Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sala, Sweden and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Sala: $1,555 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

75

Cost of Living Index in Sala
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Sala Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

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Sala

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,555

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sala and in Lisbon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,555 in Sala versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Sala $1,555
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,301 in Sala versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Sala $2,301
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,046 in Sala versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Sala $3,046
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Sala costs roughly 30% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sala 14% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.16 SEK 119

$16.65 €14.92

-26.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.1 SEK 590

$61.7 €55.3

-2.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.87 SEK 97.0

$11.36 €10.18

-13.12%

Cappuccino

$3.04 SEK 29.86

$2.97 €2.66

2.36%

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

$1.74 SEK 17.06

$2.29 €2.05

-24.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 SEK 21.98

$1.74 €1.56

28.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.19 SEK 70.6

$3.40 €3.05

111.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.24 SEK 71.1

$3.31 €2.97

118.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 SEK 16.90

$1.16 €1.04

48.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.57 SEK 25.27

$1.91 €1.71

34.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.42 SEK 33.63

$1.51 €1.36

126.49%

Eggs

$5.26 SEK 51.6

$4.02 €3.60

30.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.30 SEK 111

$12.94 €11.59

-12.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.99 SEK 128

$7.77 €6.97

67.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.54 SEK 221

$17.76 €15.92

26.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 SEK 28.45

$2.30 €2.06

26.09%

Banana (1kg)

$2.67 SEK 26.23

$1.73 €1.55

54.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 SEK 26.34

$1.86 €1.66

44.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.59 SEK 45.08

$2.59 €2.32

77.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 SEK 14.22

$1.82 €1.63

-20.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 SEK 11.11

$1.97 €1.76

-42.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.53 SEK 24.83

$1.47 €1.32

72.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 SEK 10.15

$0.72 €0.65

43.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.96 SEK 68.3

$6.58 €5.90

5.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 SEK 59.1

$5.61 €5.02

7.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 SEK 19.71

$1.36 €1.22

47.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 SEK 17.32

$2.14 €1.91

-17.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.98 SEK 29.27

$2.33 €2.09

27.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.73 SEK 204

$44.68 €40.04

-53.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.86 SEK 57.5

$3.85 €3.45

52.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 SEK 17.49

$1.07 €0.96

66.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$81.0 SEK 796

$16.46 €14.75

392.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 SEK 16.71

$2.20 €1.97

-22.73%

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

$33.9K SEK 332.8K

$34.2K €30.6K

-0.88%

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

$33.6K SEK 330.2K

$38.7K €34.7K

-13.16%

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

$178 SEK 1,743

$161 €144

10.10%

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

$19.84 SEK 195

$18.41 €16.50

7.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.07 SEK 384

$32.74 €29.34

19.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.69 SEK 449

$44.55 €39.92

2.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.95 SEK 196

$19.10 €17.11

4.45%

Cinema Ticket

$16.33 SEK 160

$9.60 €8.60

70.10%

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

$221 SEK 2,165

$668 €598

-66.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,219 SEK 12.0K

$17.6K €15.8K

-93.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.53 SEK 437

$102 €91.4

-56.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.85 SEK 342

$44.46 €39.85

-21.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$52.4 SEK 515

$98.5 €88.3

-46.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.0 SEK 540

$124 €111

-55.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 SEK 7,032

$1,608 €1,441

-55.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$516 SEK 5,069

$1,190 €1,066

-56.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$921 SEK 9,041

$2,812 €2,520

-67.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$713 SEK 7,006

$2,013 €1,804

-64.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,986 SEK 39.1K

$7,839 €7,025

-49.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,798 SEK 27.5K

$4,576 €4,100

-38.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,432 SEK 23.9K

$1,575 €1,411

54.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.8

3.85

-27.27%

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

Last update for Sala: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sala

$516 33.2%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 131% $674

Groceries & Markets

Sala

$363 23.4%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 25% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sala

$236 15.2%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 10.2% $24

Eating Out

Sala

$230 14.8%

Lisbon

$243 11% 5.6% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Sala

$84 5.4%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 97.4% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Sala

$78 5%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 18.6% $15

Getting Around

Sala

$47 3.1%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 33.3% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Sala and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sala pays 54% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $60 in Sala vs $62 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $363 vs $272, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Sala

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

01:57 1:57 AM

00:57 12:57 AM

1 h behind Sala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,994

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.18 USD

100 SEK = 9.12 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.82 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 SEK (100 SEK = 9.12 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sala Lisbon 2,970 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sala
Lisbon

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

Sala vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,555 in Sala and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Sala is about 30% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 54% higher in Sala, 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: $716 in Sala versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $221 in Sala versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 25% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Sala is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Sala and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.