Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston upon Thames and Gothenburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Gothenburg: $2,026 a month against $3,276 in Kingston upon Thames, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Kingston upon Thames
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$3,276
/mo nomad
Gothenburg
🇸🇪 Sweden
$2,026
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kingston upon Thames 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 Kingston upon Thames and in Gothenburg actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,276 in Kingston upon Thames versus $2,026 in Gothenburg.

  • Kingston upon Thames $3,276
  • Gothenburg $2,026

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,746 in Kingston upon Thames versus $3,062 in Gothenburg.

  • Kingston upon Thames $4,746
  • Gothenburg $3,062

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,216 in Kingston upon Thames versus $4,099 in Gothenburg.

  • Kingston upon Thames $6,216
  • Gothenburg $4,099

Living in Kingston upon Thames is roughly 62% more expensive than in Gothenburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kingston upon Thames 143% above, Gothenburg 50% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kingston upon Thames
Gothenburg
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$22.10 £16.58
$13.13 SEK 130
68.32%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$86.6 £65.0
$83.8 SEK 830
3.37%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.42 £7.82
$12.47 SEK 124
-16.44%
Cappuccino
$5.46 £4.09
$5.03 SEK 49.80
8.55%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.00 £2.25
$2.84 SEK 28.14
5.63%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 £1.35
$2.37 SEK 23.44
-24.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.20 £6.91
$6.84 SEK 67.8
34.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.91 £5.93
$7.51 SEK 74.4
5.33%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kingston upon Thames
Gothenburg
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.68 £1.26
$1.68 SEK 16.68
-
White Bread (500g)
$1.73 £1.30
$2.69 SEK 26.63
-35.69%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.45 £1.84
$3.09 SEK 30.60
-20.71%
Eggs
$4.91 £3.68
$3.81 SEK 37.74
28.87%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.46 £6.35
$11.45 SEK 113
-26.11%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.72 £6.54
$11.32 SEK 112
-22.97%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.99 £9.74
$16.54 SEK 164
-21.46%
Apples (1kg)
$3.13 £2.35
$3.07 SEK 30.42
1.95%
Banana (1kg)
$1.35 £1.01
$2.41 SEK 23.88
-43.98%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.61 £1.96
$3.01 SEK 29.83
-13.29%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.90 £2.18
$4.25 SEK 42.09
-31.76%
Potato (1kg)
$1.67 £1.25
$1.74 SEK 17.24
-4.02%
Onion (1kg)
$1.71 £1.28
$1.62 SEK 16.06
5.56%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.24 £0.93
$1.96 SEK 19.47
-36.73%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.80 £1.35
$1.65 SEK 16.30
9.09%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.28 £17.46
$8.38 SEK 83.0
177.80%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.31 £6.99
$14.69 SEK 146
-36.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.09 £2.32
$2.03 SEK 20.14
52.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.45 £3.34
$2.24 SEK 22.24
98.66%
🚌 Getting Around
Kingston upon Thames
Gothenburg
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.37 £1.78
$3.63 SEK 35.97
-34.71%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$42.49 £31.88
$86.4 SEK 857
-50.84%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.91 £3.69
$5.92 SEK 58.7
-17.06%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.43 £1.07
$1.72 SEK 17.01
-16.86%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$23.70 £17.78
$58.6 SEK 581
-59.56%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.98 £1.49
$1.74 SEK 17.29
13.79%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.7K £28.3K
$33.5K SEK 331.8K
12.54%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.8K £29.9K
$33.4K SEK 331.3K
19.07%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kingston upon Thames
Gothenburg
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$371 £278
$102 SEK 1,011
263.04%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.63 £11.73
$19.73 SEK 196
-20.78%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.78 £30.60
$33.00 SEK 327
23.58%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kingston upon Thames
Gothenburg
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$102 £76.8
$35.48 SEK 352
188.67%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.49 £7.87
$24.00 SEK 238
-56.29%
Cinema Ticket
$19.46 £14.60
$18.32 SEK 182
6.22%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kingston upon Thames
Gothenburg
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,594 £1,946
$217 SEK 2,147
1097.18%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.2K £16.6K
$4,293 SEK 42.5K
415.99%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kingston upon Thames
Gothenburg
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$114 £85.7
$87.5 SEK 867
30.67%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.6 £40.19
$33.46 SEK 332
60.10%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$78.1 £58.6
$87.0 SEK 862
-10.21%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$106 £79.7
$131 SEK 1,298
-18.91%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kingston upon Thames
Gothenburg
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,035 £1,527
$1,026 SEK 10.2K
98.41%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,832 £1,374
$903 SEK 8,951
102.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,567 £2,676
$1,791 SEK 17.7K
99.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,164 £2,374
$1,409 SEK 14.0K
124.50%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$6,190 SEK 61.3K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$3,427 SEK 34.0K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kingston upon Thames
Gothenburg
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,303 £3,978
$3,492 SEK 34.6K
51.87%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.74
3.06
54.90%

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

Last update for Kingston upon Thames: October 13, 2026

Last update for Gothenburg: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Kingston upon Thames
$1.8K
Gothenburg
$903 50.7% $929
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kingston upon Thames
$427
Gothenburg
$155 63.7% $272
Eating Out
Kingston upon Thames
$355
Gothenburg
$273 23% $82
Groceries & Markets
Kingston upon Thames
$298
Gothenburg
$355 19.1% $57
Clothing & Footwear
Kingston upon Thames
$158
Gothenburg
$153 3.8% $6
Sport & Entertainment
Kingston upon Thames
$141
Gothenburg
$72 49% $69
Getting Around
Kingston upon Thames
$64
Gothenburg
$115 80.3% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,035 in Kingston upon Thames and $1,026 in Gothenburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kingston upon Thames pays 52% 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 Kingston upon Thames vs $84.0 in Gothenburg. Groceries flip the comparison at $298 vs $355, with Kingston upon Thames cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Kingston upon Thames
🇸🇪 Gothenburg
🕒 Local time
18:17 6:17 PM
19:17 7:17 PM
1 h ahead of Kingston upon Thames
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
43,013
607,882
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kingston upon Thames Gothenburg 1,050 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Kingston upon Thames
  • 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
Kingston upon Thames vs Gothenburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Kingston upon Thames or Gothenburg?
Gothenburg wins on cost – living expenses run 62% lower than in Kingston upon Thames. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Gothenburg the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Kingston upon Thames or in Gothenburg?
Average pay runs 52% higher in Kingston upon Thames, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Kingston upon Thames compared to Gothenburg?
Rent for a central apartment: $2,035 in Kingston upon Thames versus $1,026 in Gothenburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Kingston upon Thames and in Gothenburg?
Childcare runs $2,594 in Kingston upon Thames versus $217 in Gothenburg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Are groceries more expensive in Kingston upon Thames or in Gothenburg?
Shoppers in Kingston upon Thames pay roughly 19% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Kingston upon Thames or in Gothenburg?
At $2,026 in Gothenburg versus $3,276 in Kingston upon Thames, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Gothenburg but tight or insufficient in Kingston upon Thames. The gap between the two cities makes Gothenburg the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Kingston upon Thames or Gothenburg?
Both work as nomad bases, but Gothenburg delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,026 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Gothenburg hard to pass up.
How safe is Kingston upon Thames compared to Gothenburg?
Safety-wise, Kingston upon Thames and Gothenburg are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Gothenburg gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Kingston upon Thames. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Kingston upon Thames vs other spots: cost of living compared

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