Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varberg and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Varberg: $1,635 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Varberg
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Varberg Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

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Varberg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,635

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,635 in Varberg versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Varberg $1,635
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,623 in Varberg versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Varberg $2,623
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,610 in Varberg versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Varberg $3,610
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Varberg costs roughly 26% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Varberg 20% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.35 SEK 153

$16.65 €14.96

-7.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.3 SEK 760

$61.7 €55.5

23.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.20 SEK 102

$11.36 €10.20

-10.21%

Cappuccino

$3.83 SEK 38.12

$2.97 €2.67

28.96%

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

$1.19 SEK 11.84

$2.29 €2.06

-48.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 SEK 10.15

$1.74 €1.56

-41.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.18 SEK 61.5

$3.40 €3.06

81.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.42 SEK 73.9

$3.31 €2.97

124.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 SEK 14.20

$1.16 €1.04

23.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.96 SEK 29.49

$1.91 €1.72

54.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.44 SEK 34.23

$1.51 €1.36

127.81%

Eggs

$4.13 SEK 41.08

$4.02 €3.61

2.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.77 SEK 127

$12.94 €11.62

-1.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.88 SEK 108

$7.77 €6.99

40.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.85 SEK 198

$17.76 €15.96

11.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 SEK 29.56

$2.30 €2.07

29.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.53 SEK 25.15

$1.73 €1.56

46.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 SEK 29.31

$1.86 €1.67

58.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.21 SEK 41.88

$2.59 €2.33

62.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 SEK 14.63

$1.82 €1.64

-19.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 SEK 14.78

$1.97 €1.77

-24.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.53 SEK 25.21

$1.47 €1.32

72.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 SEK 9.67

$0.72 €0.65

34.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.77 SEK 67.4

$6.58 €5.92

2.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.24 SEK 102

$5.61 €5.04

82.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 SEK 20.59

$1.36 €1.22

52.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 SEK 11.74

$2.14 €1.92

-44.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.94 SEK 29.22

$2.33 €2.10

26.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.8 SEK 774

$44.68 €40.14

74.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.93 SEK 49.11

$3.85 €3.46

28.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.41 SEK 23.94

$1.07 €0.96

125.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.63 SEK 494

$16.46 €14.79

201.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 SEK 18.04

$2.20 €1.98

-17.73%

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

$33.0K SEK 328.3K

$34.2K €30.7K

-3.53%

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

$33.6K SEK 334.2K

$38.7K €34.8K

-13.27%

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

$141 SEK 1,403

$161 €145

-12.58%

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

$19.92 SEK 198

$18.41 €16.54

8.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.69 SEK 295

$32.74 €29.41

-9.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.37 SEK 402

$44.55 €40.03

-9.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.39 SEK 402

$19.10 €17.16

111.47%

Cinema Ticket

$15.84 SEK 158

$9.60 €8.62

65.00%

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

$149 SEK 1,481

$668 €600

-77.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,455 SEK 34.4K

$17.6K €15.8K

-80.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.9 SEK 705

$102 €91.7

-30.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.23 SEK 400

$44.46 €39.95

-9.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 SEK 1,079

$98.5 €88.5

10.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 SEK 1,482

$124 €111

20.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$798 SEK 7,943

$1,608 €1,445

-50.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$495 SEK 4,926

$1,190 €1,069

-58.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,221 SEK 12.1K

$2,812 €2,527

-56.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$915 SEK 9,106

$2,013 €1,809

-54.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,532 SEK 65.0K

$7,839 €7,043

-16.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,568 SEK 35.5K

$4,576 €4,111

-22.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,103 SEK 30.9K

$1,575 €1,415

97.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.9

3.85

-50.65%

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

Last update for Varberg: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Varberg

$495 30.3%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 140% $695

Groceries & Markets

Varberg

$352 21.5%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 22.5% $79

Eating Out

Varberg

$254 15.5%

Lisbon

$243 11% 4.5% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varberg

$191 11.7%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 11.5% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Varberg

$166 10.1%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 0.1% $0.1

Getting Around

Varberg

$107 6.5%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 40.7% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Varberg

$72 4.4%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 11.5% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $798 in Varberg and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Varberg pays 97% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $76 in Varberg vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Varberg

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

12:03 12:03 PM

11:03 11:03 AM

1 h behind Varberg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,602

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.05 USD

100 SEK = 9.03 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.95 SEK (1 SEK = 0.1 USD). 1 EUR = 11.08 SEK (100 SEK = 9.03 EUR).

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

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Varberg Lisbon 2,570 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Varberg
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

Varberg vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Varberg and Lisbon differ by about 35% in total monthly costs ($1,635 vs $2,210 including rent). Varberg is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 97% higher in Varberg, 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: $798 in Varberg versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $149 in Varberg 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 23% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,635 in Varberg versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Varberg but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Varberg the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Varberg and Lisbon are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.