Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Umea and Lund

For one person, living is cheaper in Umea: $1,646 a month against $1,859 in Lund, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lund outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

80

Cost of Living Index in Umea
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Umea Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Lund
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Lund Living Index

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Umea

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,646

/mo nomad

Lund

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,646 in Umea versus $1,859 in Lund.

Umea $1,646
Lund $1,859

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,615 in Umea versus $3,013 in Lund.

Umea $2,615
Lund $3,013

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,583 in Umea versus $4,167 in Lund.

Umea $3,583
Lund $4,167

Living in Umea costs roughly 11% less than in Lund, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Umea 21% above, Lund 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.95 SEK 147

$13.19 SEK 130

13.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.0 SEK 776

$90.6 SEK 890

-12.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.93 SEK 117

$11.83 SEK 116

0.85%

Cappuccino

$3.96 SEK 38.87

$4.66 SEK 45.73

-15.02%

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

$3.15 SEK 30.94

$2.81 SEK 27.63

12.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 SEK 24.26

$2.05 SEK 20.11

20.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.62 SEK 84.6

$7.81 SEK 76.7

10.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.44 SEK 73.0

$6.83 SEK 67.1

8.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 SEK 17.10

$1.68 SEK 16.50

3.57%

White Bread (500g)

$3.42 SEK 33.54

$2.49 SEK 24.45

37.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.09 SEK 40.18

$3.52 SEK 34.55

16.19%

Eggs

$4.06 SEK 39.85

$4.40 SEK 43.17

-7.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.38 SEK 112

$12.62 SEK 124

-9.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.74 SEK 106

$11.93 SEK 117

-9.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.82 SEK 165

$15.61 SEK 153

7.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 SEK 25.34

$2.99 SEK 29.40

-13.71%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 SEK 21.37

$2.52 SEK 24.72

-13.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 SEK 26.75

$2.84 SEK 27.85

-4.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.30 SEK 42.22

$4.53 SEK 44.50

-5.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.65 SEK 16.18

$1.66 SEK 16.29

-0.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 SEK 16.57

$1.37 SEK 13.49

23.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.49 SEK 24.45

$2.57 SEK 25.22

-3.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 SEK 13.01

$1.54 SEK 15.14

-13.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.09 SEK 69.6

$7.76 SEK 76.2

-8.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 SEK 100

$10.98 SEK 108

-7.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 SEK 22.65

$1.92 SEK 18.86

20.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 SEK 23.97

$2.76 SEK 27.14

-11.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.89 SEK 28.37

$3.28 SEK 32.19

-11.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.8 SEK 567

$62.8 SEK 617

-7.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.08 SEK 69.5

$5.09 SEK 50.0

39.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.99 SEK 48.96

$1.06 SEK 10.45

370.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.02 SEK 403

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.68 SEK 16.48

$1.74 SEK 17.11

-3.45%

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

$33.8K SEK 331.9K

$32.7K SEK 320.8K

3.46%

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

$33.2K SEK 326.0K

$34.3K SEK 337.3K

-3.34%

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

$84.7 SEK 832

$79.2 SEK 778

6.96%

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

$32.54 SEK 320

$28.76 SEK 282

13.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.49 SEK 270

$42.32 SEK 416

-35.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.29 SEK 474

$36.09 SEK 354

33.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.41 SEK 348

$27.83 SEK 273

27.24%

Cinema Ticket

$16.40 SEK 161

$15.04 SEK 148

9.04%

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

$139 SEK 1,369

$158 SEK 1,552

-11.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.7 SEK 979

$79.0 SEK 776

26.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.16 SEK 365

$57.8 SEK 568

-35.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 SEK 1,167

$102 SEK 1,003

16.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 SEK 1,380

$125 SEK 1,229

12.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 SEK 7,284

$903 SEK 8,869

-17.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 SEK 4,960

$767 SEK 7,536

-34.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,104 SEK 10.8K

$1,832 SEK 18.0K

-39.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$842 SEK 8,268

$1,482 SEK 14.6K

-43.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,640 SEK 45.6K

$5,909 SEK 58.0K

-21.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,050 SEK 30.0K

$3,688 SEK 36.2K

-17.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,692 SEK 26.4K

$2,947 SEK 28.9K

-8.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.65

3.03

20.46%

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

Last update for Umea: October 27, 2026

Last update for Lund: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Umea

$505 30.7%

Lund

$767 41.3% 51.9% $262

Groceries & Markets

Umea

$352 21.4%

Lund

$355 19.1% 1% $3.6

Eating Out

Umea

$283 17.2%

Lund

$269 14.5% 5% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Umea

$178 10.8%

Lund

$164 8.8% 8.1% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Umea

$145 8.8%

Lund

$150 8.1% 3.8% $5.5

Getting Around

Umea

$101 6.2%

Lund

$86 4.7% 14.8% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Umea

$81 4.9%

Lund

$66 3.6% 18.4% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Umea and $903 in Lund. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lund pays 9% 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 Umea vs $91 in Lund for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $355 per month, with Umea cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Umea

🇸🇪 Lund

🕒 Local time

07:48 7:48 AM

Same time as Umea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,594

82,800

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.18 USD

100 SEK = 9.12 EUR

100 SEK = 10.18 USD

100 SEK = 9.12 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Umea Lund 980 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Umea
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

Umea vs Lund: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Umea wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Lund. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Umea the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 9% lower in Umea. 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: $742 in Umea versus $903 in Lund. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $139 in Umea 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 Umea – a meal for two runs $79 versus $91 in Lund. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Umea gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Umea is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Lund, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

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

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