Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gothenburg and Helsingborg

For one person, living is cheaper in Helsingborg: $1,710 a month against $2,044 in Gothenburg, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 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
83

Cost of Living Index in Helsingborg
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Helsingborg Living Index

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Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,044

/mo nomad

Helsingborg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,710

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gothenburg and in Helsingborg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,044 in Gothenburg versus $1,710 in Helsingborg.

Gothenburg $2,044
Helsingborg $1,710

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,078 in Gothenburg versus $2,636 in Helsingborg.

Gothenburg $3,078
Helsingborg $2,636

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,113 in Gothenburg versus $3,561 in Helsingborg.

Gothenburg $4,113
Helsingborg $3,561

Living in Gothenburg is roughly 20% more expensive than in Helsingborg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gothenburg 51% above, Helsingborg 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.77 SEK 136

$13.35 SEK 132

3.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.4 SEK 866

$69.2 SEK 686

26.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.41 SEK 123

$12.75 SEK 126

-2.67%

Cappuccino

$4.87 SEK 48.30

$4.53 SEK 44.87

7.51%

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

$2.89 SEK 28.62

$2.88 SEK 28.49

0.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 SEK 23.76

$2.38 SEK 23.60

0.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.03 SEK 69.6

$6.81 SEK 67.5

3.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.69 SEK 76.2

$6.20 SEK 61.4

24.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 SEK 16.58

$1.47 SEK 14.61

13.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 SEK 26.73

$2.69 SEK 26.65

0.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.16 SEK 31.32

$2.93 SEK 29.08

7.85%

Eggs

$3.86 SEK 38.28

$3.90 SEK 38.60

-1.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.53 SEK 114

$11.24 SEK 111

2.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.57 SEK 115

$11.27 SEK 112

2.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.35 SEK 162

$15.15 SEK 150

7.92%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 SEK 29.92

$3.14 SEK 31.11

-3.82%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 SEK 23.90

$2.53 SEK 25.03

-4.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 SEK 29.77

$2.89 SEK 28.67

3.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.45 SEK 44.10

$4.47 SEK 44.31

-0.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 SEK 17.51

$1.72 SEK 17.02

2.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 SEK 16.80

$1.58 SEK 15.64

7.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 SEK 20.22

$1.86 SEK 18.38

9.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 SEK 16.05

$1.61 SEK 15.99

0.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.32 SEK 82.4

$8.18 SEK 81.0

1.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.06 SEK 149

$9.09 SEK 90.1

65.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 SEK 20.21

$2.10 SEK 20.78

-2.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 SEK 22.24

$2.20 SEK 21.77

2.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 SEK 38.05

$3.26 SEK 32.25

17.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.5 SEK 867

$62.2 SEK 616

40.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.33 SEK 62.7

$6.28 SEK 62.2

0.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 SEK 16.38

$1.72 SEK 17.00

-4.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.6 SEK 591

$60.5 SEK 599

-1.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 SEK 17.28

$1.80 SEK 17.80

-3.33%

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

$33.9K SEK 336.0K

$32.8K SEK 325.2K

3.31%

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

$34.0K SEK 337.3K

$33.8K SEK 335.2K

0.63%

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

$106 SEK 1,046

$103 SEK 1,020

2.57%

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

$19.51 SEK 193

$19.97 SEK 198

-2.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.69 SEK 334

$33.57 SEK 333

0.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.23 SEK 349

$38.54 SEK 382

-8.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.38 SEK 242

$22.23 SEK 220

9.67%

Cinema Ticket

$17.18 SEK 170

$14.82 SEK 147

15.92%

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

$221 SEK 2,186

$176 SEK 1,746

25.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,412 SEK 43.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.2 SEK 883

$80.1 SEK 794

11.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.97 SEK 327

$33.62 SEK 333

-1.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.3 SEK 874

$87.2 SEK 864

1.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 SEK 1,301

$107 SEK 1,060

22.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,046 SEK 10.4K

$846 SEK 8,380

23.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$908 SEK 8,998

$652 SEK 6,464

39.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,809 SEK 17.9K

$1,399 SEK 13.9K

29.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,383 SEK 13.7K

$1,079 SEK 10.7K

28.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,137 SEK 60.8K

$3,133 SEK 31.0K

95.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,523 SEK 34.9K

$2,265 SEK 22.4K

55.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,594 SEK 35.6K

$2,880 SEK 28.5K

24.79%

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 18, 2026

Last update for Helsingborg: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gothenburg

$908 44.4%

Helsingborg

$652 38.2% 28.2% $256

Groceries & Markets

Gothenburg

$358 17.5%

Helsingborg

$337 19.7% 5.8% $21

Eating Out

Gothenburg

$278 13.6%

Helsingborg

$267 15.6% 3.8% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gothenburg

$159 7.8%

Helsingborg

$156 9.2% 1.5% $2.3

Clothing & Footwear

Gothenburg

$154 7.5%

Helsingborg

$139 8.1% 9.9% $15

Getting Around

Gothenburg

$117 5.8%

Helsingborg

$90 5.3% 23.4% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Gothenburg

$70 3.4%

Helsingborg

$68 4% 2% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,046 in Gothenburg and $846 in Helsingborg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gothenburg pays 25% 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 $69.0 in Helsingborg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $358 vs $337 per month, with Helsingborg cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Helsingborg

🕒 Local time

18:05 6:05 PM

Same time as Gothenburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

607,882

93,838

💱 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

On the map

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From you

Gothenburg
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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 Helsingborg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Helsingborg wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Gothenburg. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Helsingborg the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 25% 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 $846 in Helsingborg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $221 in Gothenburg versus $176 in Helsingborg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Gothenburg. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,710 in Helsingborg versus $2,044 in Gothenburg, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Helsingborg but tight or insufficient in Gothenburg. The gap between the two cities makes Helsingborg the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Helsingborg delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,710 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Helsingborg hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Gothenburg and Helsingborg 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 Helsingborg gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Gothenburg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.