Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gothenburg and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Gothenburg: $2,042 a month against $2,203 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

99

Cost of Living Index in Gothenburg
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Gothenburg Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,042

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,203

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gothenburg and in Lisbon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,042 in Gothenburg versus $2,203 in Lisbon.

Gothenburg $2,042
Lisbon $2,203

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,064 in Gothenburg versus $3,237 in Lisbon.

Gothenburg $3,064
Lisbon $3,237

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,086 in Gothenburg versus $4,272 in Lisbon.

Gothenburg $4,086
Lisbon $4,272

Living in Gothenburg costs roughly 7% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gothenburg 52% above, Lisbon 64% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.84 SEK 128

$17.01 €15.18

-24.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.5 SEK 834

$62.7 €56.0

33.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.20 SEK 122

$11.42 €10.19

6.83%

Cappuccino

$4.81 SEK 48.09

$3.09 €2.76

55.66%

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

$2.81 SEK 28.09

$2.37 €2.11

18.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 SEK 22.46

$1.66 €1.48

35.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.07 SEK 70.7

$3.46 €3.09

104.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.29 SEK 72.8

$3.29 €2.93

121.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 SEK 16.48

$1.17 €1.04

41.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 SEK 28.12

$1.87 €1.66

50.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.23 SEK 32.25

$1.52 €1.36

112.50%

Eggs

$3.75 SEK 37.44

$3.88 €3.46

-3.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.21 SEK 112

$12.87 €11.49

-12.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.49 SEK 115

$7.94 €7.08

44.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.27 SEK 163

$17.63 €15.73

-7.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 SEK 29.85

$2.26 €2.01

32.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.50 SEK 24.98

$1.76 €1.57

42.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.98 SEK 29.79

$1.88 €1.68

58.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 SEK 43.27

$2.47 €2.20

75.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.80 SEK 18.03

$1.86 €1.66

-3.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 SEK 16.86

$2.07 €1.85

-18.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 SEK 19.66

$1.39 €1.24

41.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 SEK 15.74

$0.81 €0.73

93.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.17 SEK 81.6

$6.89 €6.15

18.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.70 SEK 147

$5.53 €4.93

165.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 SEK 19.88

$1.33 €1.19

49.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 SEK 22.41

$2.17 €1.93

3.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.59 SEK 35.89

$2.24 €2.00

60.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.4 SEK 863

$45.14 €40.29

91.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.03 SEK 60.2

$4.00 €3.57

50.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 SEK 16.43

$1.07 €0.95

53.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$58.9 SEK 588

$16.53 €14.75

256.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 SEK 17.24

$2.26 €2.02

-23.89%

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

$32.4K SEK 323.7K

$33.5K €29.9K

-3.33%

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

$33.4K SEK 333.7K

$40.5K €36.1K

-17.52%

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

$101 SEK 1,012

$164 €146

-38.07%

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

$19.36 SEK 193

$18.54 €16.55

4.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.87 SEK 338

$33.21 €29.64

1.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.60 SEK 346

$46.01 €41.06

-24.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.33 SEK 243

$18.80 €16.78

29.41%

Cinema Ticket

$18.36 SEK 183

$9.47 €8.45

93.88%

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

$223 SEK 2,229

$690 €615

-67.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,448 SEK 44.5K

$16.9K €15.0K

-73.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 SEK 869

$105 €93.4

-16.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.02 SEK 330

$45.27 €40.40

-27.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.8 SEK 857

$99.0 €88.3

-13.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 SEK 1,323

$124 €111

6.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,035 SEK 10.3K

$1,583 €1,413

-34.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$928 SEK 9,273

$1,209 €1,079

-23.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,768 SEK 17.7K

$2,833 €2,528

-37.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,386 SEK 13.8K

$1,964 €1,753

-29.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,117 SEK 61.1K

$7,643 €6,821

-19.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,377 SEK 33.8K

$4,431 €3,954

-23.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,444 SEK 34.4K

$1,573 €1,403

119.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.06

3.79

-19.26%

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

Last update for Gothenburg: October 3, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gothenburg

$928 45.4%

Lisbon

$1.2K 54% 30.3% $281

Groceries & Markets

Gothenburg

$355 17.4%

Lisbon

$272 12.1% 23.5% $83

Eating Out

Gothenburg

$267 13.1%

Lisbon

$247 11% 7.4% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gothenburg

$155 7.6%

Lisbon

$215 9.6% 39.3% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Gothenburg

$152 7.4%

Lisbon

$168 7.5% 10.3% $16

Getting Around

Gothenburg

$115 5.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 44.8% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Gothenburg

$71 3.5%

Lisbon

$65 2.9% 8.9% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,035 in Gothenburg and $1,583 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gothenburg pays 119% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $83.0 in Gothenburg vs $63.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $355 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Gothenburg

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

04:26 4:26 AM

03:26 3:26 AM

1 h behind Gothenburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

607,882

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.01 USD

100 SEK = 8.92 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.99 SEK (1 SEK = 0.1 USD). 1 EUR = 11.21 SEK (100 SEK = 8.92 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Gothenburg Lisbon 2,610 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Gothenburg
Lisbon

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 Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gothenburg wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Lisbon. 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 119% 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: $1,035 in Gothenburg versus $1,583 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $223 in Gothenburg versus $690 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 31% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,042 in Gothenburg versus $2,203 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Gothenburg but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. 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 $2,042 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Gothenburg hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Gothenburg and Lisbon 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 8% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.