Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gothenburg and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Gothenburg: $2,008 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

97

Cost of Living Index in Gothenburg
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Gothenburg Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,008

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gothenburg and in Barcelona

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,008 in Gothenburg versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Gothenburg $2,008
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,067 in Gothenburg versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Gothenburg $3,067
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,127 in Gothenburg versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Gothenburg $4,127
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Gothenburg costs roughly 18% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gothenburg 48% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.67 SEK 134

$17.59 €15.75

-22.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.7 SEK 851

$67.5 €60.5

28.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.40 SEK 122

$13.53 €12.12

-8.35%

Cappuccino

$5.04 SEK 49.48

$3.19 €2.86

57.99%

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

$2.99 SEK 29.31

$2.91 €2.61

2.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 SEK 22.89

$1.89 €1.70

23.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.88 SEK 67.5

$4.01 €3.59

71.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.57 SEK 74.3

$4.53 €4.06

67.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 SEK 16.97

$1.31 €1.17

32.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 SEK 27.36

$2.02 €1.81

38.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 SEK 31.97

$1.85 €1.66

76.22%

Eggs

$3.90 SEK 38.26

$4.83 €4.33

-19.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.25 SEK 110

$16.74 €14.99

-32.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.57 SEK 114

$9.12 €8.17

26.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.43 SEK 161

$19.64 €17.59

-16.34%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 SEK 29.54

$2.98 €2.67

1.01%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 SEK 24.06

$2.02 €1.81

21.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.90 SEK 28.48

$2.70 €2.42

7.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.49 SEK 44.09

$2.80 €2.51

60.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 SEK 17.95

$2.09 €1.87

-12.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 SEK 16.36

$2.07 €1.85

-19.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 SEK 20.11

$1.46 €1.31

40.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 SEK 15.72

$0.94 €0.84

70.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.35 SEK 81.9

$6.87 €6.15

21.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.18 SEK 149

$7.89 €7.06

92.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 SEK 20.04

$1.41 €1.26

44.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 SEK 22.12

$2.54 €2.27

-11.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.83 SEK 37.56

$3.14 €2.82

21.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.4 SEK 848

$25.45 €22.79

239.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.21 SEK 60.9

$2.99 €2.68

107.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 SEK 16.37

$1.49 €1.34

12.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.2 SEK 581

$33.37 €29.89

77.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 SEK 17.20

$1.80 €1.61

-2.78%

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

$33.4K SEK 327.9K

$33.2K €29.7K

0.66%

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

$33.8K SEK 331.7K

$31.7K €28.4K

6.62%

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

$104 SEK 1,017

$180 €162

-42.56%

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

$19.70 SEK 193

$13.84 €12.39

42.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.35 SEK 337

$33.70 €30.18

1.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.01 SEK 334

$51.5 €46.13

-33.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.39 SEK 239

$15.96 €14.29

52.82%

Cinema Ticket

$16.98 SEK 167

$10.99 €9.85

54.50%

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

$222 SEK 2,180

$917 €821

-75.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,336 SEK 42.6K

$16.5K €14.8K

-73.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 SEK 870

$87.0 €77.9

1.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.91 SEK 323

$38.51 €34.49

-14.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.8 SEK 861

$106 €94.8

-17.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 SEK 1,315

$120 €107

11.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,107 SEK 10.9K

$1,699 €1,522

-34.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$874 SEK 8,575

$1,355 €1,214

-35.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 SEK 18.3K

$2,603 €2,331

-28.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 SEK 13.7K

$2,062 €1,847

-32.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,415 SEK 63.0K

$6,915 €6,193

-7.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,026 SEK 39.5K

$5,128 €4,592

-21.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,521 SEK 34.6K

$2,211 €1,980

59.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.06

3.28

-6.71%

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

Last update for Gothenburg: October 27, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gothenburg

$874 43.5%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 55.1% $482

Groceries & Markets

Gothenburg

$360 17.9%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 10.6% $38

Eating Out

Gothenburg

$278 13.8%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 3.6% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gothenburg

$158 7.9%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 44.6% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Gothenburg

$155 7.7%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 2.2% $3.4

Getting Around

Gothenburg

$116 5.8%

Barcelona

$48 2% 58.3% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Gothenburg

$68 3.4%

Barcelona

$74 3% 8.2% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,107 in Gothenburg and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gothenburg pays 59% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $87 in Gothenburg vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $360 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Gothenburg

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

16:40 4:40 PM

Same time as Gothenburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

607,882

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.19 USD

100 SEK = 9.13 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 9.81 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 SEK (100 SEK = 9.13 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Gothenburg Barcelona 1,940 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Gothenburg
Barcelona

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

Gothenburg vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,008 in Gothenburg and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Gothenburg is about 18% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 59% higher in Gothenburg, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,107 in Gothenburg versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $222 in Gothenburg versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 11% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Gothenburg is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

Safety-wise, Gothenburg and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.