Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gothenburg and Umea

For one person, living is cheaper in Umea: $1,655 a month against $2,044 in Gothenburg, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Gothenburg outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

100

Cost of Living Index in Gothenburg
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Gothenburg Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Umea
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Umea Living Index

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Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,044

/mo nomad

Umea

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,655

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gothenburg and in Umea

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,044 in Gothenburg versus $1,655 in Umea.

Gothenburg $2,044
Umea $1,655

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,078 in Gothenburg versus $2,631 in Umea.

Gothenburg $3,078
Umea $2,631

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,113 in Gothenburg versus $3,607 in Umea.

Gothenburg $4,113
Umea $3,607

Living in Gothenburg is roughly 24% more expensive than in Umea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gothenburg 51% above, Umea 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.77 SEK 136

$15.04 SEK 149

-8.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.4 SEK 866

$81.9 SEK 812

6.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.41 SEK 123

$12.07 SEK 120

2.82%

Cappuccino

$4.87 SEK 48.30

$3.95 SEK 39.10

23.29%

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

$2.89 SEK 28.62

$3.14 SEK 31.09

-7.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 SEK 23.76

$2.38 SEK 23.58

0.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.03 SEK 69.6

$8.49 SEK 84.1

-17.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.69 SEK 76.2

$7.49 SEK 74.2

2.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 SEK 16.58

$1.72 SEK 17.03

-2.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 SEK 26.73

$3.42 SEK 33.88

-21.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.16 SEK 31.32

$4.11 SEK 40.74

-23.11%

Eggs

$3.86 SEK 38.28

$3.96 SEK 39.25

-2.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.53 SEK 114

$11.41 SEK 113

1.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.57 SEK 115

$10.49 SEK 104

10.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.35 SEK 162

$16.92 SEK 168

-3.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 SEK 29.92

$2.45 SEK 24.31

23.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 SEK 23.90

$2.23 SEK 22.07

8.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 SEK 29.77

$2.70 SEK 26.71

11.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.45 SEK 44.10

$4.16 SEK 41.18

6.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 SEK 17.51

$1.59 SEK 15.76

11.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 SEK 16.80

$1.67 SEK 16.58

1.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 SEK 20.22

$2.41 SEK 23.84

-15.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 SEK 16.05

$1.32 SEK 13.11

22.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.32 SEK 82.4

$7.35 SEK 72.8

13.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.06 SEK 149

$10.21 SEK 101

47.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 SEK 20.21

$2.29 SEK 22.64

-10.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 SEK 22.24

$2.41 SEK 23.84

-6.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 SEK 38.05

$2.96 SEK 29.34

29.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.5 SEK 867

$57.6 SEK 571

51.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.33 SEK 62.7

$7.22 SEK 71.6

-12.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 SEK 16.38

$4.91 SEK 48.61

-66.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.6 SEK 591

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 SEK 17.28

$1.71 SEK 16.95

1.75%

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

$33.9K SEK 336.0K

$32.9K SEK 326.2K

3.00%

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

$34.0K SEK 337.3K

$33.2K SEK 328.5K

2.69%

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

$106 SEK 1,046

$85.6 SEK 848

23.33%

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

$19.51 SEK 193

$33.72 SEK 334

-42.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.69 SEK 334

$27.59 SEK 273

22.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.23 SEK 349

$50.0 SEK 496

-29.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.38 SEK 242

$35.99 SEK 357

-32.26%

Cinema Ticket

$17.18 SEK 170

$16.97 SEK 168

1.24%

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

$221 SEK 2,186

$143 SEK 1,414

54.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,412 SEK 43.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.2 SEK 883

$99.1 SEK 982

-10.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.97 SEK 327

$36.38 SEK 360

-9.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.3 SEK 874

$120 SEK 1,187

-26.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 SEK 1,301

$143 SEK 1,417

-8.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,046 SEK 10.4K

$764 SEK 7,566

36.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$908 SEK 8,998

$511 SEK 5,066

77.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,809 SEK 17.9K

$1,113 SEK 11.0K

62.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,383 SEK 13.7K

$846 SEK 8,385

63.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,137 SEK 60.8K

$4,601 SEK 45.6K

33.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,523 SEK 34.9K

$3,107 SEK 30.8K

13.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,594 SEK 35.6K

$2,726 SEK 27.0K

31.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.06

3.65

-16.16%

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

Last update for Gothenburg: October 18, 2026

Last update for Umea: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gothenburg

$908 44.4%

Umea

$511 30.9% 43.7% $397

Groceries & Markets

Gothenburg

$358 17.5%

Umea

$349 21.1% 2.7% $9.7

Eating Out

Gothenburg

$278 13.6%

Umea

$283 17.1% 2.1% $5.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gothenburg

$159 7.8%

Umea

$147 8.9% 7.5% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Gothenburg

$154 7.5%

Umea

$179 10.8% 16.6% $26

Getting Around

Gothenburg

$117 5.8%

Umea

$101 6.1% 13.8% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Gothenburg

$70 3.4%

Umea

$84 5.1% 20.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,046 in Gothenburg and $764 in Umea. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gothenburg pays 32% 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: $87.0 in Gothenburg vs $82.0 in Umea for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $358 vs $349 per month, with Umea cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Umea

🕒 Local time

18:56 6:56 PM

Same time as Gothenburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

607,882

79,594

💱 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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Between locations

Gothenburg Umea 810 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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 Umea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Umea wins on cost – living expenses run 24% lower than in Gothenburg. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Umea the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 32% 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: $1,046 in Gothenburg versus $764 in Umea. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $221 in Gothenburg versus $143 in Umea. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Gothenburg. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,655 in Umea versus $2,044 in Gothenburg, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Umea but tight or insufficient in Gothenburg. The gap between the two cities makes Umea the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Umea delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,655 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Umea hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Gothenburg and Umea 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 Umea gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Gothenburg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.