Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gothenburg and Varberg

For one person, living is cheaper in Varberg: $1,635 a month against $2,008 in Gothenburg, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

97

Cost of Living Index in Gothenburg
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Gothenburg Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Varberg
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Varberg Living Index

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Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,008

/mo nomad

Varberg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,635

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gothenburg and in Varberg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,008 in Gothenburg versus $1,635 in Varberg.

Gothenburg $2,008
Varberg $1,635

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,067 in Gothenburg versus $2,623 in Varberg.

Gothenburg $3,067
Varberg $2,623

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,127 in Gothenburg versus $3,610 in Varberg.

Gothenburg $4,127
Varberg $3,610

Living in Gothenburg is roughly 23% more expensive than in Varberg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gothenburg 48% above, Varberg 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.67 SEK 136

$15.35 SEK 152

-10.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.7 SEK 861

$76.3 SEK 758

13.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.40 SEK 123

$10.20 SEK 101

21.57%

Cappuccino

$5.04 SEK 50.1

$3.83 SEK 38.04

31.59%

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

$2.99 SEK 29.66

$1.19 SEK 11.82

151.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 SEK 23.17

$1.02 SEK 10.13

128.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.88 SEK 68.3

$6.18 SEK 61.4

11.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.57 SEK 75.2

$7.42 SEK 73.7

2.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 SEK 17.17

$1.43 SEK 14.17

20.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 SEK 27.69

$2.96 SEK 29.43

-5.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 SEK 32.35

$3.44 SEK 34.16

-5.23%

Eggs

$3.90 SEK 38.72

$4.13 SEK 41.00

-5.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.25 SEK 112

$12.77 SEK 127

-11.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.57 SEK 115

$10.88 SEK 108

6.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.43 SEK 163

$19.85 SEK 197

-17.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 SEK 29.89

$2.97 SEK 29.50

1.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 SEK 24.35

$2.53 SEK 25.10

-3.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.90 SEK 28.82

$2.95 SEK 29.25

-1.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.49 SEK 44.62

$4.21 SEK 41.80

6.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 SEK 18.17

$1.47 SEK 14.59

24.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 SEK 16.56

$1.49 SEK 14.75

12.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 SEK 20.35

$2.53 SEK 25.15

-18.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 SEK 15.91

$0.97 SEK 9.65

64.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.35 SEK 82.9

$6.77 SEK 67.3

23.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.18 SEK 151

$10.24 SEK 102

48.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 SEK 20.28

$2.07 SEK 20.54

-1.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 SEK 22.38

$1.18 SEK 11.71

90.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.83 SEK 38.01

$2.94 SEK 29.15

30.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.4 SEK 858

$77.8 SEK 773

11.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.21 SEK 61.6

$4.93 SEK 49.01

25.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 SEK 16.57

$2.41 SEK 23.89

-30.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.2 SEK 588

$49.63 SEK 493

19.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 SEK 17.40

$1.81 SEK 18.01

-3.31%

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

$33.4K SEK 331.8K

$33.0K SEK 327.6K

1.29%

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

$33.8K SEK 335.6K

$33.6K SEK 333.5K

0.63%

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

$104 SEK 1,029

$141 SEK 1,400

-26.48%

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

$19.70 SEK 196

$19.92 SEK 198

-1.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.35 SEK 341

$29.69 SEK 295

15.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.01 SEK 338

$40.37 SEK 401

-15.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.39 SEK 242

$40.39 SEK 401

-39.61%

Cinema Ticket

$16.98 SEK 169

$15.84 SEK 157

7.20%

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

$222 SEK 2,207

$149 SEK 1,477

49.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,336 SEK 43.1K

$3,455 SEK 34.3K

25.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 SEK 881

$70.9 SEK 704

25.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.91 SEK 327

$40.23 SEK 400

-18.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.8 SEK 872

$108 SEK 1,077

-19.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 SEK 1,331

$149 SEK 1,479

-9.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,107 SEK 11.0K

$798 SEK 7,926

38.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$874 SEK 8,678

$495 SEK 4,916

76.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 SEK 18.5K

$1,221 SEK 12.1K

52.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 SEK 13.9K

$915 SEK 9,087

53.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,415 SEK 63.7K

$6,532 SEK 64.9K

-1.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,026 SEK 40.0K

$3,568 SEK 35.4K

12.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,521 SEK 35.0K

$3,103 SEK 30.8K

13.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.06

1.9

61.05%

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

Last update for Gothenburg: October 27, 2026

Last update for Varberg: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gothenburg

$874 43.5%

Varberg

$495 30.3% 43.3% $379

Groceries & Markets

Gothenburg

$360 17.9%

Varberg

$352 21.5% 2.3% $8.2

Eating Out

Gothenburg

$278 13.8%

Varberg

$254 15.5% 8.6% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gothenburg

$158 7.9%

Varberg

$191 11.7% 20.9% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Gothenburg

$155 7.7%

Varberg

$166 10.1% 7.3% $11

Getting Around

Gothenburg

$116 5.8%

Varberg

$107 6.5% 8.4% $9.7

Sport & Entertainment

Gothenburg

$68 3.4%

Varberg

$72 4.4% 6% $4.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,107 in Gothenburg and $798 in Varberg. 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: $87 in Gothenburg vs $76 in Varberg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $360 vs $352 per month, with Varberg cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Varberg

🕒 Local time

18:59 6:59 PM

Same time as Gothenburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

607,882

27,602

💱 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

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Between locations

Gothenburg Varberg 69 km

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 Varberg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Varberg wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Gothenburg. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Varberg the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 13% 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 $798 in Varberg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $222 in Gothenburg versus $149 in Varberg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Varberg – a meal for two runs $76 versus $87 in Gothenburg. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,635 in Varberg versus $2,008 in Gothenburg, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Varberg but tight or insufficient in Gothenburg. The gap between the two cities makes Varberg 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 Varberg 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 – Varberg wins on affordability, Gothenburg on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.