Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Gothenburg Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Gothenburg

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,637 in Manchester versus $2,097 in Gothenburg.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,830 in Manchester versus $3,218 in Gothenburg.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,024 in Manchester versus $4,339 in Gothenburg.

Living in Manchester is roughly 26% more expensive than in Gothenburg, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Manchester 91% above, Gothenburg 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.56 £15.20

$13.75 SEK 133

49.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.0 £69.5

$91.4 SEK 886

2.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.03 £8.15

$13.46 SEK 131

-18.05%

Cappuccino

$4.82 £3.56

$5.14 SEK 49.80

-6.23%

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

$2.53 £1.87

$3.03 SEK 29.41

-16.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 £1.28

$2.30 SEK 22.30

-24.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.18 £6.05

$7.07 SEK 68.6

15.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 £5.05

$7.68 SEK 74.5

-10.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 £1.07

$1.83 SEK 17.72

-20.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 £1.36

$2.71 SEK 26.27

-32.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 £1.42

$3.30 SEK 31.98

-41.52%

Eggs

$3.99 £2.95

$4.07 SEK 39.47

-1.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.53 £7.04

$12.25 SEK 119

-22.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 £6.62

$11.83 SEK 115

-24.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.76 £11.65

$17.52 SEK 170

-10.05%

Apples (1kg)

$3.21 £2.37

$3.22 SEK 31.18

-0.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 £1.19

$2.68 SEK 25.96

-39.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.01 £2.23

$3.12 SEK 30.27

-3.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.42 £2.52

$4.35 SEK 42.16

-21.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 £1.11

$1.88 SEK 18.26

-20.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 £0.98

$1.73 SEK 16.77

-23.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 £0.95

$2.11 SEK 20.42

-38.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 £0.96

$1.78 SEK 17.21

-26.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.36 £18.01

$8.16 SEK 79.1

198.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 £8.04

$14.29 SEK 139

-23.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 £1.82

$2.21 SEK 21.41

11.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 £2.27

$2.25 SEK 21.80

36.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.68 £1.98

$3.75 SEK 36.39

-28.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$109 £80.4

$88.2 SEK 855

23.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.64 £3.43

$6.49 SEK 62.9

-28.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.16 £1.60

$1.73 SEK 16.76

24.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.39 £22.46

$61.2 SEK 593

-50.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 £1.55

$1.90 SEK 18.47

10.00%

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

$39.5K £29.2K

$34.4K SEK 333.9K

14.71%

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

$41.6K £30.8K

$34.7K SEK 336.2K

20.04%

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

$292 £216

$107 SEK 1,035

173.95%

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

$16.65 £12.31

$20.02 SEK 194

-16.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.66 £29.31

$36.46 SEK 353

8.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.3 £40.15

$37.87 SEK 367

43.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.86 £13.94

$25.91 SEK 251

-27.21%

Cinema Ticket

$13.54 £10.00

$19.30 SEK 187

-29.84%

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

$1,309 £968

$226 SEK 2,192

479.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.0K £14.8K

$4,552 SEK 44.1K

338.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.1 £65.1

$92.1 SEK 892

-4.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.59 £30.74

$34.33 SEK 333

21.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.3 £70.5

$96.0 SEK 930

-0.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 £78.7

$138 SEK 1,336

-22.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,816 £1,342

$1,093 SEK 10.6K

66.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,295 £957

$974 SEK 9,446

32.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,067 £2,267

$1,896 SEK 18.4K

61.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,020 £1,493

$1,464 SEK 14.2K

38.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,729 £3,495

$6,464 SEK 62.7K

-26.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,465 £3,300

$3,660 SEK 35.5K

22.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,446 £2,547

$3,689 SEK 35.8K

-6.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.87

3.06

59.15%

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

Last update for Manchester: September 6, 2026

Last update for Gothenburg: September 7, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,816 in Manchester and $1,093 in Gothenburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gothenburg pays 7% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $94.0 in Manchester vs $91.0 in Gothenburg. Groceries flip the comparison at $300 vs $373, with Manchester cheaper for home cooking.

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

Manchester vs Gothenburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gothenburg wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Manchester. 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 7% 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: $1,816 in Manchester versus $1,093 in Gothenburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,309 in Manchester versus $226 in Gothenburg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Manchester pay roughly 24% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,097 in Gothenburg versus $2,637 in Manchester, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Gothenburg but tight or insufficient in Manchester. 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 $2,097 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Gothenburg hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Manchester 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 26% less than in Manchester. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.