Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gothenburg and Lulea

For one person, living is cheaper in Lulea: $1,820 a month against $2,026 in Gothenburg, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Gothenburg outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

99

Cost of Living Index in Gothenburg
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Gothenburg Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Lulea
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Lulea Living Index

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Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,026

/mo nomad

Lulea

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,820

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gothenburg and in Lulea

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,026 in Gothenburg versus $1,820 in Lulea.

Gothenburg $2,026
Lulea $1,820

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,062 in Gothenburg versus $2,946 in Lulea.

Gothenburg $3,062
Lulea $2,946

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,099 in Gothenburg versus $4,073 in Lulea.

Gothenburg $4,099
Lulea $4,073

Living in Gothenburg is roughly 11% more expensive than in Lulea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gothenburg 50% above, Lulea 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.13 SEK 130

$11.71 SEK 116

12.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.8 SEK 830

$96.1 SEK 952

-12.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.47 SEK 124

$11.04 SEK 109

12.95%

Cappuccino

$5.03 SEK 49.80

$4.38 SEK 43.41

14.84%

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

$2.84 SEK 28.14

$2.45 SEK 24.24

15.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 SEK 23.44

$1.94 SEK 19.20

22.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.84 SEK 67.8

$8.56 SEK 84.8

-20.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.51 SEK 74.4

$9.41 SEK 93.2

-20.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 SEK 16.68

$1.82 SEK 17.99

-7.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.69 SEK 26.63

$3.42 SEK 33.84

-21.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.09 SEK 30.60

$4.75 SEK 47.11

-34.95%

Eggs

$3.81 SEK 37.74

$4.67 SEK 46.31

-18.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.45 SEK 113

$12.48 SEK 124

-8.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.32 SEK 112

$13.11 SEK 130

-13.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.54 SEK 164

$26.07 SEK 258

-36.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 SEK 30.42

$2.44 SEK 24.16

25.82%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 SEK 23.88

$2.66 SEK 26.36

-9.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.01 SEK 29.83

$2.36 SEK 23.36

27.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.25 SEK 42.09

$4.16 SEK 41.21

2.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 SEK 17.24

$2.09 SEK 20.69

-16.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 SEK 16.06

$1.50 SEK 14.82

8.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.96 SEK 19.47

$3.30 SEK 32.69

-40.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 SEK 16.30

$1.27 SEK 12.59

29.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.38 SEK 83.0

$7.06 SEK 70.0

18.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.69 SEK 146

$12.04 SEK 119

22.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 SEK 20.14

$1.78 SEK 17.63

14.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 SEK 22.24

$1.77 SEK 17.53

26.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.63 SEK 35.97

$3.23 SEK 31.99

12.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.4 SEK 857

$56.5 SEK 560

52.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.92 SEK 58.7

$8.73 SEK 86.5

-32.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 SEK 17.01

$2.05 SEK 20.33

-16.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$58.6 SEK 581

$70.8 SEK 702

-17.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 SEK 17.29

$1.74 SEK 17.24

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

$33.5K SEK 331.8K

$31.9K SEK 316.5K

4.84%

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

$33.4K SEK 331.3K

$33.3K SEK 329.9K

0.44%

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

$102 SEK 1,011

$161 SEK 1,595

-36.59%

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

$19.73 SEK 196

$31.36 SEK 311

-37.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.00 SEK 327

$26.51 SEK 263

24.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.48 SEK 352

$45.47 SEK 450

-21.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.00 SEK 238

$35.02 SEK 347

-31.47%

Cinema Ticket

$18.32 SEK 182

$12.85 SEK 127

42.57%

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

$217 SEK 2,147

$150 SEK 1,490

44.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,293 SEK 42.5K

$5,570 SEK 55.2K

-22.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.5 SEK 867

$120 SEK 1,189

-27.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.46 SEK 332

$32.64 SEK 323

2.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 SEK 862

$120 SEK 1,188

-27.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 SEK 1,298

$161 SEK 1,593

-18.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 SEK 10.2K

$783 SEK 7,763

30.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$903 SEK 8,951

$584 SEK 5,786

54.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,791 SEK 17.7K

$1,449 SEK 14.4K

23.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 SEK 14.0K

$1,104 SEK 10.9K

27.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,190 SEK 61.3K

$3,072 SEK 30.4K

101.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,427 SEK 34.0K

$2,194 SEK 21.7K

56.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,492 SEK 34.6K

$2,498 SEK 24.8K

39.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.06

3.85

-20.52%

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

Last update for Gothenburg: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lulea: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gothenburg

$903 44.6%

Lulea

$584 32.1% 35.4% $319

Groceries & Markets

Gothenburg

$355 17.5%

Lulea

$404 22.2% 13.7% $49

Eating Out

Gothenburg

$273 13.5%

Lulea

$259 14.2% 5.2% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gothenburg

$155 7.6%

Lulea

$219 12% 41.4% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Gothenburg

$153 7.5%

Lulea

$195 10.7% 27.9% $43

Getting Around

Gothenburg

$115 5.7%

Lulea

$88 4.9% 23.4% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Gothenburg

$72 3.6%

Lulea

$71 3.9% 1.3% $1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,026 in Gothenburg and $783 in Lulea. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gothenburg pays 40% 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: $84.0 in Gothenburg vs $96.0 in Lulea for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $355 vs $404 per month, with Gothenburg cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Lulea

🕒 Local time

05:24 5:24 AM

Same time as Gothenburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

607,882

73,864

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Gothenburg Lulea 1,020 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Gothenburg
Lulea

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 Lulea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 40% 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: $1,026 in Gothenburg versus $783 in Lulea. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $217 in Gothenburg versus $150 in Lulea. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Gothenburg pay roughly 14% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,820 in Lulea versus $2,026 in Gothenburg, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lulea but tight or insufficient in Gothenburg. The gap between the two cities makes Lulea the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Lulea delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,820 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lulea hard to pass up.

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