Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gothenburg and Wels

For one person, living is cheaper in Wels: $1,885 a month against $2,026 in Gothenburg, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 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
92

Cost of Living Index in Wels
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Wels Living Index

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Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,026

/mo nomad

Wels

🇦🇹 Austria

$1,885

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gothenburg and in Wels

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,026 in Gothenburg versus $1,885 in Wels.

Gothenburg $2,026
Wels $1,885

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,062 in Gothenburg versus $2,801 in Wels.

Gothenburg $3,062
Wels $2,801

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,099 in Gothenburg versus $3,717 in Wels.

Gothenburg $4,099
Wels $3,717

Living in Gothenburg is roughly 7% more expensive than in Wels, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gothenburg 50% above, Wels 40% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.13 SEK 130

$16.47 €14.65

-20.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.8 SEK 830

$83.3 €74.1

0.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.47 SEK 124

$11.32 €10.07

10.16%

Cappuccino

$5.03 SEK 49.80

$4.27 €3.79

17.80%

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

$2.84 SEK 28.14

$3.38 €3.01

-15.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 SEK 23.44

$2.98 €2.65

-20.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.84 SEK 67.8

$5.44 €4.84

25.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.51 SEK 74.4

$5.42 €4.82

38.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 SEK 16.68

$1.51 €1.35

11.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.69 SEK 26.63

$2.41 €2.14

11.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.09 SEK 30.60

$1.73 €1.54

78.61%

Eggs

$3.81 SEK 37.74

$3.84 €3.42

-0.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.45 SEK 113

$21.73 €19.33

-47.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.32 SEK 112

$12.85 €11.43

-11.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.54 SEK 164

$21.77 €19.36

-24.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 SEK 30.42

$2.98 €2.65

3.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 SEK 23.88

$1.77 €1.57

36.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.01 SEK 29.83

$2.72 €2.42

10.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.25 SEK 42.09

$2.81 €2.50

51.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 SEK 17.24

$2.52 €2.24

-30.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 SEK 16.06

$1.63 €1.45

-0.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.96 SEK 19.47

$2.26 €2.01

-13.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 SEK 16.30

$0.75 €0.67

120.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.38 SEK 83.0

$7.51 €6.68

11.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.69 SEK 146

$8.94 €7.95

64.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 SEK 20.14

$0.80 €0.71

153.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 SEK 22.24

$2.19 €1.95

2.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.63 SEK 35.97

$2.70 €2.40

34.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.4 SEK 857

$38.48 €34.23

124.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.92 SEK 58.7

$5.63 €5.01

5.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 SEK 17.01

$2.34 €2.08

-26.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$58.6 SEK 581

$30.71 €27.32

90.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 SEK 17.29

$1.79 €1.59

-2.79%

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

$33.5K SEK 331.8K

$30.7K €27.3K

9.02%

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

$33.4K SEK 331.3K

$30.2K €26.9K

10.70%

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

$102 SEK 1,011

$333 €296

-69.36%

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

$19.73 SEK 196

$13.71 €12.19

43.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.00 SEK 327

$37.38 €33.25

-11.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.48 SEK 352

$45.43 €40.41

-21.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.00 SEK 238

$33.27 €29.59

-27.86%

Cinema Ticket

$18.32 SEK 182

$13.64 €12.13

34.31%

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

$217 SEK 2,147

$1,336 €1,189

-83.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,293 SEK 42.5K

$15.8K €14.0K

-72.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.5 SEK 867

$82.5 €73.4

5.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.46 SEK 332

$59.2 €52.7

-43.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 SEK 862

$111 €98.9

-21.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 SEK 1,298

$123 €110

6.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 SEK 10.2K

$676 €601

51.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$903 SEK 8,951

$550 €489

64.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,791 SEK 17.7K

$935 €832

91.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 SEK 14.0K

$791 €704

78.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,190 SEK 61.3K

$4,158 €3,698

48.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,427 SEK 34.0K

$3,425 €3,047

0.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,492 SEK 34.6K

$3,072 €2,733

13.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.06

3.5

-12.57%

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

Last update for Gothenburg: October 12, 2026

Last update for Wels: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gothenburg

$903 44.6%

Wels

$550 29.2% 39.1% $354

Groceries & Markets

Gothenburg

$355 17.5%

Wels

$362 19.2% 1.9% $6.8

Eating Out

Gothenburg

$273 13.5%

Wels

$280 14.9% 2.8% $7.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gothenburg

$155 7.6%

Wels

$384 20.4% 148% $229

Clothing & Footwear

Gothenburg

$153 7.5%

Wels

$169 9% 11% $17

Getting Around

Gothenburg

$115 5.7%

Wels

$67 3.5% 42.3% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Gothenburg

$72 3.6%

Wels

$73 3.9% 0.8% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,026 in Gothenburg and $676 in Wels. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gothenburg pays 14% 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 $83.0 in Wels. Groceries flip the comparison at $355 vs $362, with Gothenburg cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Gothenburg

🇦🇹 Wels

🕒 Local time

19:20 7:20 PM

Same time as Gothenburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

607,882

59,853

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Gothenburg Wels 1,070 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Gothenburg
Wels

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 Wels: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wels wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Gothenburg. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Wels the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 14% 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: $1,026 in Gothenburg versus $676 in Wels. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $217 in Gothenburg versus $1,336 in Wels. 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 $1,885 in Wels versus $2,026 in Gothenburg, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Wels but tight or insufficient in Gothenburg. The gap between the two cities makes Wels the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Wels delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,885 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Wels hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Gothenburg and Wels 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 Wels gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Gothenburg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.