Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gothenburg and Karlskrona

For one person, living is cheaper in Karlskrona: $1,636 a month against $2,008 in Gothenburg, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 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
79

Cost of Living Index in Karlskrona
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Karlskrona Living Index

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Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,008

/mo nomad

Karlskrona

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,636

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gothenburg and in Karlskrona

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,008 in Gothenburg versus $1,636 in Karlskrona.

Gothenburg $2,008
Karlskrona $1,636

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,067 in Gothenburg versus $2,545 in Karlskrona.

Gothenburg $3,067
Karlskrona $2,545

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,127 in Gothenburg versus $3,453 in Karlskrona.

Gothenburg $4,127
Karlskrona $3,453

Living in Gothenburg is roughly 23% more expensive than in Karlskrona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gothenburg 48% above, Karlskrona 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.67 SEK 134

$12.82 SEK 126

6.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.7 SEK 851

$66.2 SEK 650

31.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.40 SEK 122

$8.81 SEK 86.5

40.75%

Cappuccino

$5.04 SEK 49.51

$4.09 SEK 40.19

23.23%

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

$2.99 SEK 29.33

$1.33 SEK 13.08

124.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 SEK 22.91

$2.25 SEK 22.08

3.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.88 SEK 67.6

$6.93 SEK 68.0

-0.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.57 SEK 74.4

$5.00 SEK 49.14

51.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 SEK 16.98

$1.46 SEK 14.31

18.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 SEK 27.38

$2.67 SEK 26.23

4.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 SEK 31.99

$3.66 SEK 35.98

-10.93%

Eggs

$3.90 SEK 38.28

$4.41 SEK 43.26

-11.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.25 SEK 110

$11.01 SEK 108

2.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.57 SEK 114

$13.05 SEK 128

-11.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.43 SEK 161

$17.37 SEK 171

-5.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 SEK 29.56

$3.07 SEK 30.12

-1.95%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 SEK 24.08

$2.32 SEK 22.75

5.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.90 SEK 28.49

$3.03 SEK 29.80

-4.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.49 SEK 44.12

$4.40 SEK 43.23

2.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 SEK 17.96

$1.49 SEK 14.68

22.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 SEK 16.37

$1.49 SEK 14.68

12.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 SEK 20.12

$2.18 SEK 21.38

-5.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 SEK 15.73

$1.42 SEK 13.98

12.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.35 SEK 82.0

$6.99 SEK 68.6

19.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.18 SEK 149

$12.80 SEK 126

18.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 SEK 20.05

$2.04 SEK 20.02

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 SEK 22.13

$1.63 SEK 16.01

38.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.83 SEK 37.58

$2.94 SEK 28.86

30.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.4 SEK 848

$70.8 SEK 695

22.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.21 SEK 60.9

$13.17 SEK 129

-52.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 SEK 16.39

$2.06 SEK 20.27

-18.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.2 SEK 581

$80.5 SEK 790

-26.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 SEK 17.21

$1.77 SEK 17.37

-1.13%

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

$33.4K SEK 328.1K

$32.7K SEK 321.2K

2.13%

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

$33.8K SEK 331.9K

$33.2K SEK 326.4K

1.69%

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

$104 SEK 1,017

$51.1 SEK 502

102.78%

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

$19.70 SEK 193

$28.03 SEK 275

-29.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.35 SEK 337

$36.39 SEK 357

-5.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.01 SEK 334

$41.03 SEK 403

-17.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.39 SEK 240

Cinema Ticket

$16.98 SEK 167

$16.13 SEK 158

5.27%

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

$222 SEK 2,182

$160 SEK 1,574

38.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,336 SEK 42.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 SEK 871

$97.6 SEK 958

-9.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.91 SEK 323

$20.06 SEK 197

64.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.8 SEK 862

$79.6 SEK 782

10.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 SEK 1,316

$179 SEK 1,759

-25.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,107 SEK 10.9K

$681 SEK 6,684

62.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$874 SEK 8,580

$576 SEK 5,652

51.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 SEK 18.3K

$1,097 SEK 10.8K

69.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 SEK 13.7K

$937 SEK 9,202

49.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,415 SEK 63.0K

$2,929 SEK 28.8K

118.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,026 SEK 39.5K

$2,526 SEK 24.8K

59.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,521 SEK 34.6K

$2,463 SEK 24.2K

42.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.06

4.22

-27.49%

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

Last update for Gothenburg: October 27, 2026

Last update for Karlskrona: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gothenburg

$874 43.5%

Karlskrona

$576 35.2% 34.1% $298

Groceries & Markets

Gothenburg

$360 17.9%

Karlskrona

$360 22% 0% $0.2

Eating Out

Gothenburg

$278 13.8%

Karlskrona

$237 14.5% 14.7% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gothenburg

$158 7.9%

Karlskrona

$116 7.1% 26.7% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Gothenburg

$155 7.7%

Karlskrona

$169 10.4% 9.6% $15

Getting Around

Gothenburg

$116 5.8%

Karlskrona

$106 6.5% 8.8% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Gothenburg

$68 3.4%

Karlskrona

$73 4.5% 7.8% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,107 in Gothenburg and $681 in Karlskrona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gothenburg pays 43% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $87 in Gothenburg vs $66 in Karlskrona. Groceries flip the comparison at $360 vs $360, with Gothenburg cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Karlskrona

🕒 Local time

06:43 6:43 AM

Same time as Gothenburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

607,882

35,212

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.18 USD

100 SEK = 9.12 EUR

100 SEK = 10.18 USD

100 SEK = 9.12 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Karlskrona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karlskrona wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Gothenburg. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Karlskrona the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 43% 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 $681 in Karlskrona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $222 in Gothenburg versus $160 in Karlskrona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Karlskrona – a meal for two runs $66 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 Karlskrona 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 Karlskrona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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