Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lake Charles, LA and Gothenburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Gothenburg: $2,044 a month against $2,261 in Lake Charles, LA, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Lake Charles, LA
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Lake Charles, LA Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Gothenburg
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Gothenburg Living Index

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Lake Charles, LA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,261

/mo nomad

Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,044

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,261 in Lake Charles, LA versus $2,044 in Gothenburg.

Lake Charles, LA $2,261
Gothenburg $2,044

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,218 in Lake Charles, LA versus $3,078 in Gothenburg.

Lake Charles, LA $3,218
Gothenburg $3,078

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,174 in Lake Charles, LA versus $4,113 in Gothenburg.

Lake Charles, LA $4,174
Gothenburg $4,113

Living in Lake Charles, LA is roughly 11% more expensive than in Gothenburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lake Charles, LA 67% above, Gothenburg 51% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.37 $26.37

$13.77 SEK 136

91.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.0 $70.0

$87.4 SEK 866

-19.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.80 $10.80

$12.41 SEK 123

-12.97%

Cappuccino

$5.32 $5.32

$4.87 SEK 48.30

9.24%

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

$2.01 $2.01

$2.89 SEK 28.62

-30.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 $1.22

$2.40 SEK 23.76

-49.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.14 $5.14

$7.03 SEK 69.6

-26.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.98 $5.98

$7.69 SEK 76.2

-22.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 $1.40

$1.67 SEK 16.58

-16.17%

White Bread (500g)

$4.13 $4.13

$2.70 SEK 26.73

52.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.07 $6.07

$3.16 SEK 31.32

92.09%

Eggs

$5.48 $5.48

$3.86 SEK 38.28

41.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.31 $15.31

$11.53 SEK 114

32.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.03 $10.03

$11.57 SEK 115

-13.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.57 $15.57

$16.35 SEK 162

-4.77%

Apples (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$3.02 SEK 29.92

44.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 $1.32

$2.41 SEK 23.90

-45.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.00 $2.00

$3.00 SEK 29.77

-33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.68 $5.68

$4.45 SEK 44.10

27.64%

Potato (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$1.77 SEK 17.51

149.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.70 SEK 16.80

30.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 $2.26

$2.04 SEK 20.22

10.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$1.62 SEK 16.05

58.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.31 $8.31

$8.32 SEK 82.4

-0.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.90 $16.90

$15.06 SEK 149

12.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$2.04 SEK 20.21

24.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 $3.91

$2.25 SEK 22.24

73.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 SEK 38.05

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.5 SEK 867

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.45 $3.45

$6.33 SEK 62.7

-45.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.65 SEK 16.38

-7.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.96 $34.96

$59.6 SEK 591

-41.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.74 SEK 17.28

-50.57%

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

$33.2K $33.2K

$33.9K SEK 336.0K

-2.01%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$34.0K SEK 337.3K

-21.19%

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

$263 $263

$106 SEK 1,046

149.18%

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

$71.4 $71.4

$19.51 SEK 193

265.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 $57.0

$33.69 SEK 334

69.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.38 $32.38

$35.23 SEK 349

-8.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.86 $13.86

$24.38 SEK 242

-43.15%

Cinema Ticket

$11.89 $11.89

$17.18 SEK 170

-30.79%

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

$1,542 $1,542

$221 SEK 2,186

599.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.3K $10.3K

$4,412 SEK 43.7K

132.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.43 $25.43

$89.2 SEK 883

-71.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.92 $43.92

$32.97 SEK 327

33.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.5 $59.5

$88.3 SEK 874

-32.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 $119

$131 SEK 1,301

-9.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 $1,009

$1,046 SEK 10.4K

-3.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$911 $911

$908 SEK 8,998

0.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,555 $1,555

$1,809 SEK 17.9K

-14.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 $1,271

$1,383 SEK 13.7K

-8.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,370 $1,370

$6,137 SEK 60.8K

-77.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,395 $1,395

$3,523 SEK 34.9K

-60.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,514 $3,514

$3,594 SEK 35.6K

-2.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.66

3.06

117.65%

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

Last update for Lake Charles, LA: October 20, 2026

Last update for Gothenburg: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lake Charles, LA

$911 40.3%

Gothenburg

$908 44.4% 0.3% $2.9

Groceries & Markets

Lake Charles, LA

$422 18.7%

Gothenburg

$358 17.5% 15.2% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lake Charles, LA

$391 17.3%

Gothenburg

$159 7.8% 59.4% $233

Eating Out

Lake Charles, LA

$358 15.8%

Gothenburg

$278 13.6% 22.4% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Lake Charles, LA

$112 4.9%

Gothenburg

$154 7.5% 37.7% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Lake Charles, LA

$56 2.5%

Gothenburg

$70 3.4% 23.9% $13

Getting Around

Lake Charles, LA

$11 * 0.5%

Gothenburg

$117 5.8% 963% $106

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,009 in Lake Charles, LA and $1,046 in Gothenburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gothenburg pays 2% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $70.0 in Lake Charles, LA vs $87.0 in Gothenburg. Groceries flip the comparison at $422 vs $358, with Gothenburg cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lake Charles, LA

🇸🇪 Gothenburg

🕒 Local time

07:25 7:25 AM

14:25 2:25 PM

7 h ahead of Lake Charles, LA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

84,872

607,882

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

SEK to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lake Charles, LA Gothenburg 8,030 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lake Charles, LA
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

Lake Charles, LA vs Gothenburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gothenburg wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Lake Charles, LA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Gothenburg the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 2% lower in Gothenburg. 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: $1,009 in Lake Charles, LA versus $1,046 in Gothenburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,542 in Lake Charles, LA versus $221 in Gothenburg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Gothenburg – a meal for two runs $87.0 versus $70.0 in Lake Charles, LA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,044 in Gothenburg versus $2,261 in Lake Charles, LA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Gothenburg but tight or insufficient in Lake Charles, LA. The gap between the two cities makes Gothenburg the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Gothenburg delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,044 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Gothenburg hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Lake Charles, LA 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.

Expats usually find Gothenburg gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Lake Charles, LA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.