This theoretical work presents a comparison between natural light conditions and artificial lighting habits in the cultures of Brasília, Copenhagen and Berlin. The analytical discussion about light perception in the three cities is based on theories about the physiology of the visual system, concepts of phenomenology , day light analysis and climate studies. Study cases of living rooms document lighting situations and are used as background material to analysis the lighting habits of the compared cities. The influence of the natural light of those latitudes in the lighting habits of the cultures is discussed based on established equivalencies between natural light and artificial lighting settings.