Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gothenburg and Uppsala

For one person, living costs are similar in Gothenburg and in Uppsala: $2,044 and $1,988 a month, rent and utilities included.

100

Cost of Living Index in Gothenburg
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Gothenburg Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Uppsala
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Uppsala Living Index

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Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,044

/mo nomad

Uppsala

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,988

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gothenburg and in Uppsala

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,044 in Gothenburg versus $1,988 in Uppsala.

Gothenburg $2,044
Uppsala $1,988

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,078 in Gothenburg versus $3,075 in Uppsala.

Gothenburg $3,078
Uppsala $3,075

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,113 in Gothenburg versus $4,163 in Uppsala.

Gothenburg $4,113
Uppsala $4,163

Living in Gothenburg is roughly 3% more expensive than in Uppsala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gothenburg 51% above, Uppsala 47% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.77 SEK 136

$15.32 SEK 152

-10.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.4 SEK 866

$82.2 SEK 815

6.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.41 SEK 123

$9.91 SEK 98.2

25.23%

Cappuccino

$4.87 SEK 48.30

$4.89 SEK 48.41

-0.41%

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

$2.89 SEK 28.62

$3.04 SEK 30.15

-4.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 SEK 23.76

$2.46 SEK 24.38

-2.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.03 SEK 69.6

$8.04 SEK 79.7

-12.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.69 SEK 76.2

$10.03 SEK 99.3

-23.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 SEK 16.58

$1.76 SEK 17.48

-5.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 SEK 26.73

$2.88 SEK 28.54

-6.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.16 SEK 31.32

$4.82 SEK 47.78

-34.44%

Eggs

$3.86 SEK 38.28

$4.83 SEK 47.82

-20.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.53 SEK 114

$10.32 SEK 102

11.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.57 SEK 115

$14.94 SEK 148

-22.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.35 SEK 162

$18.19 SEK 180

-10.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 SEK 29.92

$4.07 SEK 40.28

-25.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 SEK 23.90

$2.70 SEK 26.72

-10.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 SEK 29.77

$3.55 SEK 35.21

-15.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.45 SEK 44.10

$5.20 SEK 51.6

-14.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 SEK 17.51

$1.90 SEK 18.82

-6.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 SEK 16.80

$1.70 SEK 16.87

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 SEK 20.22

$2.57 SEK 25.48

-20.62%

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

$7.96 SEK 78.9

4.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.06 SEK 149

$10.19 SEK 101

47.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 SEK 20.21

$2.38 SEK 23.56

-14.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 SEK 22.24

$2.54 SEK 25.13

-11.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 SEK 38.05

$3.96 SEK 39.23

-3.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.5 SEK 867

$110 SEK 1,087

-20.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.33 SEK 62.7

$5.45 SEK 54.0

16.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 SEK 16.38

$1.28 SEK 12.65

28.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.6 SEK 591

$60.7 SEK 601

-1.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 SEK 17.28

$1.72 SEK 17.04

1.16%

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

$33.9K SEK 336.0K

$33.4K SEK 331.3K

1.43%

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

$34.0K SEK 337.3K

$34.3K SEK 339.7K

-0.70%

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

$106 SEK 1,046

$111 SEK 1,096

-4.52%

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

$19.51 SEK 193

$16.31 SEK 162

19.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.69 SEK 334

$48.26 SEK 478

-30.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.23 SEK 349

$38.34 SEK 380

-8.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.38 SEK 242

$24.22 SEK 240

0.66%

Cinema Ticket

$17.18 SEK 170

$17.81 SEK 177

-3.54%

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

$221 SEK 2,186

$129 SEK 1,282

70.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,412 SEK 43.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.2 SEK 883

$106 SEK 1,052

-16.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.97 SEK 327

$49.39 SEK 489

-33.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.3 SEK 874

$97.1 SEK 962

-9.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 SEK 1,301

$202 SEK 2,004

-35.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,046 SEK 10.4K

$895 SEK 8,866

16.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$908 SEK 8,998

$709 SEK 7,025

28.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,809 SEK 17.9K

$1,740 SEK 17.2K

3.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,383 SEK 13.7K

$1,153 SEK 11.4K

19.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,137 SEK 60.8K

$5,302 SEK 52.5K

15.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,523 SEK 34.9K

$2,552 SEK 25.3K

38.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,594 SEK 35.6K

$3,368 SEK 33.4K

6.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.06

4.09

-25.18%

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

Last update for Gothenburg: October 18, 2026

Last update for Uppsala: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gothenburg

$908 44.4%

Uppsala

$709 35.7% 21.9% $199

Groceries & Markets

Gothenburg

$358 17.5%

Uppsala

$395 19.9% 10.2% $36

Eating Out

Gothenburg

$278 13.6%

Uppsala

$293 14.8% 5.6% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gothenburg

$159 7.8%

Uppsala

$175 8.8% 10.3% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Gothenburg

$154 7.5%

Uppsala

$205 10.3% 33.1% $51

Getting Around

Gothenburg

$117 5.8%

Uppsala

$137 6.9% 16.9% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Gothenburg

$70 3.4%

Uppsala

$74 3.7% 6.3% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,046 in Gothenburg and $895 in Uppsala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gothenburg pays 7% 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 Uppsala. Groceries flip the comparison at $358 vs $395, with Gothenburg cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Uppsala

🕒 Local time

19:00 7:00 PM

Same time as Gothenburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

607,882

166,698

💱 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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Gothenburg Uppsala 400 km

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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 Uppsala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gothenburg and Uppsala differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($2,044 vs $1,988 including rent). Uppsala is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 7% 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 $895 in Uppsala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $221 in Gothenburg versus $129 in Uppsala. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Gothenburg pay roughly 10% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,988 in Uppsala versus $2,044 in Gothenburg, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Uppsala but tight or insufficient in Gothenburg. The gap between the two cities makes Uppsala the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Uppsala delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,988 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Uppsala hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Gothenburg and Uppsala 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 Uppsala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Gothenburg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.