Which city is cheaper, Lulea or Saint Petersburg?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Saint Petersburg vs. Lulea for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons
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Should you visit Saint Petersburg or Lulea?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Should I visit Saint Petersburg or Lulea? This is a common question asked by many travelers. By figuring out which city has activities that align with your interests along with knowing which is more affordable, you'll understand where you can get more bang for your buck. So, let's dive into the details and the data, which all comes from actual travelers.
Where Should I go: Saint Petersburg or Lulea?
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a beautiful city that sits on the eastern edge of the Baltic Sea. Its historical city center is threaded with canals and architecturally impressive buildings, leaving little doubt as to why this city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the second largest city in Russia, but perhaps a favorite among travelers. The metropolitan area has a population of over 5 million as well as an impressive culture with fascinating museums, restaurants, and architecture. The city has no shortage of sights and attractions, and many days can be passed while you wander its intricate streets.
Lulea
Lulea is in northern Sweden, in Norrbotten. It's a mid sized city with about 70,000 residents. It also has a technical university, the Lulea University of Technology, which was created in 1971. The city of Lulea is located at the mouth of Lule River on the Gulf of Bothnia. The city's economy is focused on research, education, trade and services. The university's educational programs appeal to new businesses that range from local companies to multinational corporations. There is also a prominant IT sector in the city.
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Average Daily Cost Per person, per daySaint Petersburg $62Lulea $85
The average daily cost (per person) in Saint Petersburg is $62, while the average daily cost in Lulea is $85. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each city. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Saint Petersburg and Lulea in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personSaint Petersburg $35Lulea $45
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomSaint Petersburg $70Lulea $90
Compare Hotels in Saint Petersburg and Lulea
Looking for a hotel in Saint Petersburg or Lulea? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options and compare which is best for your budget and travel style.
Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world. Compare prices for multiple destinations when planning your next trip.
Our Analysis
We've analyzed the average and typical hotel prices based on guest reviews, star ratings, and hotel amenities here: Saint Petersburg Hotel Prices and Lulea Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Saint Petersburg $7.14Lulea $17
Typical Local Transportation prices in Saint Petersburg
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for transportation costs in Saint Petersburg:
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Metro Passes$1.64
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Saint Petersburg
Also for Saint Petersburg, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Departure Private Transfer St Petersburg City to Pulkovo Airport LED - LuxuryCar: $80
- Departure Private Transfer St Petersburg City to Pulkovo Airport LED - LuxuryVan: $39
- Departure Private Transfer St. Petersburg to Pulkovo Airport LED by Business Car: $61
- Private Airport Transfer: from St Petersburg to Pulkovo Airport (LED): $28
- Private Transfer from Peterhof Palace to St. Petersburg City Center: $36
- Private Transfer from St. Petersburg City Center to Peterhof Palace: $37
- St Petersburg Airport Transfers : St Petersburg to Airport LED by Business Car: $63
- St Petersburg Airport Transfers : St Petersburg to Airport LED in Luxury Car: $103
- St Petersburg Airport Transfers : St Petersburg to Airport LED in Luxury Van: $89
- St Petersburg Departure Private Transfers from St Petersburg City to Airport LED: $84
- St Petersburg Transfer from city hotels or Cruise port to Pulkovo Airport (LED): $68
- St. Petersburg Pulkovo Airport (LED) to hotel - Arrival Private Transfer: $36
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Lulea
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Lulea:
- Lulea Private Transfer from Central Lulea to Lulea Airport: $100
- Lulea City Center to Lulea Airport (LLA) - Departure Private Transfer: $70
Is it cheaper to fly into Saint Petersburg or Lulea?
Prices for flights to both Lulea and Saint Petersburg change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.
