Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kalmar and Gothenburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Kalmar: $1,953 a month against $2,008 in Gothenburg, rent and utilities included – about $660 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in Kalmar
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Kalmar Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Gothenburg
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Gothenburg Living Index

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Kalmar

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,953

/mo nomad

Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,008

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kalmar and in Gothenburg

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Kalmar and in Gothenburg actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,953 in Kalmar versus $2,008 in Gothenburg.

Kalmar $1,953
Gothenburg $2,008

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,895 in Kalmar versus $3,067 in Gothenburg.

Kalmar $2,895
Gothenburg $3,067

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,837 in Kalmar versus $4,127 in Gothenburg.

Kalmar $3,837
Gothenburg $4,127

Living in Kalmar costs roughly 3% less than in Gothenburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kalmar 44% above, Gothenburg 48% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.36 SEK 152

$13.67 SEK 135

12.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.1 SEK 703

$86.7 SEK 857

-17.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 SEK 104

$12.40 SEK 123

-15.56%

Cappuccino

$4.67 SEK 46.20

$5.04 SEK 49.84

-7.34%

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

$2.81 SEK 27.82

$2.99 SEK 29.52

-6.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 SEK 25.22

$2.33 SEK 23.06

9.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.69 SEK 95.8

$6.88 SEK 68.0

40.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.25 SEK 71.7

$7.57 SEK 74.9

-4.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 SEK 14.58

$1.73 SEK 17.09

-14.45%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 SEK 29.80

$2.79 SEK 27.56

7.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.07 SEK 30.37

$3.26 SEK 32.20

-5.83%

Eggs

$4.65 SEK 46.00

$3.90 SEK 38.54

19.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.58 SEK 164

$11.25 SEK 111

47.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.89 SEK 108

$11.57 SEK 114

-5.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.80 SEK 225

$16.43 SEK 162

38.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 SEK 24.59

$3.01 SEK 29.75

-17.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.77 SEK 27.34

$2.45 SEK 24.24

13.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.57 SEK 35.29

$2.90 SEK 28.68

23.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.46 SEK 44.11

$4.49 SEK 44.41

-0.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 SEK 16.54

$1.83 SEK 18.08

-8.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.27 SEK 22.46

$1.67 SEK 16.48

35.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.93 SEK 19.04

$2.05 SEK 20.25

-5.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 SEK 16.53

$1.60 SEK 15.83

4.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.79 SEK 77.0

$8.35 SEK 82.5

-6.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.14 SEK 90.3

$15.18 SEK 150

-39.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 SEK 19.10

$2.04 SEK 20.19

-5.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 SEK 25.15

$2.25 SEK 22.28

12.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.21 SEK 31.74

$3.83 SEK 37.83

-16.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.4 SEK 775

$86.4 SEK 854

-9.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$10.03 SEK 99.2

$6.21 SEK 61.4

61.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 SEK 17.02

$1.67 SEK 16.49

2.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$47.45 SEK 469

$59.2 SEK 585

-19.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.71 SEK 16.86

$1.75 SEK 17.32

-2.29%

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

$30.2K SEK 298.3K

$33.4K SEK 330.3K

-9.69%

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

$29.3K SEK 289.9K

$33.8K SEK 334.1K

-13.22%

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

$144 SEK 1,428

$104 SEK 1,024

39.37%

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

$27.58 SEK 273

$19.70 SEK 195

40.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.34 SEK 320

$34.35 SEK 340

-5.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.33 SEK 300

$34.01 SEK 336

-10.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.38 SEK 261

$24.39 SEK 241

8.16%

Cinema Ticket

$14.58 SEK 144

$16.98 SEK 168

-14.13%

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

$142 SEK 1,399

$222 SEK 2,196

-36.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,986 SEK 49.3K

$4,336 SEK 42.9K

15.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.41 SEK 488

$88.7 SEK 877

-44.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.31 SEK 438

$32.91 SEK 325

34.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.2 SEK 783

$87.8 SEK 868

-9.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 SEK 990

$134 SEK 1,325

-25.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 SEK 8,977

$1,107 SEK 10.9K

-17.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$778 SEK 7,687

$874 SEK 8,637

-11.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,325 SEK 13.1K

$1,861 SEK 18.4K

-28.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,123 SEK 11.1K

$1,400 SEK 13.8K

-19.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,073 SEK 40.3K

$6,415 SEK 63.4K

-36.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,733 SEK 27.0K

$4,026 SEK 39.8K

-32.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,864 SEK 28.3K

$3,521 SEK 34.8K

-18.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.93

3.06

28.43%

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

Last update for Kalmar: October 26, 2026

Last update for Gothenburg: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kalmar

$778 39.8%

Gothenburg

$874 43.5% 12.4% $96

Groceries & Markets

Kalmar

$384 19.7%

Gothenburg

$360 17.9% 6.4% $25

Eating Out

Kalmar

$295 15.1%

Gothenburg

$278 13.8% 5.7% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kalmar

$204 10.5%

Gothenburg

$158 7.9% 22.8% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Kalmar

$123 6.3%

Gothenburg

$155 7.7% 25.8% $32

Getting Around

Kalmar

$110 5.6%

Gothenburg

$116 5.8% 5.8% $6.4

Sport & Entertainment

Kalmar

$59 3.1%

Gothenburg

$68 3.4% 14.2% $8.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $908 in Kalmar and $1,107 in Gothenburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gothenburg pays 23% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $71 in Kalmar vs $87 in Gothenburg. Groceries flip the comparison at $384 vs $360, with Gothenburg cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Kalmar

🇸🇪 Gothenburg

🕒 Local time

17:08 5:08 PM

Same time as Kalmar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,170

607,882

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.12 USD

100 SEK = 9.07 EUR

100 SEK = 10.12 USD

100 SEK = 9.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Kalmar Gothenburg 290 km

From you

Kalmar
Gothenburg

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

Kalmar vs Gothenburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kalmar wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Gothenburg. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kalmar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 19% lower in Kalmar. 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: $908 in Kalmar versus $1,107 in Gothenburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $142 in Kalmar versus $222 in Gothenburg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Gothenburg pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Kalmar gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Kalmar and Gothenburg are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Kalmar wins on affordability, Gothenburg on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.