Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Genk and Gavle

For one person, living is cheaper in Gavle: $1,436 a month against $1,828 in Genk, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Genk
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Genk Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Gavle
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Gavle Living Index

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Genk

🇧🇪 Belgium

$1,828

/mo nomad

Gavle

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,436

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,828 in Genk versus $1,436 in Gavle.

Genk $1,828
Gavle $1,436

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,767 in Genk versus $2,283 in Gavle.

Genk $2,767
Gavle $2,283

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,706 in Genk versus $3,131 in Gavle.

Genk $3,706
Gavle $3,131

Living in Genk is roughly 27% more expensive than in Gavle, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Genk 34% above, Gavle 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.16 €20.75

$13.76 SEK 136

68.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.2 €80.0

$80.0 SEK 792

11.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.32 €11.94

$9.70 SEK 96.0

37.32%

Cappuccino

$4.32 €3.87

$4.52 SEK 44.75

-4.42%

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

$2.64 €2.37

$1.97 SEK 19.53

34.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.04

$1.90 SEK 18.83

20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.54 €4.07

$8.07 SEK 79.9

-43.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.95 €3.54

$7.77 SEK 76.9

-49.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 €0.82

$1.68 SEK 16.59

-45.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 €2.58

$2.56 SEK 25.38

12.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 €2.08

$3.92 SEK 38.85

-40.82%

Eggs

$3.93 €3.52

$3.83 SEK 37.91

2.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 €8.14

$9.07 SEK 89.8

0.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.42 €6.65

$10.36 SEK 103

-28.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.26 €10.09

$18.65 SEK 185

-39.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.42 €2.17

$3.14 SEK 31.10

-22.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 €2.12

$2.71 SEK 26.81

-12.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.56 €2.29

$3.27 SEK 32.36

-21.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.93 €2.62

$4.44 SEK 43.99

-34.01%

Potato (1kg)

$2.54 €2.28

$1.73 SEK 17.08

46.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.78 SEK 17.65

1.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 €1.35

$2.51 SEK 24.82

-40.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.98 SEK 19.59

-44.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.70 €11.38

$8.10 SEK 80.2

56.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 €6.65

$10.94 SEK 108

-32.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 €1.53

$1.62 SEK 16.00

5.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.54 SEK 15.21

-25.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.27 €2.93

$3.16 SEK 31.32

3.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.1 €49.39

$58.3 SEK 577

-5.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.54 €4.96

$4.47 SEK 44.25

23.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.75 €2.46

$1.47 SEK 14.51

87.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.28 €40.58

$34.61 SEK 343

30.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.65

$1.80 SEK 17.86

2.22%

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

$22.4K €20.1K

$26.1K SEK 258.2K

-14.02%

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

$27.4K €24.5K

$28.7K SEK 284.0K

-4.57%

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

$169 €152

$54.4 SEK 539

210.81%

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

$20.43 €18.30

$22.13 SEK 219

-7.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.91 €36.66

$41.26 SEK 409

-0.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.82 €33.00

$47.83 SEK 474

-23.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.80 €17.74

Cinema Ticket

$15.93 €14.27

$15.11 SEK 150

5.43%

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

$281 €252

$129 SEK 1,278

117.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.8K €29.4K

$15.1K SEK 149.8K

116.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 €96.6

$69.7 SEK 690

54.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.61 €41.76

$60.1 SEK 595

-22.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.1 €70.9

$50.1 SEK 496

57.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 €92.3

$90.8 SEK 899

13.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$952 €853

$574 SEK 5,685

65.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$694 €622

$420 SEK 4,155

65.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,295 €1,161

$780 SEK 7,726

66.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,041 €933

$655 SEK 6,488

58.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,107 €3,680

$1,933 SEK 19.1K

112.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,908 €2,606

$1,357 SEK 13.4K

114.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,275 €2,039

$3,054 SEK 30.2K

-25.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.53

3.33

6.01%

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

Last update for Genk: October 25, 2026

Last update for Gavle: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Genk

$694 38%

Gavle

$420 29.2% 39.6% $275

Eating Out

Genk

$327 17.9%

Gavle

$265 18.4% 19.1% $62

Groceries & Markets

Genk

$268 14.7%

Gavle

$351 24.5% 30.9% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Genk

$230 12.6%

Gavle

$118 8.2% 48.9% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Genk

$151 8.3%

Gavle

$122 8.5% 19.6% $30

Getting Around

Genk

$87 4.8%

Gavle

$83 5.8% 5.4% $4.7

Sport & Entertainment

Genk

$69 3.8%

Gavle

$78 5.4% 13.6% $9.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $952 in Genk and $574 in Gavle. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gavle pays 34% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $89 in Genk vs $80 in Gavle. Groceries flip the comparison at $268 vs $351, with Genk cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Genk

🇸🇪 Gavle

🕒 Local time

06:13 6:13 AM

Same time as Genk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

65,321

100,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 SEK = 10.1 USD

100 SEK = 9.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Genk Gavle 1,300 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Genk
Gavle

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

Genk vs Gavle: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,828 in Genk and $1,436 in Gavle, so Gavle is about 21% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 25% lower in Genk. 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: $952 in Genk versus $574 in Gavle. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Genk runs roughly 5% less than in Gavle. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $281 in Genk versus $129 in Gavle. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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, Genk and Gavle are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.