Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gothenburg and Stockholm

For one person, living is cheaper in Gothenburg: $2,026 a month against $2,574 in Stockholm, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Gothenburg
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Gothenburg Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Stockholm
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Stockholm Living Index

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Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,026

/mo nomad

Stockholm

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,574

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gothenburg and in Stockholm

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,026 in Gothenburg versus $2,574 in Stockholm.

Gothenburg $2,026
Stockholm $2,574

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,062 in Gothenburg versus $3,871 in Stockholm.

Gothenburg $3,062
Stockholm $3,871

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,099 in Gothenburg versus $5,167 in Stockholm.

Gothenburg $4,099
Stockholm $5,167

Living in Gothenburg costs roughly 21% less than in Stockholm, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gothenburg 50% above, Stockholm 91% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.13 SEK 130

$18.12 SEK 180

-27.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.8 SEK 830

$99.6 SEK 986

-15.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.47 SEK 124

$11.76 SEK 117

6.04%

Cappuccino

$5.03 SEK 49.80

$4.95 SEK 49.03

1.62%

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

$2.84 SEK 28.14

$3.68 SEK 36.46

-22.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 SEK 23.44

$3.16 SEK 31.28

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.84 SEK 67.8

$8.05 SEK 79.8

-15.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.51 SEK 74.4

$8.82 SEK 87.4

-14.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 SEK 16.68

$1.80 SEK 17.80

-6.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.69 SEK 26.63

$3.88 SEK 38.43

-30.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.09 SEK 30.60

$3.83 SEK 37.99

-19.32%

Eggs

$3.81 SEK 37.74

$5.14 SEK 50.9

-25.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.45 SEK 113

$12.45 SEK 123

-8.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.32 SEK 112

$12.63 SEK 125

-10.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.54 SEK 164

$21.90 SEK 217

-24.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 SEK 30.42

$3.47 SEK 34.41

-11.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 SEK 23.88

$2.74 SEK 27.15

-12.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.01 SEK 29.83

$3.08 SEK 30.54

-2.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.25 SEK 42.09

$4.48 SEK 44.41

-5.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 SEK 17.24

$1.77 SEK 17.54

-1.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 SEK 16.06

$1.79 SEK 17.70

-9.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.96 SEK 19.47

$2.40 SEK 23.76

-18.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 SEK 16.30

$2.37 SEK 23.50

-30.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.38 SEK 83.0

$8.72 SEK 86.4

-3.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.69 SEK 146

$11.99 SEK 119

22.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 SEK 20.14

$2.11 SEK 20.90

-3.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 SEK 22.24

$2.56 SEK 25.34

-12.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.63 SEK 35.97

$4.34 SEK 42.96

-16.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.4 SEK 857

$107 SEK 1,063

-19.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.92 SEK 58.7

$5.74 SEK 56.9

3.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 SEK 17.01

$1.47 SEK 14.58

17.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$58.6 SEK 581

$57.1 SEK 566

2.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 SEK 17.29

$1.80 SEK 17.86

-3.33%

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

$33.5K SEK 331.8K

$32.4K SEK 321.2K

3.32%

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

$33.4K SEK 331.3K

$33.6K SEK 332.8K

-0.44%

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

$102 SEK 1,011

$249 SEK 2,469

-59.03%

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

$19.73 SEK 196

$21.60 SEK 214

-8.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.00 SEK 327

$40.18 SEK 398

-17.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.48 SEK 352

$46.98 SEK 466

-24.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.00 SEK 238

$38.15 SEK 378

-37.09%

Cinema Ticket

$18.32 SEK 182

$19.09 SEK 189

-4.03%

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

$217 SEK 2,147

$158 SEK 1,569

36.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,293 SEK 42.5K

$16.4K SEK 162.0K

-73.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.5 SEK 867

$111 SEK 1,104

-21.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.46 SEK 332

$59.0 SEK 584

-43.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 SEK 862

$138 SEK 1,364

-36.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 SEK 1,298

$186 SEK 1,847

-29.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 SEK 10.2K

$1,658 SEK 16.4K

-38.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$903 SEK 8,951

$1,079 SEK 10.7K

-16.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,791 SEK 17.7K

$2,982 SEK 29.5K

-39.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 SEK 14.0K

$1,746 SEK 17.3K

-19.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,190 SEK 61.3K

$11.3K SEK 111.8K

-45.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,427 SEK 34.0K

$6,332 SEK 62.7K

-45.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,492 SEK 34.6K

$3,583 SEK 35.5K

-2.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.06

3.37

-9.20%

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

Last update for Gothenburg: October 12, 2026

Last update for Stockholm: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gothenburg

$903 44.6%

Stockholm

$1.1K 41.9% 19.4% $176

Groceries & Markets

Gothenburg

$355 17.5%

Stockholm

$414 16.1% 16.6% $59

Eating Out

Gothenburg

$273 13.5%

Stockholm

$325 12.6% 19.1% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gothenburg

$155 7.6%

Stockholm

$311 12.1% 101% $156

Clothing & Footwear

Gothenburg

$153 7.5%

Stockholm

$222 8.6% 45.9% $70

Getting Around

Gothenburg

$115 5.7%

Stockholm

$138 5.4% 19.2% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Gothenburg

$72 3.6%

Stockholm

$85 3.3% 18.1% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,026 in Gothenburg and $1,658 in Stockholm. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stockholm pays 3% 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 $100 in Stockholm for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $355 vs $414 per month, with Gothenburg cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Stockholm

🕒 Local time

08:25 8:25 AM

Same time as Gothenburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

607,882

984,748 Capital

💱 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

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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 Stockholm: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gothenburg wins on cost – living expenses run 27% lower than in Stockholm. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Gothenburg the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 3% lower in Stockholm. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,026 in Gothenburg versus $1,658 in Stockholm. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $217 in Gothenburg versus $158 in Stockholm. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Stockholm. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,026 in Gothenburg versus $2,574 in Stockholm, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Gothenburg but tight or insufficient in Stockholm. The gap between the two cities makes Gothenburg the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Gothenburg delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,026 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Gothenburg hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Gothenburg and Stockholm 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 Gothenburg gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Stockholm. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.