Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gavle and Stockholm

For one person, living is cheaper in Gavle: $1,439 a month against $2,580 in Stockholm, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 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
126

Cost of Living Index in Stockholm
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Stockholm Living Index

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Gavle

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,439

/mo nomad

Stockholm

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,580

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gavle and in Stockholm

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 Stockholm actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,439 in Gavle versus $2,580 in Stockholm.

Gavle $1,439
Stockholm $2,580

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,286 in Gavle versus $3,916 in Stockholm.

Gavle $2,286
Stockholm $3,916

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,134 in Gavle versus $5,251 in Stockholm.

Gavle $3,134
Stockholm $5,251

Living in Gavle costs roughly 44% less than in Stockholm, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gavle 6% above, Stockholm 90% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.69 SEK 136

$18.12 SEK 180

-24.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.4 SEK 786

$103 SEK 1,019

-22.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.31 SEK 92.2

$12.12 SEK 120

-23.18%

Cappuccino

$4.42 SEK 43.79

$5.22 SEK 51.7

-15.33%

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

$2.07 SEK 20.51

$3.63 SEK 35.97

-42.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 SEK 18.95

$3.15 SEK 31.18

-39.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.79 SEK 77.2

$8.22 SEK 81.5

-5.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.75 SEK 76.8

$8.81 SEK 87.3

-12.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 SEK 16.12

$1.76 SEK 17.44

-7.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 SEK 25.84

$4.04 SEK 39.99

-35.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.73 SEK 36.95

$3.94 SEK 39.08

-5.33%

Eggs

$3.81 SEK 37.80

$5.06 SEK 50.2

-24.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.13 SEK 90.4

$13.02 SEK 129

-29.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.29 SEK 102

$12.87 SEK 128

-20.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.73 SEK 186

$21.96 SEK 218

-14.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 SEK 30.25

$3.59 SEK 35.62

-15.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 SEK 27.16

$2.82 SEK 27.92

-2.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 SEK 32.43

Tomato (1kg)

$4.35 SEK 43.07

$4.41 SEK 43.67

-1.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 SEK 17.12

$1.80 SEK 17.85

-3.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 SEK 17.99

$1.75 SEK 17.34

4.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.55 SEK 25.26

$2.49 SEK 24.71

2.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 SEK 20.35

$2.41 SEK 23.91

-14.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.99 SEK 79.1

$9.02 SEK 89.4

-11.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.13 SEK 110

$12.09 SEK 120

-7.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 SEK 16.23

$2.05 SEK 20.28

-20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 SEK 15.34

$2.64 SEK 26.12

-41.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.25 SEK 32.22

$4.37 SEK 43.25

-25.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.4 SEK 598

$106 SEK 1,052

-43.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.52 SEK 44.83

$5.87 SEK 58.2

-23.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 SEK 15.16

$1.55 SEK 15.33

-1.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.87 SEK 336

$57.6 SEK 570

-41.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 SEK 17.90

$1.80 SEK 17.88

0.56%

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

$25.8K SEK 255.2K

$33.9K SEK 335.7K

-23.99%

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

$28.1K SEK 278.1K

$33.5K SEK 332.4K

-16.33%

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

$55.6 SEK 551

$246 SEK 2,437

-77.38%

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

$21.93 SEK 217

$21.36 SEK 212

2.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.60 SEK 392

$40.80 SEK 404

-2.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.32 SEK 469

$48.86 SEK 484

-3.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.17 SEK 388

Cinema Ticket

$15.22 SEK 151

$18.76 SEK 186

-18.87%

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

$133 SEK 1,321

$158 SEK 1,570

-15.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.3K SEK 151.1K

$16.7K SEK 165.7K

-8.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 SEK 699

$113 SEK 1,121

-37.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.8 SEK 583

$60.2 SEK 596

-2.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.9 SEK 505

$136 SEK 1,350

-62.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.5 SEK 887

$186 SEK 1,845

-51.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$579 SEK 5,738

$1,670 SEK 16.5K

-65.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$425 SEK 4,208

$1,075 SEK 10.7K

-60.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$762 SEK 7,546

$3,045 SEK 30.2K

-74.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 SEK 6,593

$1,789 SEK 17.7K

-62.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,945 SEK 19.3K

$11.3K SEK 111.7K

-82.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,333 SEK 13.2K

$6,484 SEK 64.2K

-79.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,144 SEK 31.1K

$3,590 SEK 35.6K

-12.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.37

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

Last update for Gavle: October 17, 2026

Last update for Stockholm: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gavle

$425 29.5%

Stockholm

$1.1K 41.7% 153% $650

Groceries & Markets

Gavle

$351 24.4%

Stockholm

$421 16.3% 19.8% $69

Eating Out

Gavle

$261 18.1%

Stockholm

$330 12.8% 26.4% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Gavle

$121 8.4%

Stockholm

$223 8.7% 83.7% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gavle

$117 8.1%

Stockholm

$308 11.9% 163% $191

Getting Around

Gavle

$86 6%

Stockholm

$137 5.3% 60.4% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Gavle

$78 5.4%

Stockholm

$86 3.4% 11.1% $8.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $579 in Gavle and $1,670 in Stockholm. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stockholm 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 $103 in Stockholm for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $351 vs $421 per month, with Gavle cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Gavle

🇸🇪 Stockholm

🕒 Local time

08:58 8:58 AM

Same time as Gavle

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,000

984,748 Capital

💱 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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Between locations

Gavle Stockholm 160 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 Stockholm: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gavle and Stockholm differ by about 79% in total monthly costs ($1,439 vs $2,580 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 Stockholm. 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 $1,670 in Stockholm. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Gavle runs roughly 76% less than in Stockholm. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $133 in Gavle versus $158 in Stockholm. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,439 in Gavle versus $2,580 in Stockholm, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Gavle but tight or insufficient in Stockholm. 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 Stockholm 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 79% less than in Stockholm. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.