Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gothenburg and Gavle

For one person, living is cheaper in Gavle: $1,439 a month against $2,044 in Gothenburg, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Gothenburg
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Gothenburg Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Gavle
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Gavle Living Index

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Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,044

/mo nomad

Gavle

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,439

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,044 in Gothenburg versus $1,439 in Gavle.

Gothenburg $2,044
Gavle $1,439

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,078 in Gothenburg versus $2,286 in Gavle.

Gothenburg $3,078
Gavle $2,286

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,113 in Gothenburg versus $3,134 in Gavle.

Gothenburg $4,113
Gavle $3,134

Living in Gothenburg is roughly 42% more expensive than in Gavle, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gothenburg 51% above, Gavle 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.77 SEK 136

$13.69 SEK 136

0.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.4 SEK 866

$79.4 SEK 786

10.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.41 SEK 123

$9.31 SEK 92.2

33.30%

Cappuccino

$4.87 SEK 48.30

$4.42 SEK 43.79

10.18%

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

$2.89 SEK 28.62

$2.07 SEK 20.51

39.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 SEK 23.76

$1.91 SEK 18.95

25.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.03 SEK 69.6

$7.79 SEK 77.2

-9.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.69 SEK 76.2

$7.75 SEK 76.8

-0.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 SEK 16.58

$1.63 SEK 16.12

2.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 SEK 26.73

$2.61 SEK 25.84

3.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.16 SEK 31.32

$3.73 SEK 36.95

-15.28%

Eggs

$3.86 SEK 38.28

$3.81 SEK 37.80

1.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.53 SEK 114

$9.13 SEK 90.4

26.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.57 SEK 115

$10.29 SEK 102

12.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.35 SEK 162

$18.73 SEK 186

-12.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 SEK 29.92

$3.05 SEK 30.25

-0.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 SEK 23.90

$2.74 SEK 27.16

-12.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 SEK 29.77

$3.27 SEK 32.43

-8.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.45 SEK 44.10

$4.35 SEK 43.07

2.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 SEK 17.51

$1.73 SEK 17.12

2.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 SEK 16.80

$1.82 SEK 17.99

-6.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 SEK 20.22

$2.55 SEK 25.26

-20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 SEK 16.05

$2.05 SEK 20.35

-20.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.32 SEK 82.4

$7.99 SEK 79.1

4.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.06 SEK 149

$11.13 SEK 110

35.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 SEK 20.21

$1.64 SEK 16.23

24.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 SEK 22.24

$1.55 SEK 15.34

45.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 SEK 38.05

$3.25 SEK 32.22

18.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.5 SEK 867

$60.4 SEK 598

44.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.33 SEK 62.7

$4.52 SEK 44.83

40.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 SEK 16.38

$1.53 SEK 15.16

7.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.6 SEK 591

$33.87 SEK 336

76.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 SEK 17.28

$1.81 SEK 17.90

-3.87%

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

$33.9K SEK 336.0K

$25.8K SEK 255.2K

31.65%

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

$34.0K SEK 337.3K

$28.1K SEK 278.1K

21.28%

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

$106 SEK 1,046

$55.6 SEK 551

89.81%

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

$19.51 SEK 193

$21.93 SEK 217

-11.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.69 SEK 334

$39.60 SEK 392

-14.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.23 SEK 349

$47.32 SEK 469

-25.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.38 SEK 242

Cinema Ticket

$17.18 SEK 170

$15.22 SEK 151

12.88%

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

$221 SEK 2,186

$133 SEK 1,321

65.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,412 SEK 43.7K

$15.3K SEK 151.1K

-71.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.2 SEK 883

$70.6 SEK 699

26.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.97 SEK 327

$58.8 SEK 583

-43.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.3 SEK 874

$50.9 SEK 505

73.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 SEK 1,301

$89.5 SEK 887

46.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,046 SEK 10.4K

$579 SEK 5,738

80.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$908 SEK 8,998

$425 SEK 4,208

113.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,809 SEK 17.9K

$762 SEK 7,546

137.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,383 SEK 13.7K

$665 SEK 6,593

107.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,137 SEK 60.8K

$1,945 SEK 19.3K

215.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,523 SEK 34.9K

$1,333 SEK 13.2K

164.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,594 SEK 35.6K

$3,144 SEK 31.1K

14.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.06

3.37

-9.20%

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

Last update for Gothenburg: October 18, 2026

Last update for Gavle: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gothenburg

$908 44.4%

Gavle

$425 29.5% 53.2% $483

Groceries & Markets

Gothenburg

$358 17.5%

Gavle

$351 24.4% 1.9% $6.9

Eating Out

Gothenburg

$278 13.6%

Gavle

$261 18.1% 6% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gothenburg

$159 7.8%

Gavle

$117 8.1% 26.2% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Gothenburg

$154 7.5%

Gavle

$121 8.4% 21% $32

Getting Around

Gothenburg

$117 5.8%

Gavle

$86 6% 27.2% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Gothenburg

$70 3.4%

Gavle

$78 5.4% 11.7% $8.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,046 in Gothenburg and $579 in Gavle. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gothenburg 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: $87.0 in Gothenburg vs $79.0 in Gavle for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $358 vs $351 per month, with Gavle cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Gavle

🕒 Local time

10:21 10:21 AM

Same time as Gothenburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

607,882

100,000

💱 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

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Gothenburg Gavle 440 km

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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

Gothenburg vs Gavle: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gothenburg and Gavle differ by about 42% in total monthly costs ($2,044 vs $1,439 including rent). Gavle is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 14% 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: $1,046 in Gothenburg versus $579 in Gavle. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Gavle runs roughly 45% less than in Gothenburg. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $221 in Gothenburg versus $133 in Gavle. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,439 in Gavle versus $2,044 in Gothenburg, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Gavle but tight or insufficient in Gothenburg. 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, Gothenburg and Gavle 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 42% less than in Gothenburg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.