Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gothenburg and Sala, Sweden

For one person, living is cheaper in Sala: $1,555 a month against $2,008 in Gothenburg, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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
75

Cost of Living Index in Sala
Learn more

Sala Living Index

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Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,008

/mo nomad

Sala

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,555

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gothenburg and in Sala

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,008 in Gothenburg versus $1,555 in Sala.

Gothenburg $2,008
Sala $1,555

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,067 in Gothenburg versus $2,301 in Sala.

Gothenburg $3,067
Sala $2,301

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,127 in Gothenburg versus $3,046 in Sala.

Gothenburg $4,127
Sala $3,046

Living in Gothenburg is roughly 29% more expensive than in Sala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gothenburg 48% above, Sala 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.67 SEK 134

$12.16 SEK 119

12.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.7 SEK 851

$60.1 SEK 590

44.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.40 SEK 122

$9.87 SEK 96.9

25.63%

Cappuccino

$5.04 SEK 49.48

$3.04 SEK 29.84

65.79%

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

$2.99 SEK 29.31

$1.74 SEK 17.05

71.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 SEK 22.89

$2.24 SEK 21.97

4.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.88 SEK 67.5

$7.19 SEK 70.5

-4.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.57 SEK 74.3

$7.24 SEK 71.1

4.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 SEK 16.97

$1.72 SEK 16.89

0.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 SEK 27.36

$2.57 SEK 25.25

8.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 SEK 31.97

$3.42 SEK 33.61

-4.68%

Eggs

$3.90 SEK 38.26

$5.26 SEK 51.6

-25.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.25 SEK 110

$11.30 SEK 111

-0.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.57 SEK 114

$12.99 SEK 127

-10.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.43 SEK 161

$22.54 SEK 221

-27.11%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 SEK 29.54

$2.90 SEK 28.43

3.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 SEK 24.06

$2.67 SEK 26.21

-8.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.90 SEK 28.48

$2.68 SEK 26.32

8.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.49 SEK 44.09

$4.59 SEK 45.05

-2.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 SEK 17.95

$1.45 SEK 14.21

26.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 SEK 16.36

$1.13 SEK 11.11

47.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 SEK 20.11

$2.53 SEK 24.81

-18.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 SEK 15.72

$1.03 SEK 10.14

55.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.35 SEK 81.9

$6.96 SEK 68.3

19.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.18 SEK 149

$6.01 SEK 59.0

152.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 SEK 20.04

$2.01 SEK 19.70

1.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 SEK 22.12

$1.76 SEK 17.30

27.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.83 SEK 37.56

$2.98 SEK 29.25

28.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.4 SEK 848

$20.73 SEK 203

316.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.21 SEK 60.9

$5.86 SEK 57.5

5.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 SEK 16.37

$1.78 SEK 17.48

-6.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.2 SEK 581

$81.0 SEK 795

-26.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 SEK 17.20

$1.70 SEK 16.70

2.94%

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

$33.4K SEK 327.9K

$33.9K SEK 332.6K

-1.41%

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

$33.8K SEK 331.7K

$33.6K SEK 330.0K

0.50%

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

$104 SEK 1,017

$178 SEK 1,742

-41.63%

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

$19.70 SEK 193

$19.84 SEK 195

-0.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.35 SEK 337

$39.07 SEK 383

-12.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.01 SEK 334

$45.69 SEK 448

-25.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.39 SEK 239

$19.95 SEK 196

22.26%

Cinema Ticket

$16.98 SEK 167

$16.33 SEK 160

3.98%

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

$222 SEK 2,180

$221 SEK 2,164

0.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,336 SEK 42.6K

$1,219 SEK 12.0K

255.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 SEK 870

$44.53 SEK 437

99.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.91 SEK 323

$34.85 SEK 342

-5.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.8 SEK 861

$52.4 SEK 514

67.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 SEK 1,315

$55.0 SEK 540

143.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,107 SEK 10.9K

$716 SEK 7,028

54.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$874 SEK 8,575

$516 SEK 5,065

69.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 SEK 18.3K

$921 SEK 9,035

102.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 SEK 13.7K

$713 SEK 7,001

96.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,415 SEK 63.0K

$3,986 SEK 39.1K

60.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,026 SEK 39.5K

$2,798 SEK 27.5K

43.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,521 SEK 34.6K

$2,432 SEK 23.9K

44.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.06

2.8

9.29%

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

Last update for Gothenburg: October 27, 2026

Last update for Sala: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gothenburg

$874 43.5%

Sala

$516 33.2% 40.9% $358

Groceries & Markets

Gothenburg

$360 17.9%

Sala

$363 23.4% 0.9% $3.2

Eating Out

Gothenburg

$278 13.8%

Sala

$230 14.8% 17.3% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gothenburg

$158 7.9%

Sala

$236 15.2% 50% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Gothenburg

$155 7.7%

Sala

$84 5.4% 45.6% $70

Getting Around

Gothenburg

$116 5.8%

Sala

$47 3.1% 59.2% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Gothenburg

$68 3.4%

Sala

$78 5% 15.3% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,107 in Gothenburg and $716 in Sala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gothenburg pays 45% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $87 in Gothenburg vs $60 in Sala. Groceries flip the comparison at $360 vs $363, with Gothenburg cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Sala

🕒 Local time

20:35 8:35 PM

Same time as Gothenburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

607,882

22,994

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.19 USD

100 SEK = 9.13 EUR

100 SEK = 10.19 USD

100 SEK = 9.13 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Gothenburg Sala 370 km

From you

Gothenburg
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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 Sala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sala wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Gothenburg. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Sala the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 45% 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 $716 in Sala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $222 in Gothenburg versus $221 in Sala. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sala – a meal for two runs $60 versus $87 in Gothenburg. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Sala is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Sala are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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