Food
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Food Meals for one daySaint Petersburg $18Lulea $29
Typical Food prices in Saint Petersburg
For Saint Petersburg, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:
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Lunch for Two$5.64
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Saint Petersburg
For Saint Petersburg, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Enjoy Russian Delicacies in St Petersburg: Cooking Demo and Meal with a Local: $80
- Private Dining: Russian dinner in a traditional St. Petersburg apartment: $91
- Cooking Class and a Dinner with a Local Family (8 people max): $92
- Off-the-tourist Path Food Tour: $103
- Local Market Tour and Cooking Demo with a Homemade Russian Meal in St Petersburg: $107
- Borscht and cabbage pie cooking class and dinner for small private groups: $109
- FOOD TOUR. St.Petersburg: $150
- Private Cooking Class: Learn the secrets of Borsch and Beef Stroganoff: $166
- Private Cooking Class: Russian Blini with Red Caviar and Shchi soup: $179
- Private Cooking Class: Russian Shchi soup and Blini with Red Caviar: $187
- Private Cooking Class: Hands-on Siberian Pelmeni Making Workshop: $188
- Private Cooking Class: Siberian Pelmeni, Stolichny salad and Borsch: $212
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Saint Petersburg $18Lulea $13
Tours and Activities in Saint Petersburg
For Saint Petersburg, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- 2-Day Small-Group Visa-Free Tour - Top Highlights of St Petersburg: $20
- 1.5-Hours Saint Petersburg's Metro Tour Hidden Treasures: $25
- Mini-Group 2-Day Shore Excursion of St Petersburg Must-Sees and Boat Cruise: $25
- Saint Petersburg Drawbridges Tour: $41
- Half Day Walking Tour Well Courtyards Tour in Saint Petersburg: $44
- Guided Tour Peter and Paul Fortress, Cathedral and Prison: $56
- Private Tours: $64
- Half Day Bike City Tour in Saint Petersburg: $75
- Private Tour of "Erarta" Galleries: $76
- St Petersburg Communist walking tour + Museum of Russian political history: $77
- Evening River and Canal Cruise Visas Included: $86
- Revolutionary Petersburg City Tour: $86
Tours and Activities in Lulea
Here are a few actual costs in Lulea for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
- Northern Lights tour in a luxury minibuss: $181
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one daySaint Petersburg $9.49Lulea $14
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Saint Petersburg and Lulea, we can see that Lulea is more expensive. And not only is Saint Petersburg much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Saint Petersburg would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Saint Petersburg and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Lulea would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Lulea than you might in Saint Petersburg.
When is the best time to visit Saint Petersburg or Lulea?
Both places have a temperate climate with four distinct seasons. As both cities are in the northern hemisphere, summer is in July and winter is in January.
Should I visit Saint Petersburg or Lulea in the Summer?
Both Lulea and Saint Petersburg during the summer are popular places to visit.
In the summer, Saint Petersburg is a little warmer than Lulea. Typically, the summer temperatures in Saint Petersburg in July are around 18°C (64°F), and Lulea is about 15°C (60°F).
In Lulea, it's very sunny this time of the year. It's quite sunny in Saint Petersburg. In the summer, Saint Petersburg often gets less sunshine than Lulea. Saint Petersburg gets 267 hours of sunny skies this time of year, while Lulea receives 304 hours of full sun.
Saint Petersburg usually gets more rain in July than Lulea. Saint Petersburg gets 77 mm (3 in) of rain, while Lulea receives 50 mm (2 in) of rain this time of the year.
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Summer Average Temperatures JulySaint Petersburg 18°C (64°F)Lulea 15°C (60°F)
Should I visit Saint Petersburg or Lulea in the Autumn?
The autumn attracts plenty of travelers to both Saint Petersburg and Lulea.
The weather in Lulea can be very cold. In October, Saint Petersburg is generally much warmer than Lulea. Temperatures in Saint Petersburg average around 6°C (42°F), and Lulea stays around 2°C (36°F).
Saint Petersburg usually receives less sunshine than Lulea during autumn. Saint Petersburg gets 70 hours of sunny skies, while Lulea receives 82 hours of full sun in the autumn.
