Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gothenburg and Halmstad

For one person, living is cheaper in Halmstad: $1,605 a month against $2,026 in Gothenburg, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Gothenburg
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Gothenburg Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Halmstad
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Halmstad Living Index

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Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,026

/mo nomad

Halmstad

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,605

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gothenburg and in Halmstad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,026 in Gothenburg versus $1,605 in Halmstad.

Gothenburg $2,026
Halmstad $1,605

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,062 in Gothenburg versus $2,504 in Halmstad.

Gothenburg $3,062
Halmstad $2,504

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,099 in Gothenburg versus $3,402 in Halmstad.

Gothenburg $4,099
Halmstad $3,402

Living in Gothenburg is roughly 26% more expensive than in Halmstad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gothenburg 50% above, Halmstad 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.13 SEK 130

$12.90 SEK 128

1.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.8 SEK 830

$70.8 SEK 701

18.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.47 SEK 124

$11.37 SEK 113

9.67%

Cappuccino

$5.03 SEK 49.80

$4.57 SEK 45.23

10.07%

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

$2.84 SEK 28.14

$2.89 SEK 28.61

-1.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 SEK 23.44

$2.24 SEK 22.16

5.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.84 SEK 67.8

$6.88 SEK 68.2

-0.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.51 SEK 74.4

$7.36 SEK 72.9

2.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 SEK 16.68

$1.47 SEK 14.57

14.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.69 SEK 26.63

$2.48 SEK 24.56

8.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.09 SEK 30.60

$3.21 SEK 31.76

-3.74%

Eggs

$3.81 SEK 37.74

$3.31 SEK 32.78

15.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.45 SEK 113

$11.24 SEK 111

1.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.32 SEK 112

$8.98 SEK 88.9

26.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.54 SEK 164

$16.16 SEK 160

2.35%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 SEK 30.42

$3.11 SEK 30.78

-1.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 SEK 23.88

$2.52 SEK 24.92

-4.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.01 SEK 29.83

$2.85 SEK 28.22

5.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.25 SEK 42.09

$4.07 SEK 40.35

4.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 SEK 17.24

$1.53 SEK 15.12

13.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 SEK 16.06

$1.52 SEK 15.06

6.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.96 SEK 19.47

$1.95 SEK 19.30

0.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 SEK 16.30

$0.94 SEK 9.33

75.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.38 SEK 83.0

$6.44 SEK 63.9

30.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.69 SEK 146

$10.43 SEK 103

40.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 SEK 20.14

$2.11 SEK 20.86

-3.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 SEK 22.24

$2.16 SEK 21.43

3.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.63 SEK 35.97

$2.74 SEK 27.13

32.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.4 SEK 857

$65.6 SEK 650

31.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.92 SEK 58.7

$6.18 SEK 61.2

-4.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 SEK 17.01

$1.72 SEK 17.03

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$58.6 SEK 581

$58.5 SEK 580

0.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 SEK 17.29

$1.72 SEK 17.09

1.16%

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

$33.5K SEK 331.8K

$32.4K SEK 320.8K

3.43%

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

$33.4K SEK 331.3K

$32.9K SEK 325.9K

1.68%

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

$102 SEK 1,011

$105 SEK 1,040

-2.77%

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

$19.73 SEK 196

$19.69 SEK 195

0.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.00 SEK 327

$33.06 SEK 328

-0.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.48 SEK 352

$34.63 SEK 343

2.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.00 SEK 238

Cinema Ticket

$18.32 SEK 182

$16.16 SEK 160

13.37%

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

$217 SEK 2,147

$152 SEK 1,505

42.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,293 SEK 42.5K

$4,398 SEK 43.6K

-2.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.5 SEK 867

$88.7 SEK 879

-1.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.46 SEK 332

$32.41 SEK 321

3.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 SEK 862

$87.3 SEK 865

-0.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 SEK 1,298

$130 SEK 1,286

0.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 SEK 10.2K

$571 SEK 5,661

79.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$903 SEK 8,951

$557 SEK 5,524

62.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,791 SEK 17.7K

$1,102 SEK 10.9K

62.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 SEK 14.0K

$962 SEK 9,528

46.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,190 SEK 61.3K

$4,302 SEK 42.6K

43.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,427 SEK 34.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,492 SEK 34.6K

$2,298 SEK 22.8K

51.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.06

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

Last update for Gothenburg: October 12, 2026

Last update for Halmstad: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gothenburg

$903 44.6%

Halmstad

$558 34.7% 38.3% $346

Groceries & Markets

Gothenburg

$355 17.5%

Halmstad

$317 19.8% 10.6% $38

Eating Out

Gothenburg

$273 13.5%

Halmstad

$262 16.3% 4.1% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gothenburg

$155 7.6%

Halmstad

$158 9.8% 1.9% $2.9

Clothing & Footwear

Gothenburg

$153 7.5%

Halmstad

$152 9.5% 0.2% $0.3

Getting Around

Gothenburg

$115 5.7%

Halmstad

$91 5.7% 20.9% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Gothenburg

$72 3.6%

Halmstad

$67 4.2% 7.2% $5.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,026 in Gothenburg and $571 in Halmstad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gothenburg pays 52% 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: $84.0 in Gothenburg vs $71.0 in Halmstad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $355 vs $317 per month, with Halmstad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Halmstad

🕒 Local time

08:29 8:29 AM

Same time as Gothenburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

607,882

55,688

💱 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 Halmstad 130 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 Halmstad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Halmstad wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Gothenburg. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Halmstad the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 52% 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: $1,026 in Gothenburg versus $571 in Halmstad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $217 in Gothenburg versus $152 in Halmstad. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

At $1,605 in Halmstad versus $2,026 in Gothenburg, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Halmstad but tight or insufficient in Gothenburg. The gap between the two cities makes Halmstad the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Halmstad delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,605 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Halmstad hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Gothenburg and Halmstad 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 Halmstad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Gothenburg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.