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: $2,058 in Gothenburg versus $1,910 in Skovde.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,193 in Gothenburg versus $2,946 in Skovde.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,328 in Gothenburg versus $3,982 in Skovde.

Living in Gothenburg is roughly 8% more expensive than Skovde, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gothenburg 54% above, Skovde 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.74 SEK 130

$16.00 SEK 151

-14.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.9 SEK 888

$69.8 SEK 660

34.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.34 SEK 97.8

$11.48 SEK 109

-9.93%

Cappuccino

$4.73 SEK 44.80

$4.92 SEK 46.54

-3.86%

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

$2.97 SEK 28.09

$2.66 SEK 25.16

11.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 SEK 23.97

$2.24 SEK 21.17

12.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.26 SEK 68.7

$8.65 SEK 81.9

-16.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.72 SEK 73.0

$8.68 SEK 82.1

-11.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 SEK 15.89

$1.58 SEK 14.91

6.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.85 SEK 26.99

$2.77 SEK 26.24

2.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.32 SEK 31.38

$4.42 SEK 41.80

-24.89%

Eggs

$4.65 SEK 44.01

$5.17 SEK 48.95

-10.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.80 SEK 112

$12.22 SEK 116

-3.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.61 SEK 119

$14.26 SEK 135

-11.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.02 SEK 180

$17.11 SEK 162

11.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 SEK 29.33

$3.91 SEK 36.98

-20.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 SEK 25.90

$2.77 SEK 26.25

-1.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 SEK 27.49

$3.68 SEK 34.86

-20.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.18 SEK 39.50

$4.99 SEK 47.19

-16.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 SEK 15.72

$1.67 SEK 15.78

-0.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 SEK 17.50

$1.83 SEK 17.35

1.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 SEK 21.52

$2.61 SEK 24.71

-13.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 SEK 14.66

$1.32 SEK 12.51

17.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.82 SEK 74.0

$7.72 SEK 73.1

1.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.32 SEK 145

$8.68 SEK 82.2

76.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 SEK 21.37

$2.50 SEK 23.67

-9.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 SEK 24.67

$2.59 SEK 24.47

0.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.80 SEK 35.95

$3.77 SEK 35.66

0.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.6 SEK 838

$73.3 SEK 693

20.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$10.11 SEK 95.6

$5.81 SEK 55.0

74.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 SEK 15.70

$1.66 SEK 15.69

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$61.7 SEK 584

$64.5 SEK 610

-4.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.89 SEK 17.89

$1.99 SEK 18.86

-5.03%

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

$32.0K SEK 303.1K

$32.3K SEK 305.5K

-0.80%

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

$34.5K SEK 326.1K

$33.6K SEK 317.9K

2.59%

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

$138 SEK 1,310

$111 SEK 1,051

24.65%

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

$24.95 SEK 236

$29.31 SEK 277

-14.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.25 SEK 362

$42.35 SEK 401

-9.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.78 SEK 395

$40.09 SEK 379

4.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.26 SEK 239

$25.36 SEK 240

-0.39%

Cinema Ticket

$17.98 SEK 170

$20.37 SEK 193

-11.73%

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

$175 SEK 1,660

$149 SEK 1,410

17.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,215 SEK 39.9K

$5,566 SEK 52.7K

-24.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.6 SEK 829

$89.5 SEK 847

-2.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.28 SEK 381

$42.27 SEK 400

-4.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.9 SEK 917

$102 SEK 965

-5.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$156 SEK 1,479

$158 SEK 1,498

-1.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 SEK 10.6K

$833 SEK 7,885

34.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$873 SEK 8,263

$658 SEK 6,222

32.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,917 SEK 18.1K

$1,373 SEK 13.0K

39.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,434 SEK 13.6K

$1,099 SEK 10.4K

30.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,696 SEK 63.4K

$4,422 SEK 41.8K

51.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,764 SEK 35.6K

$3,023 SEK 28.6K

24.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,953 SEK 37.4K

$3,496 SEK 33.1K

13.08%

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: June 2, 2026

Last update for Skovde: June 1, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,125 in Gothenburg and $833 in Skovde. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gothenburg pays 13% 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: $94.0 in Gothenburg vs $70.0 in Skovde. Groceries flip the comparison at $381 vs $387, 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 8% 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.

Gothenburg pays 13% more on average, 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: $1,125 in Gothenburg versus $833 in Skovde. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $175 in Gothenburg versus $149 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 $1,910 in Skovde versus $2,058 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 $1,910 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 8% less than in Gothenburg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.