Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Northampton, MA and Lund

For one person, living is cheaper in Lund: $1,859 a month against $2,841 in Northampton, MA, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Northampton, MA outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

138

Cost of Living Index in Northampton, MA
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Northampton, MA Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Lund
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Lund Living Index

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Northampton, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,841

/mo nomad

Lund

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Northampton, MA and in Lund

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,841 in Northampton, MA versus $1,859 in Lund.

Northampton, MA $2,841
Lund $1,859

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,134 in Northampton, MA versus $3,013 in Lund.

Northampton, MA $4,134
Lund $3,013

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,427 in Northampton, MA versus $4,167 in Lund.

Northampton, MA $5,427
Lund $4,167

Living in Northampton, MA is roughly 53% more expensive than in Lund, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Northampton, MA 109% above, Lund 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.78 $17.78

$13.19 SEK 131

34.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.1 $79.1

$90.6 SEK 900

-12.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.69 $10.69

$11.83 SEK 117

-9.64%

Cappuccino

$4.60 $4.60

$4.66 SEK 46.25

-1.29%

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

$2.80 $2.80

$2.81 SEK 27.95

-0.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$2.05 SEK 20.34

10.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.10 $5.10

$7.81 SEK 77.6

-34.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.83 $7.83

$6.83 SEK 67.9

14.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.68 SEK 16.69

-35.71%

White Bread (500g)

$4.05 $4.05

$2.49 SEK 24.73

62.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.44 $5.44

$3.52 SEK 34.94

54.55%

Eggs

$4.77 $4.77

$4.40 SEK 43.66

8.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.23 $11.23

$12.62 SEK 125

-11.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.73 $6.73

$11.93 SEK 118

-43.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.52 $17.52

$15.61 SEK 155

12.24%

Apples (1kg)

$5.88 $5.88

$2.99 SEK 29.74

96.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 $1.60

$2.52 SEK 25.00

-36.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.43 $4.43

$2.84 SEK 28.16

55.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.41 $5.41

$4.53 SEK 45.00

19.43%

Potato (1kg)

$3.22 $3.22

$1.66 SEK 16.47

93.98%

Onion (1kg)

$3.79 $3.79

$1.37 SEK 13.65

176.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.06 $3.06

$2.57 SEK 25.50

19.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 SEK 15.32

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.80 $13.80

$7.76 SEK 77.0

77.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.27 $13.27

$10.98 SEK 109

20.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.92 SEK 19.07

-4.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$2.76 SEK 27.44

-27.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.28 SEK 32.56

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.8 SEK 624

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.09 SEK 50.6

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 SEK 10.57

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.02 SEK 407

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.74 SEK 17.30

-50.57%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$32.7K SEK 324.4K

-15.75%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$34.3K SEK 341.1K

-26.14%

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

$131 $131

$79.2 SEK 787

65.51%

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

$62.0 $62.0

$28.76 SEK 286

115.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.5 $72.5

$42.32 SEK 420

71.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 $51.6

$36.09 SEK 358

43.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.83 SEK 276

Cinema Ticket

$14.45 $14.45

$15.04 SEK 149

-3.92%

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

$1,815 $1,815

$158 SEK 1,570

1048.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.5K $29.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.49 $23.49

$79.0 SEK 784

-70.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.76 $38.76

$57.8 SEK 574

-32.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.2 $79.2

$102 SEK 1,015

-22.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 $101

$125 SEK 1,243

-19.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,048 $2,048

$903 SEK 8,969

126.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,730 $1,730

$767 SEK 7,622

125.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,608 $2,608

$1,832 SEK 18.2K

42.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 $2,862

$1,482 SEK 14.7K

93.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,909 SEK 58.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,821 $2,821

$3,688 SEK 36.6K

-23.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,930 $3,930

$2,947 SEK 29.3K

33.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

3.03

119.14%

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

Last update for Northampton, MA: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lund: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Northampton, MA

$1.7K 60.9%

Lund

$767 41.3% 55.6% $963

Groceries & Markets

Northampton, MA

$365 * 12.8%

Lund

$355 19.1% 2.6% $9.5

Eating Out

Northampton, MA

$291 10.2%

Lund

$269 14.5% 7.5% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Northampton, MA

$266 9.4%

Lund

$150 8.1% 43.4% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Northampton, MA

$109 3.8%

Lund

$164 8.8% 50.1% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Northampton, MA

$81 2.8%

Lund

$66 3.6% 17.8% $14

Getting Around

Northampton, MA

- * 0%

Lund

$86 4.7%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,048 in Northampton, MA and $903 in Lund. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Northampton, MA pays 33% 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: $79 in Northampton, MA vs $91 in Lund. Groceries flip the comparison at $365 vs $355, with Lund cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Northampton, MA

🇸🇪 Lund

🕒 Local time

16:28 4:28 PM

21:28 9:28 PM

5 h ahead of Northampton, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,549

82,800

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 SEK = 10.07 USD

100 SEK = 9.05 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.93 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.06 SEK (100 SEK = 9.05 EUR).

SEK to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Northampton, MA Lund 6,010 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Northampton, MA
Lund

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

Northampton, MA vs Lund: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lund wins on cost – living expenses run 35% lower than in Northampton, MA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Lund the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 33% higher in Northampton, MA, 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: $2,048 in Northampton, MA versus $903 in Lund. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,815 in Northampton, MA versus $158 in Lund. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

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.

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

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