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: $2,508 in Milan versus $1,885 in Lulea.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,853 in Milan versus $3,023 in Lulea.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,197 in Milan versus $4,161 in Lulea.

Living in Milan is roughly 33% more expensive than Lulea, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Milan 87% above, Lulea 41% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.06 €19.84

$12.89 SEK 120

78.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$92.1 €79.2

$93.8 SEK 875

-1.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.73 €10.95

$12.01 SEK 112

6.00%

Cappuccino

$2.17 €1.87

$4.65 SEK 43.39

-53.33%

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

$3.23 €2.78

$2.56 SEK 23.88

26.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.29

$2.06 SEK 19.25

-27.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.11 €6.11

$8.46 SEK 78.9

-15.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.71 €4.92

$9.98 SEK 93.2

-42.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.58

$1.93 SEK 18.02

-4.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 €2.42

$3.55 SEK 33.15

-20.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.34 €2.87

$5.02 SEK 46.86

-33.47%

Eggs

$4.31 €3.70

$4.95 SEK 46.21

-12.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.74 €16.98

$12.91 SEK 120

52.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.02 €11.20

$13.97 SEK 130

-6.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.69 €21.24

$27.38 SEK 255

-9.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.84 €2.45

$2.69 SEK 25.13

5.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 €1.99

$2.80 SEK 26.15

-17.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 €2.90

$2.62 SEK 24.49

28.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.94 €3.39

$4.52 SEK 42.17

-12.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.23

$2.18 SEK 20.33

18.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 €1.88

$1.64 SEK 15.26

33.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.63 €1.40

$3.42 SEK 31.88

-52.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 €0.60

$1.45 SEK 13.53

-51.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.88 €5.91

$7.45 SEK 69.5

-7.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.11 €7.83

$12.66 SEK 118

-28.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.02

$1.83 SEK 17.10

28.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 €2.58

$1.80 SEK 16.77

66.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.49 €2.14

$3.36 SEK 31.39

-25.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.58 €39.21

$60.1 SEK 561

-24.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 €6.99

$9.53 SEK 88.9

-14.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.63 €2.26

$1.71 SEK 16.00

53.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.61 €34.08

$75.1 SEK 700

-47.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 €1.76

$1.89 SEK 17.60

8.47%

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

$33.4K €28.8K

$32.0K SEK 298.4K

4.52%

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

$36.4K €31.3K

$34.9K SEK 325.5K

4.35%

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

$216 €185

$174 SEK 1,627

23.58%

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

$11.71 €10.07

$33.07 SEK 309

-64.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.47 €26.21

$28.42 SEK 265

7.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.1 €64.6

$49.17 SEK 459

52.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$37.13 €31.94

$36.67 SEK 342

1.25%

Cinema Ticket

$11.74 €10.10

$13.75 SEK 128

-14.62%

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

$875 €753

$159 SEK 1,481

451.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.7K €14.4K

$5,764 SEK 53.8K

189.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$115 €99.0

$125 SEK 1,168

-8.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.2 €45.80

$33.73 SEK 315

57.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 €98.9

$126 SEK 1,175

-8.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$171 €147

$172 SEK 1,605

-0.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,612 €1,387

$791 SEK 7,376

103.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,137 €978

$578 SEK 5,395

96.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,138 €2,699

$1,413 SEK 13.2K

122.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,084 €1,793

$1,053 SEK 9,824

97.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.1K €9,505

$3,337 SEK 31.1K

231.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,565 €4,787

$2,379 SEK 22.2K

133.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,270 €1,953

$2,732 SEK 25.5K

-16.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.25

4.2

-22.62%

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

Last update for Milan: May 31, 2026

Last update for Lulea: June 2, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,612 in Milan and $791 in Lulea. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lulea pays 20% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $92.0 in Milan vs $94.0 in Lulea for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $400 vs $428 per month, with Milan cheaper across the board.

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 33% 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, Lulea earns 20% less. 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: $1,612 in Milan versus $791 in Lulea. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Milan pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Lulea – a meal for two runs $94.0 versus $92.0 in Milan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,885 in Lulea versus $2,508 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 $1,885 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 33% less than in Milan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.