Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gothenburg and Kiruna

For one person, living is cheaper in Kiruna: $1,730 a month against $2,071 in Gothenburg, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Gothenburg
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Gothenburg Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Kiruna
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Kiruna Living Index

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Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,071

/mo nomad

Kiruna

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,730

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gothenburg and in Kiruna

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,071 in Gothenburg versus $1,730 in Kiruna.

Gothenburg $2,071
Kiruna $1,730

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,124 in Gothenburg versus $2,703 in Kiruna.

Gothenburg $3,124
Kiruna $2,703

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,177 in Gothenburg versus $3,676 in Kiruna.

Gothenburg $4,177
Kiruna $3,676

Living in Gothenburg is roughly 20% more expensive than in Kiruna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gothenburg 53% above, Kiruna 28% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.68 SEK 133

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.5 SEK 871

$76.6 SEK 745

16.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.22 SEK 119

$9.23 SEK 89.8

32.39%

Cappuccino

$5.08 SEK 49.43

$4.37 SEK 42.54

16.25%

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

$3.13 SEK 30.43

$2.71 SEK 26.39

15.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 SEK 23.49

$2.20 SEK 21.41

9.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.97 SEK 67.8

$7.02 SEK 68.3

-0.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.44 SEK 72.4

$7.23 SEK 70.4

2.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 SEK 16.13

$1.68 SEK 16.37

-1.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.85 SEK 27.77

$2.90 SEK 28.26

-1.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.29 SEK 32.00

$3.36 SEK 32.73

-2.08%

Eggs

$3.99 SEK 38.87

$4.11 SEK 40.01

-2.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.61 SEK 113

$12.25 SEK 119

-5.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.57 SEK 113

$11.75 SEK 114

-1.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.35 SEK 169

$16.46 SEK 160

5.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 SEK 30.52

$2.71 SEK 26.40

15.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.54 SEK 24.74

$2.64 SEK 25.69

-3.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 SEK 29.14

$3.21 SEK 31.25

-6.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.38 SEK 42.59

$5.05 SEK 49.09

-13.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 SEK 17.45

$1.72 SEK 16.76

4.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 SEK 16.07

$1.53 SEK 14.93

7.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 SEK 19.45

$2.30 SEK 22.36

-13.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 SEK 17.33

$1.62 SEK 15.72

9.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.82 SEK 85.8

$7.38 SEK 71.8

19.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.59 SEK 152

$10.38 SEK 101

50.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 SEK 20.97

$2.12 SEK 20.64

1.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 SEK 22.52

$2.26 SEK 22.03

2.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.76 SEK 36.61

$3.40 SEK 33.11

10.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.5 SEK 842

$80.6 SEK 784

7.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.10 SEK 59.3

$6.90 SEK 67.1

-11.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 SEK 16.42

$1.70 SEK 16.51

-0.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.6 SEK 590

$65.9 SEK 641

-7.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 SEK 17.39

$1.95 SEK 18.97

-8.21%

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

$34.0K SEK 330.5K

$37.3K SEK 362.7K

-8.86%

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

$34.3K SEK 333.3K

$29.3K SEK 284.9K

16.96%

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

$106 SEK 1,031

$94.8 SEK 922

11.80%

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

$20.04 SEK 195

$24.06 SEK 234

-16.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.75 SEK 338

$38.82 SEK 378

-10.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.18 SEK 342

$37.31 SEK 363

-5.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.00 SEK 243

$24.32 SEK 237

2.80%

Cinema Ticket

$17.13 SEK 167

$16.49 SEK 160

3.88%

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

$227 SEK 2,211

$133 SEK 1,290

71.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,683 SEK 45.6K

$4,718 SEK 45.9K

-0.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.9 SEK 884

$100 SEK 975

-9.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.24 SEK 333

$39.13 SEK 381

-12.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.5 SEK 861

$90.2 SEK 878

-1.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 SEK 1,302

$122 SEK 1,189

9.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,133 SEK 11.0K

$822 SEK 7,997

37.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$921 SEK 8,964

$615 SEK 5,980

49.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,921 SEK 18.7K

$1,392 SEK 13.5K

38.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 SEK 13.7K

$1,022 SEK 9,942

37.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,721 SEK 65.4K

$3,824 SEK 37.2K

75.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,143 SEK 40.3K

$2,670 SEK 26.0K

55.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,665 SEK 35.7K

$3,354 SEK 32.6K

9.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.06

-23.50%

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

Last update for Gothenburg: November 2, 2026

Last update for Kiruna: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gothenburg

$921 44.5%

Kiruna

$615 35.5% 33.3% $307

Groceries & Markets

Gothenburg

$368 17.8%

Kiruna

$361 20.9% 2.1% $7.6

Eating Out

Gothenburg

$279 13.5%

Kiruna

$259 15% 7.2% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gothenburg

$161 7.8%

Kiruna

$158 9.1% 1.9% $3.1

Clothing & Footwear

Gothenburg

$156 7.6%

Kiruna

$158 9.2% 1.2% $1.9

Getting Around

Gothenburg

$116 5.6%

Kiruna

$110 6.3% 5.6% $6.5

Sport & Entertainment

Gothenburg

$69 3.4%

Kiruna

$70 4.1% 1.2% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,133 in Gothenburg and $822 in Kiruna. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gothenburg pays 9% 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: $90 in Gothenburg vs $77 in Kiruna for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $368 vs $361 per month, with Kiruna cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Kiruna

🕒 Local time

08:21 8:21 AM

Same time as Gothenburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

607,882

22,454

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.28 USD

100 SEK = 9.15 EUR

100 SEK = 10.28 USD

100 SEK = 9.15 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Gothenburg Kiruna 1,220 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Gothenburg
Kiruna

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 Kiruna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kiruna wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Gothenburg. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kiruna the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 9% 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: $1,133 in Gothenburg versus $822 in Kiruna. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $227 in Gothenburg versus $133 in Kiruna. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Kiruna – a meal for two runs $77 versus $90 in Gothenburg. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

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