Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gothenburg and Skovde

For one person, living is cheaper in Skovde: $1,761 a month against $2,008 in Gothenburg, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Gothenburg outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

97

Cost of Living Index in Gothenburg
Learn more

Gothenburg Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Skovde
Learn more

Skovde Living Index

Jump to prices

Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,008

/mo nomad

Skovde

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,761

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gothenburg and in Skovde

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,008 in Gothenburg versus $1,761 in Skovde.

Gothenburg $2,008
Skovde $1,761

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,067 in Gothenburg versus $2,768 in Skovde.

Gothenburg $3,067
Skovde $2,768

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,127 in Gothenburg versus $3,776 in Skovde.

Gothenburg $4,127
Skovde $3,776

Living in Gothenburg is roughly 14% more expensive than in Skovde, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gothenburg 48% above, Skovde 29% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.67 SEK 136

$13.25 SEK 132

3.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.7 SEK 861

$81.4 SEK 809

6.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.40 SEK 123

$10.21 SEK 101

21.45%

Cappuccino

$5.04 SEK 50.1

$4.19 SEK 41.57

20.29%

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

$2.99 SEK 29.66

$3.02 SEK 29.97

-0.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 SEK 23.17

$2.39 SEK 23.76

-2.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.88 SEK 68.3

$8.08 SEK 80.3

-14.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.57 SEK 75.2

$9.93 SEK 98.6

-23.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 SEK 17.17

$1.43 SEK 14.18

20.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 SEK 27.69

$2.85 SEK 28.31

-2.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 SEK 32.35

$4.56 SEK 45.24

-28.51%

Eggs

$3.90 SEK 38.72

$3.68 SEK 36.51

5.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.25 SEK 112

$9.99 SEK 99.2

12.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.57 SEK 115

$13.20 SEK 131

-12.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.43 SEK 163

$18.04 SEK 179

-8.92%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 SEK 29.89

$4.15 SEK 41.20

-27.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 SEK 24.35

$2.76 SEK 27.42

-11.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.90 SEK 28.82

$3.50 SEK 34.80

-17.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.49 SEK 44.62

$5.17 SEK 51.3

-13.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 SEK 18.17

$1.54 SEK 15.29

18.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 SEK 16.56

$1.69 SEK 16.74

-1.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 SEK 20.35

$2.57 SEK 25.53

-20.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 SEK 15.91

$1.32 SEK 13.14

21.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.35 SEK 82.9

$8.10 SEK 80.5

3.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.18 SEK 151

$7.81 SEK 77.5

94.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 SEK 20.28

$2.51 SEK 24.95

-18.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 SEK 22.38

$2.56 SEK 25.45

-12.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.83 SEK 38.01

$3.71 SEK 36.81

3.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.4 SEK 858

$83.8 SEK 832

3.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.21 SEK 61.6

$5.27 SEK 52.3

17.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 SEK 16.57

$1.29 SEK 12.85

29.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.2 SEK 588

$60.6 SEK 601

-2.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 SEK 17.40

$1.79 SEK 17.75

-2.23%

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

$33.4K SEK 331.8K

$33.7K SEK 334.6K

-0.83%

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

$33.8K SEK 335.6K

$33.7K SEK 334.9K

0.22%

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

$104 SEK 1,029

$111 SEK 1,104

-6.81%

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

$19.70 SEK 196

$10.90 SEK 108

80.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.35 SEK 341

$48.39 SEK 481

-29.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.01 SEK 338

$36.63 SEK 364

-7.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.39 SEK 242

$29.70 SEK 295

-17.88%

Cinema Ticket

$16.98 SEK 169

$17.99 SEK 179

-5.61%

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

$222 SEK 2,207

$126 SEK 1,248

76.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,336 SEK 43.1K

$4,824 SEK 47.9K

-10.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 SEK 881

$104 SEK 1,030

-14.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.91 SEK 327

$29.95 SEK 297

9.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.8 SEK 872

$59.9 SEK 595

46.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 SEK 1,331

$200 SEK 1,982

-32.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,107 SEK 11.0K

$803 SEK 7,970

37.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$874 SEK 8,678

$592 SEK 5,879

47.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 SEK 18.5K

$1,359 SEK 13.5K

36.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 SEK 13.9K

$1,003 SEK 9,965

39.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,415 SEK 63.7K

$4,027 SEK 40.0K

59.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,026 SEK 40.0K

$2,847 SEK 28.3K

41.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,521 SEK 35.0K

$3,253 SEK 32.3K

8.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.06

2.00%

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

Last update for Gothenburg: October 27, 2026

Last update for Skovde: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gothenburg

$874 43.5%

Skovde

$592 33.6% 32.3% $282

Groceries & Markets

Gothenburg

$360 17.9%

Skovde

$370 21% 2.9% $11

Eating Out

Gothenburg

$278 13.8%

Skovde

$269 15.3% 3.3% $9.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gothenburg

$158 7.9%

Skovde

$170 9.7% 8.1% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Gothenburg

$155 7.7%

Skovde

$177 10% 14.5% $22

Getting Around

Gothenburg

$116 5.8%

Skovde

$110 6.3% 5.1% $5.9

Sport & Entertainment

Gothenburg

$68 3.4%

Skovde

$73 4.1% 6.8% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,107 in Gothenburg and $803 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: $87 in Gothenburg vs $81 in Skovde. Groceries flip the comparison at $360 vs $370, with Gothenburg cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Skovde

🕒 Local time

14:05 2:05 PM

Same time as Gothenburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

607,882

34,466

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.07 USD

100 SEK = 9.05 EUR

100 SEK = 10.07 USD

100 SEK = 9.05 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Gothenburg Skovde 130 km

From you

Gothenburg
Skovde

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 Skovde: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Skovde wins on cost – living expenses run 12% 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: $1,107 in Gothenburg versus $803 in Skovde. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $222 in Gothenburg versus $126 in Skovde. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Gothenburg pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,761 in Skovde versus $2,008 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 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 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.

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