Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gavle and Gothenburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Gavle: $1,439 a month against $2,044 in Gothenburg, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Gavle
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Gavle Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Gothenburg
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Gothenburg Living Index

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Gavle

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,439

/mo nomad

Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,044

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,439 in Gavle versus $2,044 in Gothenburg.

Gavle $1,439
Gothenburg $2,044

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,286 in Gavle versus $3,078 in Gothenburg.

Gavle $2,286
Gothenburg $3,078

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,134 in Gavle versus $4,113 in Gothenburg.

Gavle $3,134
Gothenburg $4,113

Living in Gavle costs roughly 30% less than in Gothenburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gavle 6% above, Gothenburg 51% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.69 SEK 136

$13.77 SEK 136

-0.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.4 SEK 786

$87.4 SEK 866

-9.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.31 SEK 92.2

$12.41 SEK 123

-24.98%

Cappuccino

$4.42 SEK 43.79

$4.87 SEK 48.30

-9.24%

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

$2.07 SEK 20.51

$2.89 SEK 28.62

-28.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 SEK 18.95

$2.40 SEK 23.76

-20.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.79 SEK 77.2

$7.03 SEK 69.6

10.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.75 SEK 76.8

$7.69 SEK 76.2

0.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 SEK 16.12

$1.67 SEK 16.58

-2.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 SEK 25.84

$2.70 SEK 26.73

-3.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.73 SEK 36.95

$3.16 SEK 31.32

18.04%

Eggs

$3.81 SEK 37.80

$3.86 SEK 38.28

-1.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.13 SEK 90.4

$11.53 SEK 114

-20.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.29 SEK 102

$11.57 SEK 115

-11.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.73 SEK 186

$16.35 SEK 162

14.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 SEK 30.25

$3.02 SEK 29.92

0.99%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 SEK 27.16

$2.41 SEK 23.90

13.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 SEK 32.43

$3.00 SEK 29.77

9.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.35 SEK 43.07

$4.45 SEK 44.10

-2.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 SEK 17.12

$1.77 SEK 17.51

-2.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 SEK 17.99

$1.70 SEK 16.80

7.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.55 SEK 25.26

$2.04 SEK 20.22

25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 SEK 20.35

$1.62 SEK 16.05

26.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.99 SEK 79.1

$8.32 SEK 82.4

-3.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.13 SEK 110

$15.06 SEK 149

-26.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 SEK 16.23

$2.04 SEK 20.21

-19.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 SEK 15.34

$2.25 SEK 22.24

-31.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.25 SEK 32.22

$3.84 SEK 38.05

-15.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.4 SEK 598

$87.5 SEK 867

-31.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.52 SEK 44.83

$6.33 SEK 62.7

-28.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 SEK 15.16

$1.65 SEK 16.38

-7.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.87 SEK 336

$59.6 SEK 591

-43.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 SEK 17.90

$1.74 SEK 17.28

4.02%

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

$25.8K SEK 255.2K

$33.9K SEK 336.0K

-24.04%

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

$28.1K SEK 278.1K

$34.0K SEK 337.3K

-17.55%

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

$55.6 SEK 551

$106 SEK 1,046

-47.31%

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

$21.93 SEK 217

$19.51 SEK 193

12.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.60 SEK 392

$33.69 SEK 334

17.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.32 SEK 469

$35.23 SEK 349

34.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.38 SEK 242

Cinema Ticket

$15.22 SEK 151

$17.18 SEK 170

-11.41%

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

$133 SEK 1,321

$221 SEK 2,186

-39.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.3K SEK 151.1K

$4,412 SEK 43.7K

245.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 SEK 699

$89.2 SEK 883

-20.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.8 SEK 583

$32.97 SEK 327

78.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.9 SEK 505

$88.3 SEK 874

-42.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.5 SEK 887

$131 SEK 1,301

-31.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$579 SEK 5,738

$1,046 SEK 10.4K

-44.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$425 SEK 4,208

$908 SEK 8,998

-53.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$762 SEK 7,546

$1,809 SEK 17.9K

-57.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 SEK 6,593

$1,383 SEK 13.7K

-51.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,945 SEK 19.3K

$6,137 SEK 60.8K

-68.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,333 SEK 13.2K

$3,523 SEK 34.9K

-62.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,144 SEK 31.1K

$3,594 SEK 35.6K

-12.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.37

3.06

10.13%

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

Last update for Gavle: October 17, 2026

Last update for Gothenburg: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gavle

$425 29.5%

Gothenburg

$908 44.4% 114% $483

Groceries & Markets

Gavle

$351 24.4%

Gothenburg

$358 17.5% 2% $6.9

Eating Out

Gavle

$261 18.1%

Gothenburg

$278 13.6% 6.4% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Gavle

$121 8.4%

Gothenburg

$154 7.5% 26.7% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gavle

$117 8.1%

Gothenburg

$159 7.8% 35.5% $42

Getting Around

Gavle

$86 6%

Gothenburg

$117 5.8% 37.3% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Gavle

$78 5.4%

Gothenburg

$70 3.4% 10.5% $8.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $579 in Gavle and $1,046 in Gothenburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gothenburg pays 14% 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: $79.0 in Gavle vs $87.0 in Gothenburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $351 vs $358 per month, with Gavle cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Gavle

🇸🇪 Gothenburg

🕒 Local time

09:44 9:44 AM

Same time as Gavle

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,000

607,882

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Gavle Gothenburg 440 km

From you

Gavle
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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

Gavle vs Gothenburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gavle and Gothenburg differ by about 42% in total monthly costs ($1,439 vs $2,044 including rent). Gavle is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 14% 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: $579 in Gavle versus $1,046 in Gothenburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Gavle runs roughly 45% less than in Gothenburg. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $133 in Gavle versus $221 in Gothenburg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,439 in Gavle versus $2,044 in Gothenburg, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Gavle but tight or insufficient in Gothenburg. The gap between the two cities makes Gavle 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, Gavle 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 Gavle gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Gothenburg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.