Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gothenburg and Kalmar

For one person, living is cheaper in Kalmar: $1,953 a month against $2,008 in Gothenburg, rent and utilities included – about $660 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
94

Cost of Living Index in Kalmar
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Kalmar Living Index

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Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,008

/mo nomad

Kalmar

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,953

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gothenburg and in Kalmar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,008 in Gothenburg versus $1,953 in Kalmar.

Gothenburg $2,008
Kalmar $1,953

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,067 in Gothenburg versus $2,895 in Kalmar.

Gothenburg $3,067
Kalmar $2,895

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,127 in Gothenburg versus $3,837 in Kalmar.

Gothenburg $4,127
Kalmar $3,837

Living in Gothenburg is roughly 3% more expensive than in Kalmar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gothenburg 48% above, Kalmar 44% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.67 SEK 135

$15.36 SEK 152

-11.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.7 SEK 857

$71.1 SEK 703

21.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.40 SEK 123

$10.47 SEK 104

18.43%

Cappuccino

$5.04 SEK 49.84

$4.67 SEK 46.20

7.92%

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

$2.99 SEK 29.52

$2.81 SEK 27.82

6.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 SEK 23.06

$2.55 SEK 25.22

-8.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.88 SEK 68.0

$9.69 SEK 95.8

-29.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.57 SEK 74.9

$7.25 SEK 71.7

4.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 SEK 17.09

$1.48 SEK 14.58

16.89%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 SEK 27.56

$3.01 SEK 29.80

-7.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 SEK 32.20

$3.07 SEK 30.37

6.19%

Eggs

$3.90 SEK 38.54

$4.65 SEK 46.00

-16.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.25 SEK 111

$16.58 SEK 164

-32.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.57 SEK 114

$10.89 SEK 108

6.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.43 SEK 162

$22.80 SEK 225

-27.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 SEK 29.75

$2.49 SEK 24.59

20.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 SEK 24.24

$2.77 SEK 27.34

-11.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.90 SEK 28.68

$3.57 SEK 35.29

-18.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.49 SEK 44.41

$4.46 SEK 44.11

0.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 SEK 18.08

$1.67 SEK 16.54

9.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 SEK 16.48

$2.27 SEK 22.46

-26.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 SEK 20.25

$1.93 SEK 19.04

6.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 SEK 15.83

$1.67 SEK 16.53

-4.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.35 SEK 82.5

$7.79 SEK 77.0

7.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.18 SEK 150

$9.14 SEK 90.3

66.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 SEK 20.19

$1.93 SEK 19.10

5.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 SEK 22.28

$2.54 SEK 25.15

-11.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.83 SEK 37.83

$3.21 SEK 31.74

19.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.4 SEK 854

$78.4 SEK 775

10.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.21 SEK 61.4

$10.03 SEK 99.2

-38.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 SEK 16.49

$1.72 SEK 17.02

-2.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.2 SEK 585

$47.45 SEK 469

24.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 SEK 17.32

$1.71 SEK 16.86

2.34%

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

$33.4K SEK 330.3K

$30.2K SEK 298.3K

10.73%

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

$33.8K SEK 334.1K

$29.3K SEK 289.9K

15.24%

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

$104 SEK 1,024

$144 SEK 1,428

-28.25%

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

$19.70 SEK 195

$27.58 SEK 273

-28.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.35 SEK 340

$32.34 SEK 320

6.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.01 SEK 336

$30.33 SEK 300

12.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.39 SEK 241

$26.38 SEK 261

-7.54%

Cinema Ticket

$16.98 SEK 168

$14.58 SEK 144

16.46%

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

$222 SEK 2,196

$142 SEK 1,399

56.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,336 SEK 42.9K

$4,986 SEK 49.3K

-13.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 SEK 877

$49.41 SEK 488

79.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.91 SEK 325

$44.31 SEK 438

-25.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.8 SEK 868

$79.2 SEK 783

10.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 SEK 1,325

$100 SEK 990

33.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,107 SEK 10.9K

$908 SEK 8,977

21.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$874 SEK 8,637

$778 SEK 7,687

12.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 SEK 18.4K

$1,325 SEK 13.1K

40.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 SEK 13.8K

$1,123 SEK 11.1K

24.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,415 SEK 63.4K

$4,073 SEK 40.3K

57.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,026 SEK 39.8K

$2,733 SEK 27.0K

47.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,521 SEK 34.8K

$2,864 SEK 28.3K

22.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.06

3.93

-22.14%

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

Last update for Gothenburg: October 27, 2026

Last update for Kalmar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gothenburg

$874 43.5%

Kalmar

$778 39.8% 11% $96

Groceries & Markets

Gothenburg

$360 17.9%

Kalmar

$384 19.7% 6.8% $25

Eating Out

Gothenburg

$278 13.8%

Kalmar

$295 15.1% 6.1% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gothenburg

$158 7.9%

Kalmar

$204 10.5% 29.6% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Gothenburg

$155 7.7%

Kalmar

$123 6.3% 20.5% $32

Getting Around

Gothenburg

$116 5.8%

Kalmar

$110 5.6% 5.5% $6.4

Sport & Entertainment

Gothenburg

$68 3.4%

Kalmar

$59 3.1% 12.5% $8.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,107 in Gothenburg and $908 in Kalmar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gothenburg pays 23% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $87 in Gothenburg vs $71 in Kalmar. Groceries flip the comparison at $360 vs $384, with Gothenburg cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Kalmar

🕒 Local time

18:12 6:12 PM

Same time as Gothenburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

607,882

35,170

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.12 USD

100 SEK = 9.07 EUR

100 SEK = 10.12 USD

100 SEK = 9.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Gothenburg Kalmar 290 km

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 Kalmar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kalmar wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Gothenburg. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kalmar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 23% 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 $908 in Kalmar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $222 in Gothenburg versus $142 in Kalmar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Gothenburg pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Kalmar 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 Kalmar are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Kalmar wins on affordability, Gothenburg on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.