Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stockholm and Lulea

For one person, living is cheaper in Lulea: $1,820 a month against $2,574 in Stockholm, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Stockholm
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Stockholm Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Lulea
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Lulea Living Index

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Stockholm

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,574

/mo nomad

Lulea

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,820

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Stockholm 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 Stockholm and in Lulea actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,574 in Stockholm versus $1,820 in Lulea.

Stockholm $2,574
Lulea $1,820

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,871 in Stockholm versus $2,946 in Lulea.

Stockholm $3,871
Lulea $2,946

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,167 in Stockholm versus $4,073 in Lulea.

Stockholm $5,167
Lulea $4,073

Living in Stockholm 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: Stockholm 91% above, Lulea 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.12 SEK 180

$11.71 SEK 116

54.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.6 SEK 986

$96.1 SEK 952

3.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 SEK 117

$11.04 SEK 109

6.52%

Cappuccino

$4.95 SEK 49.03

$4.38 SEK 43.41

13.01%

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

$3.68 SEK 36.46

$2.45 SEK 24.24

50.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 SEK 31.28

$1.94 SEK 19.20

62.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 SEK 79.8

$8.56 SEK 84.8

-5.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.82 SEK 87.4

$9.41 SEK 93.2

-6.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 SEK 17.80

$1.82 SEK 17.99

-1.10%

White Bread (500g)

$3.88 SEK 38.43

$3.42 SEK 33.84

13.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.83 SEK 37.99

$4.75 SEK 47.11

-19.37%

Eggs

$5.14 SEK 50.9

$4.67 SEK 46.31

10.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.45 SEK 123

$12.48 SEK 124

-0.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.63 SEK 125

$13.11 SEK 130

-3.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.90 SEK 217

$26.07 SEK 258

-16.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.47 SEK 34.41

$2.44 SEK 24.16

42.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 SEK 27.15

$2.66 SEK 26.36

3.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 SEK 30.54

$2.36 SEK 23.36

30.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.48 SEK 44.41

$4.16 SEK 41.21

7.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 SEK 17.54

$2.09 SEK 20.69

-15.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 SEK 17.70

$1.50 SEK 14.82

19.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 SEK 23.76

$3.30 SEK 32.69

-27.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 SEK 23.50

$1.27 SEK 12.59

86.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.72 SEK 86.4

$7.06 SEK 70.0

23.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.99 SEK 119

$12.04 SEK 119

-0.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 SEK 20.90

$1.78 SEK 17.63

18.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 SEK 25.34

$1.77 SEK 17.53

44.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.34 SEK 42.96

$3.23 SEK 31.99

34.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 SEK 1,063

$56.5 SEK 560

89.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.74 SEK 56.9

$8.73 SEK 86.5

-34.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 SEK 14.58

$2.05 SEK 20.33

-28.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.1 SEK 566

$70.8 SEK 702

-19.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 SEK 17.86

$1.74 SEK 17.24

3.45%

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

$32.4K SEK 321.2K

$31.9K SEK 316.5K

1.47%

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

$33.6K SEK 332.8K

$33.3K SEK 329.9K

0.88%

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

$249 SEK 2,469

$161 SEK 1,595

54.79%

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

$21.60 SEK 214

$31.36 SEK 311

-31.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.18 SEK 398

$26.51 SEK 263

51.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.98 SEK 466

$45.47 SEK 450

3.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.15 SEK 378

$35.02 SEK 347

8.94%

Cinema Ticket

$19.09 SEK 189

$12.85 SEK 127

48.56%

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

$158 SEK 1,569

$150 SEK 1,490

5.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K SEK 162.0K

$5,570 SEK 55.2K

193.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 SEK 1,104

$120 SEK 1,189

-7.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.0 SEK 584

$32.64 SEK 323

80.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 SEK 1,364

$120 SEK 1,188

14.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$186 SEK 1,847

$161 SEK 1,593

15.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,658 SEK 16.4K

$783 SEK 7,763

111.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,079 SEK 10.7K

$584 SEK 5,786

84.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,982 SEK 29.5K

$1,449 SEK 14.4K

105.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,746 SEK 17.3K

$1,104 SEK 10.9K

58.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.3K SEK 111.8K

$3,072 SEK 30.4K

267.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,332 SEK 62.7K

$2,194 SEK 21.7K

188.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,583 SEK 35.5K

$2,498 SEK 24.8K

43.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.37

3.85

-12.47%

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

Last update for Stockholm: October 13, 2026

Last update for Lulea: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stockholm

$1.1K 41.9%

Lulea

$584 32.1% 45.9% $495

Groceries & Markets

Stockholm

$414 16.1%

Lulea

$404 22.2% 2.5% $10

Eating Out

Stockholm

$325 12.6%

Lulea

$259 14.2% 20.4% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stockholm

$311 12.1%

Lulea

$219 12% 29.6% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Stockholm

$222 8.6%

Lulea

$195 10.7% 12.4% $27

Getting Around

Stockholm

$138 5.4%

Lulea

$88 4.9% 35.8% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Stockholm

$85 3.3%

Lulea

$71 3.9% 16.4% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,658 in Stockholm and $783 in Lulea. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stockholm pays 43% 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: $100 in Stockholm vs $96.0 in Lulea for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $414 vs $404 per month, with Lulea cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Stockholm

🇸🇪 Lulea

🕒 Local time

09:59 9:59 AM

Same time as Stockholm

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

984,748 Capital

73,864

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Stockholm Lulea 730 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Stockholm
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

Stockholm vs Lulea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lulea wins on cost – living expenses run 41% lower than in Stockholm. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lulea the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 43% higher in Stockholm, 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: $1,658 in Stockholm 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 Stockholm. 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 $100 in Stockholm. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,820 in Lulea versus $2,574 in Stockholm, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lulea but tight or insufficient in Stockholm. 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, Stockholm 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 Stockholm. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.