Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Berlin and Gavle

For one person, living is cheaper in Gavle: $1,439 a month against $2,553 in Berlin, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Berlin
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Berlin Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Gavle
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Gavle Living Index

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Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,553

/mo nomad

Gavle

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,439

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Berlin and in Gavle

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Berlin and in Gavle actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,553 per month in Berlin vs $1,439 in Gavle, rent included.

Berlin $2,553
Gavle $1,439

A couple spends around $3,856 per month in Berlin vs $2,286 in Gavle, rent included.

Berlin $3,856
Gavle $2,286

A family of three spends $5,159 per month in Berlin vs $3,134 in Gavle, rent included.

Berlin $5,159
Gavle $3,134

Berlin costs about 77% more than Gavle, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Berlin and Gavle sit above the global median – Berlin by 88%, Gavle by 6%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.97 €15.09

$13.69 SEK 136

23.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.5 €68.9

$79.4 SEK 786

-2.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.47 €11.98

$9.31 SEK 92.2

44.68%

Cappuccino

$4.35 €3.87

$4.42 SEK 43.79

-1.58%

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

$3.53 €3.14

$2.07 SEK 20.51

70.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 €2.81

$1.91 SEK 18.95

65.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.60 €4.98

$7.79 SEK 77.2

-28.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 €3.95

$7.75 SEK 76.8

-42.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.09

$1.63 SEK 16.12

-24.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 €2.17

$2.61 SEK 25.84

-6.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.41 €3.04

$3.73 SEK 36.95

-8.58%

Eggs

$4.55 €4.05

$3.81 SEK 37.80

19.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.23 €15.33

$9.13 SEK 90.4

88.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.24 €10.89

$10.29 SEK 102

18.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.98 €15.99

$18.73 SEK 186

-4.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.52 €3.13

$3.05 SEK 30.25

15.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.74 SEK 27.16

-25.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 €2.91

$3.27 SEK 32.43

Tomato (1kg)

$3.72 €3.31

$4.35 SEK 43.07

-14.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$1.73 SEK 17.12

18.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.82 SEK 17.99

20.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 €1.26

$2.55 SEK 25.26

-44.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 €0.87

$2.05 SEK 20.35

-52.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.37 €9.22

$7.99 SEK 79.1

29.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.78 €6.03

$11.13 SEK 110

-39.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.64 SEK 16.23

-19.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.55 SEK 15.34

34.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.52 €4.02

$3.25 SEK 32.22

39.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.8 €62.1

$60.4 SEK 598

15.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.19 €4.62

$4.52 SEK 44.83

14.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.23 €2.87

$1.53 SEK 15.16

111.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.61 €33.46

$33.87 SEK 336

11.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.33 €2.07

$1.81 SEK 17.90

28.73%

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

$33.2K €29.5K

$25.8K SEK 255.2K

28.82%

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

$39.2K €34.8K

$28.1K SEK 278.1K

39.55%

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

$384 €342

$55.6 SEK 551

591.01%

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

$19.27 €17.14

$21.93 SEK 217

-12.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.17 €43.74

$39.60 SEK 392

24.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.54 €35.17

$47.32 SEK 469

-16.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.56 €30.74

Cinema Ticket

$14.37 €12.78

$15.22 SEK 151

-5.58%

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

$146 €130

$133 SEK 1,321

9.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K €14.4K

$15.3K SEK 151.1K

5.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.1 €84.6

$70.6 SEK 699

34.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.83 €42.54

$58.8 SEK 583

-18.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.6

$50.9 SEK 505

104.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 €127

$89.5 SEK 887

59.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,398 €1,244

$579 SEK 5,738

141.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 €984

$425 SEK 4,208

160.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,727 €2,426

$762 SEK 7,546

258.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,104 €1,871

$665 SEK 6,593

216.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,578 €7,630

$1,945 SEK 19.3K

341.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,545 €4,932

$1,333 SEK 13.2K

315.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,451 €3,070

$3,144 SEK 31.1K

9.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

3.37

12.76%

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

Last update for Berlin: October 17, 2026

Last update for Gavle: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Berlin

$1.1K 43.3%

Gavle

$425 29.5% 61.6% $681

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Berlin

$453 17.7%

Gavle

$117 8.1% 74.1% $336

Groceries & Markets

Berlin

$349 13.7%

Gavle

$351 24.4% 0.6% $2.2

Eating Out

Berlin

$292 11.4%

Gavle

$261 18.1% 10.7% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Berlin

$176 6.9%

Gavle

$121 8.4% 30.8% $54

Getting Around

Berlin

$109 4.3%

Gavle

$86 6% 21.6% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Berlin

$68 2.7%

Gavle

$78 5.4% 13.9% $9.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,398 in Berlin versus $579 in Gavle. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 10% higher in Berlin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $77.0 in Berlin versus $79.0 in Gavle. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $351 – making Berlin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Berlin

🇸🇪 Gavle

🕒 Local time

09:35 9:35 AM

Same time as Berlin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,769,962 Capital

100,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Berlin Gavle 940 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Berlin
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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

Berlin vs Gavle: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Berlin is pricier by about 77%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,829 per month in Berlin and $2,158 in Gavle. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gavle, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,553 in Berlin and $1,439 in Gavle. That's a gap of about 77%.

Public transport costs about 16% less in Gavle. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Gavle, where all-in costs run around $1,439, than in Berlin at $2,553. In Gavle it covers expenses comfortably, while in Berlin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Gavle – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Gavle. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Berlin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.