Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kiruna and Gothenburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Kiruna: $1,730 a month against $2,071 in Gothenburg, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Kiruna
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Kiruna Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Gothenburg
Learn more

Gothenburg Living Index

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Kiruna

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,730

/mo nomad

Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,071

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,730 in Kiruna versus $2,071 in Gothenburg.

Kiruna $1,730
Gothenburg $2,071

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,703 in Kiruna versus $3,124 in Gothenburg.

Kiruna $2,703
Gothenburg $3,124

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,676 in Kiruna versus $4,177 in Gothenburg.

Kiruna $3,676
Gothenburg $4,177

Living in Kiruna costs roughly 16% less than in Gothenburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kiruna 28% above, Gothenburg 53% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.68 SEK 133

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.6 SEK 745

$89.5 SEK 871

-14.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.23 SEK 89.8

$12.22 SEK 119

-24.47%

Cappuccino

$4.37 SEK 42.54

$5.08 SEK 49.43

-13.98%

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

$2.71 SEK 26.39

$3.13 SEK 30.43

-13.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 SEK 21.41

$2.41 SEK 23.49

-8.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.02 SEK 68.3

$6.97 SEK 67.8

0.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.23 SEK 70.4

$7.44 SEK 72.4

-2.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 SEK 16.37

$1.66 SEK 16.13

1.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 SEK 28.26

$2.85 SEK 27.77

1.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.36 SEK 32.73

$3.29 SEK 32.00

2.13%

Eggs

$4.11 SEK 40.01

$3.99 SEK 38.87

3.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.25 SEK 119

$11.61 SEK 113

5.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.75 SEK 114

$11.57 SEK 113

1.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.46 SEK 160

$17.35 SEK 169

-5.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 SEK 26.40

$3.14 SEK 30.52

-13.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.64 SEK 25.69

$2.54 SEK 24.74

3.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.21 SEK 31.25

$2.99 SEK 29.14

7.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.05 SEK 49.09

$4.38 SEK 42.59

15.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 SEK 16.76

$1.79 SEK 17.45

-3.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 SEK 14.93

$1.65 SEK 16.07

-7.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 SEK 22.36

$2.00 SEK 19.45

15.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 SEK 15.72

$1.78 SEK 17.33

-8.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.38 SEK 71.8

$8.82 SEK 85.8

-16.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.38 SEK 101

$15.59 SEK 152

-33.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 SEK 20.64

$2.15 SEK 20.97

-1.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 SEK 22.03

$2.31 SEK 22.52

-2.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.40 SEK 33.11

$3.76 SEK 36.61

-9.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.6 SEK 784

$86.5 SEK 842

-6.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.90 SEK 67.1

$6.10 SEK 59.3

13.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 SEK 16.51

$1.69 SEK 16.42

0.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$65.9 SEK 641

$60.6 SEK 590

8.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.95 SEK 18.97

$1.79 SEK 17.39

8.94%

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

$37.3K SEK 362.7K

$34.0K SEK 330.5K

9.72%

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

$29.3K SEK 284.9K

$34.3K SEK 333.3K

-14.50%

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

$94.8 SEK 922

$106 SEK 1,031

-10.55%

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

$24.06 SEK 234

$20.04 SEK 195

20.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.82 SEK 378

$34.75 SEK 338

11.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 SEK 363

$35.18 SEK 342

6.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.32 SEK 237

$25.00 SEK 243

-2.72%

Cinema Ticket

$16.49 SEK 160

$17.13 SEK 167

-3.74%

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

$133 SEK 1,290

$227 SEK 2,211

-41.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,718 SEK 45.9K

$4,683 SEK 45.6K

0.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$100 SEK 975

$90.9 SEK 884

10.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.13 SEK 381

$34.24 SEK 333

14.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.2 SEK 878

$88.5 SEK 861

1.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 SEK 1,189

$134 SEK 1,302

-8.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 SEK 7,997

$1,133 SEK 11.0K

-27.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 SEK 5,980

$921 SEK 8,964

-33.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,392 SEK 13.5K

$1,921 SEK 18.7K

-27.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,022 SEK 9,942

$1,406 SEK 13.7K

-27.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,824 SEK 37.2K

$6,721 SEK 65.4K

-43.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,670 SEK 26.0K

$4,143 SEK 40.3K

-35.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,354 SEK 32.6K

$3,665 SEK 35.7K

-8.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.06

30.72%

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

Last update for Kiruna: October 31, 2026

Last update for Gothenburg: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kiruna

$615 35.5%

Gothenburg

$921 44.5% 49.9% $307

Groceries & Markets

Kiruna

$361 20.9%

Gothenburg

$368 17.8% 2.1% $7.6

Eating Out

Kiruna

$259 15%

Gothenburg

$279 13.5% 7.8% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Kiruna

$158 9.2%

Gothenburg

$156 7.6% 1.2% $1.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kiruna

$158 9.1%

Gothenburg

$161 7.8% 2% $3.1

Getting Around

Kiruna

$110 6.3%

Gothenburg

$116 5.6% 5.9% $6.5

Sport & Entertainment

Kiruna

$70 4.1%

Gothenburg

$69 3.4% 1.2% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $822 in Kiruna and $1,133 in Gothenburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gothenburg pays 9% 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: $77 in Kiruna vs $90 in Gothenburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $361 vs $368 per month, with Kiruna cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Kiruna

🇸🇪 Gothenburg

🕒 Local time

09:51 9:51 AM

Same time as Kiruna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,454

607,882

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.28 USD

100 SEK = 9.15 EUR

100 SEK = 10.28 USD

100 SEK = 9.15 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Kiruna Gothenburg 1,220 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Kiruna
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

Kiruna vs Gothenburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kiruna wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Gothenburg. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kiruna the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 8% lower in Kiruna. 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: $822 in Kiruna versus $1,133 in Gothenburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $133 in Kiruna versus $227 in Gothenburg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Kiruna – a meal for two runs $77 versus $90 in Gothenburg. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Kiruna 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, Kiruna and Gothenburg are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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