Cost of Living Comparison Between Gothenburg and Skovde Cost of Living Comparison Between Gothenburg and Skovde

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,068 in Gothenburg versus $1,855 in Skovde.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,219 in Gothenburg versus $2,905 in Skovde.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,369 in Gothenburg versus $3,955 in Skovde.

Living in Gothenburg is roughly 11% more expensive than in Skovde, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gothenburg 55% above, Skovde 39% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.85 SEK 134

$16.00 SEK 154

-13.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$92.8 SEK 895

$68.2 SEK 658

36.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.57 SEK 102

$11.75 SEK 113

-10.04%

Cappuccino

$4.95 SEK 47.74

$4.81 SEK 46.40

2.91%

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

$3.04 SEK 29.33

$2.75 SEK 26.50

10.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 SEK 25.62

$2.14 SEK 20.59

24.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.42 SEK 71.6

$8.26 SEK 79.6

-10.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.01 SEK 77.2

$8.80 SEK 84.9

-8.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 SEK 16.20

$1.65 SEK 15.94

1.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 SEK 27.83

$2.87 SEK 27.65

0.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.33 SEK 32.12

$4.46 SEK 42.97

-25.34%

Eggs

$4.49 SEK 43.31

$4.94 SEK 47.59

-9.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.70 SEK 113

$11.91 SEK 115

-1.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.25 SEK 118

$14.08 SEK 136

-13.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.65 SEK 180

$16.99 SEK 164

9.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 SEK 29.53

$3.84 SEK 37.03

-20.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.73 SEK 26.29

$2.87 SEK 27.64

-4.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 SEK 28.87

$3.62 SEK 34.93

-17.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.16 SEK 40.06

$5.12 SEK 49.39

-18.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 SEK 16.80

$1.59 SEK 15.29

9.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 SEK 18.69

$1.77 SEK 17.02

9.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 SEK 21.51

$2.73 SEK 26.30

-18.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 SEK 15.40

$1.26 SEK 12.11

26.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.91 SEK 76.2

$7.97 SEK 76.8

-0.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.41 SEK 139

$8.23 SEK 79.4

75.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 SEK 21.89

$2.48 SEK 23.95

-8.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 SEK 24.38

$2.59 SEK 24.93

-2.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 SEK 37.33

$3.85 SEK 37.13

0.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.6 SEK 864

$74.7 SEK 721

19.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$10.31 SEK 99.4

$5.73 SEK 55.2

79.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 SEK 15.45

$1.67 SEK 16.08

-4.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$62.1 SEK 599

$65.4 SEK 630

-4.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 SEK 18.61

$1.98 SEK 19.10

-2.53%

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

$32.2K SEK 310.5K

$33.1K SEK 318.9K

-2.64%

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

$35.0K SEK 337.3K

$33.7K SEK 324.6K

3.89%

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

$136 SEK 1,309

$112 SEK 1,077

21.58%

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

$25.35 SEK 244

$28.87 SEK 278

-12.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.47 SEK 381

$42.79 SEK 413

-7.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.88 SEK 394

$41.05 SEK 396

-0.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.69 SEK 238

$25.00 SEK 241

-1.24%

Cinema Ticket

$18.13 SEK 175

$20.18 SEK 195

-10.16%

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

$176 SEK 1,701

$150 SEK 1,442

17.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,094 SEK 39.5K

$5,481 SEK 52.8K

-25.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.0 SEK 868

$86.3 SEK 832

4.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.38 SEK 380

$42.09 SEK 406

-6.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.3 SEK 938

$101 SEK 977

-4.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$155 SEK 1,499

$159 SEK 1,530

-2.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,136 SEK 11.0K

$854 SEK 8,237

32.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$859 SEK 8,283

$659 SEK 6,355

30.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,855 SEK 17.9K

$1,372 SEK 13.2K

35.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 SEK 13.9K

$1,092 SEK 10.5K

31.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,400 SEK 61.7K

$4,135 SEK 39.9K

54.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,577 SEK 34.5K

$2,805 SEK 27.0K

27.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,689 SEK 35.6K

$3,415 SEK 32.9K

8.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.33

4.8

-9.79%

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

Last update for Gothenburg: July 27, 2026

Last update for Skovde: July 28, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,136 in Gothenburg and $854 in Skovde. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gothenburg pays 8% 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: $93.0 in Gothenburg vs $68.0 in Skovde. Groceries flip the comparison at $376 vs $385, with Gothenburg cheaper for home cooking.

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 Skovde: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 8% 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: $1,136 in Gothenburg versus $854 in Skovde. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $176 in Gothenburg versus $150 in Skovde. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Gothenburg pay roughly 2% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,855 in Skovde versus $2,068 in Gothenburg, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Skovde but tight or insufficient in Gothenburg. The gap between the two cities makes Skovde the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Skovde delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,855 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Skovde hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Gothenburg and Skovde 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 Skovde 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.