Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gothenburg and Canberra

For one person, living is cheaper in Gothenburg: $2,008 a month against $2,886 in Canberra, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

97

Cost of Living Index in Gothenburg
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Gothenburg Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Canberra
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Canberra Living Index

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Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,008

/mo nomad

Canberra

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,886

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gothenburg and in Canberra

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

A single person spends $2,008 per month in Gothenburg vs $2,886 in Canberra, rent included.

Gothenburg $2,008
Canberra $2,886

A couple spends around $3,067 per month in Gothenburg vs $4,020 in Canberra, rent included.

Gothenburg $3,067
Canberra $4,020

A family of three spends $4,127 per month in Gothenburg vs $5,153 in Canberra, rent included.

Gothenburg $4,127
Canberra $5,153

Gothenburg is about 30% cheaper than Canberra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Gothenburg and Canberra sit above the global median – Gothenburg by 48%, Canberra by 112%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.67 SEK 136

$20.77 A$29.51

-34.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.7 SEK 861

$89.8 A$128

-3.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.40 SEK 123

$10.43 A$14.82

18.89%

Cappuccino

$5.04 SEK 50.1

$3.99 A$5.66

26.32%

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

$2.99 SEK 29.66

$3.12 A$4.43

-4.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 SEK 23.17

$2.64 A$3.75

-11.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.88 SEK 68.3

$8.32 A$11.82

-17.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.57 SEK 75.2

$10.11 A$14.36

-25.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 SEK 17.17

$1.49 A$2.12

16.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 SEK 27.69

$3.14 A$4.47

-11.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 SEK 32.35

$2.53 A$3.59

28.85%

Eggs

$3.90 SEK 38.72

$5.32 A$7.56

-26.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.25 SEK 112

$13.15 A$18.68

-14.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.57 SEK 115

$9.98 A$14.18

15.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.43 SEK 163

$15.08 A$21.43

8.95%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 SEK 29.89

$4.03 A$5.72

-25.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 SEK 24.35

$3.17 A$4.50

-22.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.90 SEK 28.82

$3.54 A$5.03

-18.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.49 SEK 44.62

$5.13 A$7.29

-12.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 SEK 18.17

$3.22 A$4.57

-43.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 SEK 16.56

$2.83 A$4.02

-40.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 SEK 20.35

$2.48 A$3.52

-17.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 SEK 15.91

$1.40 A$2.00

14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.35 SEK 82.9

$44.06 A$62.6

-81.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.18 SEK 151

$14.26 A$20.26

6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 SEK 20.28

$4.81 A$6.84

-57.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 SEK 22.38

$5.68 A$8.07

-60.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.83 SEK 38.01

$2.53 A$3.60

51.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.4 SEK 858

$94.8 A$135

-8.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.21 SEK 61.6

$3.99 A$5.67

55.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 SEK 16.57

$1.65 A$2.35

1.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.2 SEK 588

$42.56 A$60.5

39.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 SEK 17.40

$1.33 A$1.89

31.58%

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

$33.4K SEK 331.8K

$28.0K A$39.8K

19.41%

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

$33.8K SEK 335.6K

$26.3K A$37.4K

28.55%

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

$104 SEK 1,029

$184 A$262

-43.76%

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

$19.70 SEK 196

$26.57 A$37.75

-25.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.35 SEK 341

$55.9 A$79.5

-38.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.01 SEK 338

$79.4 A$113

-57.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.39 SEK 242

$27.81 A$39.52

-12.30%

Cinema Ticket

$16.98 SEK 169

$16.02 A$22.76

5.99%

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

$222 SEK 2,207

$2,460 A$3,496

-90.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,336 SEK 43.1K

$20.6K A$29.3K

-78.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 SEK 881

$76.1 A$108

16.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.91 SEK 327

$57.4 A$81.6

-42.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.8 SEK 872

$107 A$153

-18.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 SEK 1,331

$133 A$189

0.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,107 SEK 11.0K

$1,749 A$2,485

-36.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$874 SEK 8,678

$1,495 A$2,125

-41.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 SEK 18.5K

$3,065 A$4,355

-39.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 SEK 13.9K

$1,978 A$2,811

-29.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,415 SEK 63.7K

$11.1K A$15.8K

-42.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,026 SEK 40.0K

$7,790 A$11.1K

-48.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,521 SEK 35.0K

$4,317 A$6,134

-18.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.06

5.95

-48.57%

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

Last update for Gothenburg: October 27, 2026

Last update for Canberra: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gothenburg

$874 43.5%

Canberra

$1.5K 51.8% 71.1% $621

Groceries & Markets

Gothenburg

$360 17.9%

Canberra

$397 13.8% 10.4% $37

Eating Out

Gothenburg

$278 13.8%

Canberra

$330 11.4% 18.8% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gothenburg

$158 7.9%

Canberra

$267 9.2% 69.2% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Gothenburg

$155 7.7%

Canberra

$168 5.8% 8.8% $14

Getting Around

Gothenburg

$116 5.8%

Canberra

$117 4.1% 0.8% $0.9

Sport & Entertainment

Gothenburg

$68 3.4%

Canberra

$111 3.9% 64% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,107 in Gothenburg versus $1,749 in Canberra. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 23% higher in Canberra, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $87 in Gothenburg versus $90 in Canberra. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $360 vs $397 – making Gothenburg the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Gothenburg

🇦🇺 Canberra

🕒 Local time

21:27 9:27 PM

07:27 7:27 AM

10 h ahead of Gothenburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

607,882

466,566 Capital

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.07 USD

100 SEK = 9.05 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.93 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.06 SEK (100 SEK = 9.05 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Gothenburg Canberra 16,000 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Gothenburg
Canberra

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 Canberra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,008 in Gothenburg, $2,886 in Canberra – Gothenburg comes out roughly 30% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,012 per month in Gothenburg and $4,329 in Canberra. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gothenburg, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,107 there versus $1,749 in Canberra.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,008 in Gothenburg and $2,886 in Canberra. That makes Gothenburg about 30% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 9% less in Gothenburg. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,008 in Gothenburg and $2,886 in Canberra. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Gothenburg – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Gothenburg. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Canberra makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.