 31.2K

242.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,102 €4,403

$2,346 SEK 22.6K

117.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,275 €1,963

$2,633 SEK 25.4K

-13.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.17

3.85

-17.66%

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

Last update for Milan: August 30, 2026

Last update for Lulea: September 1, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,740 in Milan and $806 in Lulea. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lulea pays 16% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $97.0 in Milan vs $99.0 in Lulea. Groceries flip the comparison at $432 vs $420, with Lulea cheaper for home cooking.

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

Milan vs Lulea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lulea wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in Milan. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lulea the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 16% lower in Lulea. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,740 in Milan versus $806 in Lulea. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Milan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Lulea – a meal for two runs $99.0 versus $97.0 in Milan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,919 in Lulea versus $2,645 in Milan, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lulea but tight or insufficient in Milan. The gap between the two cities makes Lulea the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Lulea delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,919 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lulea hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Milan and Lulea are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Lulea gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Milan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.