Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gothenburg and Lake Charles, LA

For one person, living is cheaper in Gothenburg: $2,044 a month against $2,261 in Lake Charles, LA, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 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
109

Cost of Living Index in Lake Charles, LA
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Lake Charles, LA Living Index

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Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,044

/mo nomad

Lake Charles, LA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,261

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gothenburg and in Lake Charles, LA

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 Lake Charles, LA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,044 in Gothenburg versus $2,261 in Lake Charles, LA.

Gothenburg $2,044
Lake Charles, LA $2,261

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,078 in Gothenburg versus $3,218 in Lake Charles, LA.

Gothenburg $3,078
Lake Charles, LA $3,218

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,113 in Gothenburg versus $4,174 in Lake Charles, LA.

Gothenburg $4,113
Lake Charles, LA $4,174

Living in Gothenburg costs roughly 10% less than in Lake Charles, LA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gothenburg 51% above, Lake Charles, LA 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.77 SEK 136

$26.37 $26.37

-47.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.4 SEK 866

$70.0 $70.0

24.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.41 SEK 123

$10.80 $10.80

14.91%

Cappuccino

$4.87 SEK 48.30

$5.32 $5.32

-8.46%

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

$2.89 SEK 28.62

$2.01 $2.01

43.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 SEK 23.76

$1.22 $1.22

96.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.03 SEK 69.6

$5.14 $5.14

36.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.69 SEK 76.2

$5.98 $5.98

28.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 SEK 16.58

$1.40 $1.40

19.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 SEK 26.73

$4.13 $4.13

-34.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.16 SEK 31.32

$6.07 $6.07

-47.94%

Eggs

$3.86 SEK 38.28

$5.48 $5.48

-29.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.53 SEK 114

$15.31 $15.31

-24.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.57 SEK 115

$10.03 $10.03

15.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.35 SEK 162

$15.57 $15.57

5.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 SEK 29.92

$4.37 $4.37

-30.89%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 SEK 23.90

$1.32 $1.32

82.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 SEK 29.77

$2.00 $2.00

50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.45 SEK 44.10

$5.68 $5.68

-21.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 SEK 17.51

$4.41 $4.41

-59.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 SEK 16.80

$2.21 $2.21

-23.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 SEK 20.22

$2.26 $2.26

-9.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 SEK 16.05

$2.57 $2.57

-36.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.32 SEK 82.4

$8.31 $8.31

0.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.06 SEK 149

$16.90 $16.90

-10.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 SEK 20.21

$2.54 $2.54

-19.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 SEK 22.24

$3.91 $3.91

-42.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 SEK 38.05

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.5 SEK 867

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.33 SEK 62.7

$3.45 $3.45

83.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 SEK 16.38

$1.52 $1.52

8.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.6 SEK 591

$34.96 $34.96

70.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 SEK 17.28

$0.86 $0.86

102.33%

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

$33.9K SEK 336.0K

$33.2K $33.2K

2.05%

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

$34.0K SEK 337.3K

$26.8K $26.8K

26.89%

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

$106 SEK 1,046

$263 $263

-59.87%

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

$19.51 SEK 193

$71.4 $71.4

-72.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.69 SEK 334

$57.0 $57.0

-40.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.23 SEK 349

$32.38 $32.38

8.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.38 SEK 242

$13.86 $13.86

75.90%

Cinema Ticket

$17.18 SEK 170

$11.89 $11.89

44.49%

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

$221 SEK 2,186

$1,542 $1,542

-85.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,412 SEK 43.7K

$10.3K $10.3K

-57.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.2 SEK 883

$25.43 $25.43

250.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.97 SEK 327

$43.92 $43.92

-24.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.3 SEK 874

$59.5 $59.5

48.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 SEK 1,301

$119 $119

10.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,046 SEK 10.4K

$1,009 $1,009

3.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$908 SEK 8,998

$911 $911

-0.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,809 SEK 17.9K

$1,555 $1,555

16.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,383 SEK 13.7K

$1,271 $1,271

8.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,137 SEK 60.8K

$1,370 $1,370

347.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,523 SEK 34.9K

$1,395 $1,395

152.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,594 SEK 35.6K

$3,514 $3,514

2.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.06

6.66

-54.05%

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

Last update for Gothenburg: October 18, 2026

Last update for Lake Charles, LA: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gothenburg

$908 44.4%

Lake Charles, LA

$911 40.3% 0.3% $2.9

Groceries & Markets

Gothenburg

$358 17.5%

Lake Charles, LA

$422 18.7% 17.9% $64

Eating Out

Gothenburg

$278 13.6%

Lake Charles, LA

$358 15.8% 28.9% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gothenburg

$159 7.8%

Lake Charles, LA

$391 17.3% 147% $233

Clothing & Footwear

Gothenburg

$154 7.5%

Lake Charles, LA

$112 4.9% 27.4% $42

Getting Around

Gothenburg

$117 5.8%

Lake Charles, LA

$11 * 0.5% 90.6% $106

Sport & Entertainment

Gothenburg

$70 3.4%

Lake Charles, LA

$56 2.5% 19.3% $13

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,046 in Gothenburg and $1,009 in Lake Charles, LA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gothenburg pays 2% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $87.0 in Gothenburg vs $70.0 in Lake Charles, LA. Groceries flip the comparison at $358 vs $422, with Gothenburg cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Gothenburg

🇺🇸 Lake Charles, LA

🕒 Local time

14:01 2:01 PM

07:01 7:01 AM

7 h behind Gothenburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

607,882

84,872

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Gothenburg Lake Charles, LA 8,030 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Gothenburg
Lake Charles, LA

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 Lake Charles, LA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gothenburg wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Lake Charles, LA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Gothenburg the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 2% 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 $1,009 in Lake Charles, LA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $221 in Gothenburg versus $1,542 in Lake Charles, LA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Gothenburg – a meal for two runs $87.0 versus $70.0 in Lake Charles, LA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,044 in Gothenburg versus $2,261 in Lake Charles, LA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Gothenburg but tight or insufficient in Lake Charles, LA. The gap between the two cities makes Gothenburg the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Gothenburg delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,044 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Gothenburg hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Gothenburg and Lake Charles, LA 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 Gothenburg gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Lake Charles, LA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.