Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gothenburg and Dessau

For one person, living is cheaper in Dessau: $1,783 a month against $2,008 in Gothenburg, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Gothenburg outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

97

Cost of Living Index in Gothenburg
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Gothenburg Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Dessau
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Dessau Living Index

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Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,008

/mo nomad

Dessau

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,783

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gothenburg and in Dessau

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,008 in Gothenburg versus $1,783 in Dessau.

Gothenburg $2,008
Dessau $1,783

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,067 in Gothenburg versus $2,867 in Dessau.

Gothenburg $3,067
Dessau $2,867

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,127 in Gothenburg versus $3,951 in Dessau.

Gothenburg $4,127
Dessau $3,951

Living in Gothenburg is roughly 13% more expensive than in Dessau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gothenburg 48% above, Dessau 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.67 SEK 135

$16.48 €14.77

-17.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.7 SEK 859

$84.5 €75.7

2.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.40 SEK 123

$15.40 €13.80

-19.48%

Cappuccino

$5.04 SEK 49.92

$4.41 €3.95

14.29%

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

$2.99 SEK 29.57

$2.80 €2.51

6.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 SEK 23.10

$4.27 €3.82

-45.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.88 SEK 68.1

$4.90 €4.39

40.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.57 SEK 75.0

$5.43 €4.87

39.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 SEK 17.12

$1.34 €1.20

29.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 SEK 27.61

$2.05 €1.84

36.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 SEK 32.25

$3.85 €3.45

-15.32%

Eggs

$3.90 SEK 38.60

$3.62 €3.25

7.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.25 SEK 111

$10.23 €9.17

9.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.57 SEK 115

$11.72 €10.50

-1.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.43 SEK 163

$21.39 €19.16

-23.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 SEK 29.80

$3.31 €2.97

-9.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 SEK 24.28

$2.05 €1.84

19.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.90 SEK 28.73

$2.13 €1.91

36.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.49 SEK 44.49

$3.60 €3.23

24.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 SEK 18.11

$1.26 €1.13

45.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 SEK 16.51

$1.11 €0.99

50.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 SEK 20.29

$1.68 €1.51

22.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 SEK 15.86

$1.21 €1.09

32.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.35 SEK 82.7

$9.54 €8.55

-12.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.18 SEK 150

$6.53 €5.85

132.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 SEK 20.22

$1.08 €0.97

88.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 SEK 22.32

$1.67 €1.50

34.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.83 SEK 37.90

$2.59 €2.32

47.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.4 SEK 855

$65.3 €58.5

32.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.21 SEK 61.5

$5.01 €4.49

23.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 SEK 16.52

$2.49 €2.23

-32.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.2 SEK 586

$33.16 €29.72

78.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 SEK 17.35

$1.94 €1.74

-9.79%

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

$33.4K SEK 330.8K

$32.9K €29.5K

1.49%

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

$33.8K SEK 334.6K

$39.4K €35.3K

-14.23%

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

$104 SEK 1,026

$279 €250

-62.82%

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

$19.70 SEK 195

$25.46 €22.81

-22.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.35 SEK 340

$51.1 €45.76

-32.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.01 SEK 337

$68.5 €61.4

-50.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.39 SEK 242

$22.08 €19.79

10.46%

Cinema Ticket

$16.98 SEK 168

$12.09 €10.84

40.45%

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

$222 SEK 2,200

$308 €276

-27.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,336 SEK 42.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 SEK 878

$74.3 €66.5

19.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.91 SEK 326

$46.22 €41.42

-28.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.8 SEK 869

$134 €120

-34.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 SEK 1,327

$171 €153

-21.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,107 SEK 11.0K

$443 €397

150.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$874 SEK 8,651

$434 €389

101.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 SEK 18.4K

$733 €657

153.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 SEK 13.9K

$981 €879

42.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,415 SEK 63.5K

$3,354 €3,006

91.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,026 SEK 39.9K

$1,755 €1,573

129.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,521 SEK 34.9K

$2,184 €1,957

61.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.06

3.95

-22.53%

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

Last update for Gothenburg: October 27, 2026

Last update for Dessau: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gothenburg

$874 43.5%

Dessau

$434 24.4% 50.3% $439

Groceries & Markets

Gothenburg

$360 17.9%

Dessau

$322 18% 10.6% $38

Eating Out

Gothenburg

$278 13.8%

Dessau

$295 16.5% 6% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gothenburg

$158 7.9%

Dessau

$355 19.9% 125% $198

Clothing & Footwear

Gothenburg

$155 7.7%

Dessau

$191 10.7% 23.9% $37

Getting Around

Gothenburg

$116 5.8%

Dessau

$93 5.2% 19.9% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Gothenburg

$68 3.4%

Dessau

$93 5.2% 36.4% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,107 in Gothenburg and $443 in Dessau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gothenburg pays 61% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $87 in Gothenburg vs $84 in Dessau for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $360 vs $322 per month, with Dessau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Gothenburg

🇩🇪 Dessau

🕒 Local time

05:02 5:02 AM

Same time as Gothenburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

607,882

68,116

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.1 USD

100 SEK = 9.07 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 9.9 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.02 SEK (100 SEK = 9.07 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Gothenburg Dessau 650 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Gothenburg
Dessau

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 Dessau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dessau is about 11% cheaper overall, especially in groceries and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 61% 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 $443 in Dessau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Gothenburg. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Dessau – a meal for two runs $84 versus $87 in Gothenburg. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Dessau gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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

Expats usually find Dessau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Gothenburg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.