In October, Saint Petersburg usually receives around the same amount of rain as Lulea. Saint Petersburg gets 65 mm (2.6 in) of rain, while Lulea receives 64 mm (2.5 in) of rain each month for the autumn.
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Autumn Average Temperatures OctoberSaint Petersburg 6°C (42°F)Lulea 2°C (36°F)
Should I visit Saint Petersburg or Lulea in the Winter?
The winter brings many poeple to Saint Petersburg as well as Lulea.
It's quite cold in Lulea in the winter. The weather in Saint Petersburg can be very cold. Saint Petersburg is much warmer than Lulea in the winter. The temperature in Saint Petersburg is usually -8°C (18°F) in January, and Lulea stays around -12°C (10°F).
In the winter, Saint Petersburg often gets more sunshine than Lulea. Saint Petersburg gets 22 hours of sunny skies this time of year, while Lulea receives 19 hours of full sun.
Saint Petersburg usually gets less rain in January than Lulea. Saint Petersburg gets 38 mm (1.5 in) of rain, while Lulea receives 44 mm (1.7 in) of rain this time of the year.
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Winter Average Temperatures JanuarySaint Petersburg -8°C (18°F)Lulea -12°C (10°F)
Should I visit Saint Petersburg or Lulea in the Spring?
Both Lulea and Saint Petersburg are popular destinations to visit in the spring with plenty of activities.
Be prepared for some very cold days in Lulea. It's quite cold in Saint Petersburg in the spring. In the spring, Saint Petersburg is much warmer than Lulea. Typically, the spring temperatures in Saint Petersburg in April are around 4°C (40°F), and Lulea is about -1°C (31°F).
Saint Petersburg usually receives around the same amount of sunshine as Lulea during spring. Saint Petersburg gets 180 hours of sunny skies, while Lulea receives 194 hours of full sun in the spring.
In April, Saint Petersburg usually receives more rain than Lulea. Saint Petersburg gets 33 mm (1.3 in) of rain, while Lulea receives 29 mm (1.1 in) of rain each month for the spring.
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Spring Average Temperatures AprilSaint Petersburg 4°C (40°F)Lulea -1°C (31°F)
Typical Weather for Lulea and Saint Petersburg
| Saint Petersburg | Lulea | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temp (°C) | Rain (mm) | Temp (°C) | Rain (mm) | |
| Jan | -8°C (18°F) | 38 mm (1.5 in) | -12°C (10°F) | 44 mm (1.7 in) |
| Feb | -7°C (20°F) | 31 mm (1.2 in) | -12°C (11°F) | 32 mm (1.3 in) |
| Mar | -2°C (28°F) | 34 mm (1.3 in) | -7°C (19°F) | 35 mm (1.4 in) |
| Apr | 4°C (40°F) | 33 mm (1.3 in) | -1°C (31°F) | 29 mm (1.1 in) |
| May | 11°C (52°F) | 37 mm (1.5 in) | 6°C (43°F) | 31 mm (1.2 in) |
| Jun | 16°C (60°F) | 55 mm (2.2 in) | 13°C (55°F) | 41 mm (1.6 in) |
| Jul | 18°C (64°F) | 77 mm (3 in) | 15°C (60°F) | 50 mm (2 in) |
| Aug | 16°C (62°F) | 80 mm (3.1 in) | 13°C (56°F) | 63 mm (2.5 in) |
| Sep | 11°C (52°F) | 69 mm (2.7 in) | 8°C (46°F) | 63 mm (2.5 in) |
| Oct | 6°C (42°F) | 65 mm (2.6 in) | 2°C (36°F) | 64 mm (2.5 in) |
| Nov | 0°C (32°F) | 54 mm (2.1 in) | -4°C (24°F) | 58 mm (2.3 in) |
| Dec | -5°C (24°F) | 48 mm (1.9 in) | -10°C (15°F) | 42 mm (1.7 in) |
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