Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dessau and Gothenburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Dessau: $1,800 a month against $2,044 in Gothenburg, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Gothenburg outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

87

Cost of Living Index in Dessau
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Dessau Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Gothenburg
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Gothenburg Living Index

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Dessau

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,800

/mo nomad

Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,044

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dessau and in Gothenburg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,800 in Dessau versus $2,044 in Gothenburg.

Dessau $1,800
Gothenburg $2,044

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,898 in Dessau versus $3,078 in Gothenburg.

Dessau $2,898
Gothenburg $3,078

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,995 in Dessau versus $4,113 in Gothenburg.

Dessau $3,995
Gothenburg $4,113

Living in Dessau costs roughly 12% less than in Gothenburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dessau 33% above, Gothenburg 51% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.84 €14.98

$13.77 SEK 136

22.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.2 €74.0

$87.4 SEK 866

-4.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.62 €13.90

$12.41 SEK 123

25.87%

Cappuccino

$4.34 €3.86

$4.87 SEK 48.30

-10.88%

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

$2.89 €2.57

$2.89 SEK 28.62

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 €3.81

$2.40 SEK 23.76

78.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.17 €4.60

$7.03 SEK 69.6

-26.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.57 €4.96

$7.69 SEK 76.2

-27.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 €1.24

$1.67 SEK 16.58

-16.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 €1.74

$2.70 SEK 26.73

-27.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.81 €3.39

$3.16 SEK 31.32

20.57%

Eggs

$3.54 €3.15

$3.86 SEK 38.28

-8.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.26 €9.12

$11.53 SEK 114

-11.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.01 €10.68

$11.57 SEK 115

3.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.11 €18.78

$16.35 SEK 162

29.11%

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 €2.97

$3.02 SEK 29.92

10.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.13 €1.90

$2.41 SEK 23.90

-11.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 €1.90

$3.00 SEK 29.77

-28.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 €3.26

$4.45 SEK 44.10

-17.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.77 SEK 17.51

-29.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.70 SEK 16.80

-34.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.61 €1.43

$2.04 SEK 20.22

-21.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.62 SEK 16.05

-24.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.54 €8.49

$8.32 SEK 82.4

14.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.59 €5.86

$15.06 SEK 149

-56.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.98

$2.04 SEK 20.21

-46.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 €1.50

$2.25 SEK 22.24

-24.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.56 €2.28

$3.84 SEK 38.05

-33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.1 €57.0

$87.5 SEK 867

-26.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 €4.41

$6.33 SEK 62.7

-21.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.52 €2.24

$1.65 SEK 16.38

52.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.31 €30.52

$59.6 SEK 591

-42.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.01 €1.79

$1.74 SEK 17.28

15.52%

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

$32.9K €29.3K

$33.9K SEK 336.0K

-2.95%

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

$39.5K €35.1K

$34.0K SEK 337.3K

15.91%

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

$281 €250

$106 SEK 1,046

166.39%

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

$26.20 €23.31

$19.51 SEK 193

34.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.0 €45.38

$33.69 SEK 334

51.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.2 €61.5

$35.23 SEK 349

96.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.39 €19.92

$24.38 SEK 242

-8.16%

Cinema Ticket

$12.29 €10.94

$17.18 SEK 170

-28.46%

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

$311 €277

$221 SEK 2,186

41.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,412 SEK 43.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.8 €65.6

$89.2 SEK 883

-17.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.27 €42.05

$32.97 SEK 327

43.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 €120

$88.3 SEK 874

53.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$171 €152

$131 SEK 1,301

30.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$449 €399

$1,046 SEK 10.4K

-57.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$442 €393

$908 SEK 8,998

-51.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$732 €651

$1,809 SEK 17.9K

-59.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 €902

$1,383 SEK 13.7K

-26.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,447 €3,066

$6,137 SEK 60.8K

-43.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,755 €1,561

$3,523 SEK 34.9K

-50.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,129 €1,894

$3,594 SEK 35.6K

-40.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.95

3.06

29.08%

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

Last update for Dessau: October 18, 2026

Last update for Gothenburg: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dessau

$442 24.6%

Gothenburg

$908 44.4% 105% $466

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dessau

$358 19.9%

Gothenburg

$159 7.8% 55.7% $200

Groceries & Markets

Dessau

$323 17.9%

Gothenburg

$358 17.5% 11.1% $36

Eating Out

Dessau

$299 16.6%

Gothenburg

$278 13.6% 7.3% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Dessau

$192 10.7%

Gothenburg

$154 7.5% 20.1% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Dessau

$94 5.2%

Gothenburg

$70 3.4% 25.8% $24

Getting Around

Dessau

$92 5.1%

Gothenburg

$117 5.8% 27.8% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $449 in Dessau and $1,046 in Gothenburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gothenburg pays 69% 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: $83.0 in Dessau vs $87.0 in Gothenburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $323 vs $358 per month, with Dessau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Dessau

🇸🇪 Gothenburg

🕒 Local time

06:48 6:48 AM

Same time as Dessau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

68,116

607,882

💱 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

Dessau Gothenburg 650 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Dessau
Gothenburg

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

Dessau vs Gothenburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dessau is cheaper overall, especially in groceries and transport. The 14% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 69% lower in Gothenburg. 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: $449 in Dessau versus $1,046 in Gothenburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Gothenburg. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Dessau – a meal for two runs $83.0 versus $87.0 in Gothenburg. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,800 in Dessau versus $2,044 in Gothenburg, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Dessau but tight or insufficient in Gothenburg. The gap between the two cities makes Dessau the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Dessau and Gothenburg are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Dessau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Gothenburg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.