Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Milan and Lulea

For one person, living is cheaper in Lulea: $1,820 a month against $2,560 in Milan, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Milan
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Milan Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Lulea
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Lulea Living Index

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Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,560

/mo nomad

Lulea

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,820

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Milan and in Lulea

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,560 in Milan versus $1,820 in Lulea.

Milan $2,560
Lulea $1,820

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,895 in Milan versus $2,946 in Lulea.

Milan $3,895
Lulea $2,946

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,230 in Milan versus $4,073 in Lulea.

Milan $5,230
Lulea $4,073

Living in Milan is roughly 41% more expensive than in Lulea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Milan 90% above, Lulea 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.52 €20.03

$11.71 SEK 116

92.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.3 €79.4

$96.1 SEK 952

-7.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.16 €11.71

$11.04 SEK 109

19.20%

Cappuccino

$2.13 €1.90

$4.38 SEK 43.41

-51.37%

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

$3.67 €3.26

$2.45 SEK 24.24

49.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.94 SEK 19.20

-6.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.65 €5.92

$8.56 SEK 84.8

-22.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.64 €5.91

$9.41 SEK 93.2

-29.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.82 SEK 17.99

-6.59%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 €2.81

$3.42 SEK 33.84

-7.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.54 €3.15

$4.75 SEK 47.11

-25.47%

Eggs

$4.88 €4.34

$4.67 SEK 46.31

4.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.85 €20.33

$12.48 SEK 124

83.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.72 €13.09

$13.11 SEK 130

12.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.77 €20.25

$26.07 SEK 258

-12.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.12 €2.77

$2.44 SEK 24.16

27.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 €2.12

$2.66 SEK 26.36

-10.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.39 €3.02

$2.36 SEK 23.36

43.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 €3.80

$4.16 SEK 41.21

2.64%

Potato (1kg)

$2.38 €2.12

$2.09 SEK 20.69

13.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.50 SEK 14.82

36.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 €1.56

$3.30 SEK 32.69

-46.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$1.27 SEK 12.59

-55.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.46 €6.64

$7.06 SEK 70.0

5.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.58 €8.52

$12.04 SEK 119

-20.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 €1.79

$1.78 SEK 17.63

12.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.19

$1.77 SEK 17.53

38.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.38 €2.12

$3.23 SEK 31.99

-26.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.27 €38.49

$56.5 SEK 560

-23.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.67 €6.82

$8.73 SEK 86.5

-12.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.05 SEK 20.33

10.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$65.2 €58.0

$70.8 SEK 702

-7.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.74 SEK 17.24

26.44%

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

$36.5K €32.4K

$31.9K SEK 316.5K

14.12%

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

$35.4K €31.5K

$33.3K SEK 329.9K

6.44%

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

$247 €220

$161 SEK 1,595

53.37%

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

$10.21 €9.08

$31.36 SEK 311

-67.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.16 €25.94

$26.51 SEK 263

10.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.4 €73.3

$45.47 SEK 450

81.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.18 €30.41

$35.02 SEK 347

-2.40%

Cinema Ticket

$12.11 €10.77

$12.85 SEK 127

-5.76%

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

$857 €762

$150 SEK 1,490

469.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K €16.5K

$5,570 SEK 55.2K

233.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.2

$120 SEK 1,189

-15.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.8 €45.21

$32.64 SEK 323

55.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 €104

$120 SEK 1,188

-2.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$167 €149

$161 SEK 1,593

4.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,731 €1,540

$783 SEK 7,763

120.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$584 SEK 5,786

100.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,402 €3,026

$1,449 SEK 14.4K

134.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,036 €1,811

$1,104 SEK 10.9K

84.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.5K €9,376

$3,072 SEK 30.4K

243.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,240 €4,661

$2,194 SEK 21.7K

138.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,145 €1,908

$2,498 SEK 24.8K

-14.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.18

3.85

-17.40%

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

Last update for Milan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lulea: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Milan

$1.2K 45.7%

Lulea

$584 32.1% 50.1% $585

Groceries & Markets

Milan

$417 16.3%

Lulea

$404 22.2% 3.1% $13

Eating Out

Milan

$314 12.3%

Lulea

$259 14.2% 17.6% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Milan

$286 11.2%

Lulea

$219 12% 23.5% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Milan

$196 7.7%

Lulea

$195 10.7% 0.6% $1.3

Sport & Entertainment

Milan

$107 4.2%

Lulea

$71 3.9% 33.2% $35

Getting Around

Milan

$72 2.8%

Lulea

$88 4.9% 23.2% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,731 in Milan and $783 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: $89.0 in Milan vs $96.0 in Lulea. Groceries flip the comparison at $417 vs $404, with Lulea cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Milan

🇸🇪 Lulea

🕒 Local time

16:24 4:24 PM

Same time as Milan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,394,798

73,864

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Milan Lulea 2,370 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Milan
Lulea

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

Milan vs Lulea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lulea wins on cost – living expenses run 41% 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: $1,731 in Milan versus $783 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 $96.0 versus $89.0 in Milan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,820 in Lulea versus $2,560 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 $1,820 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 41% less than in Milan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.