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: $2,651 in Manchester versus $2,058 in Gothenburg.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,871 in Manchester versus $3,193 in Gothenburg.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,091 in Manchester versus $4,328 in Gothenburg.

Living in Manchester is roughly 29% more expensive than Gothenburg, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Manchester 98% above, Gothenburg 54% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.74 £15.45

$13.74 SEK 129

50.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.5 £70.4

$93.9 SEK 882

0.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.75 £8.00

$10.34 SEK 97.1

3.97%

Cappuccino

$4.94 £3.68

$4.73 SEK 44.47

4.44%

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

$2.59 £1.93

$2.97 SEK 27.88

-12.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 £1.26

$2.53 SEK 23.80

-32.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.41 £5.52

$7.26 SEK 68.2

2.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.52 £5.60

$7.72 SEK 72.5

-2.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 £1.21

$1.68 SEK 15.77

-3.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 £1.34

$2.85 SEK 26.80

-36.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 £1.61

$3.32 SEK 31.15

-34.94%

Eggs

$4.08 £3.04

$4.65 SEK 43.70

-12.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.05 £8.97

$11.80 SEK 111

2.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.75 £7.26

$12.61 SEK 118

-22.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.39 £12.95

$19.02 SEK 179

-8.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 £2.46

$3.10 SEK 29.11

6.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 £1.37

$2.74 SEK 25.71

-32.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.82 £2.84

$2.91 SEK 27.29

31.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.35 £3.24

$4.18 SEK 39.22

4.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 £1.56

$1.66 SEK 15.61

26.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 £1.34

$1.85 SEK 17.37

-2.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 £0.97

$2.27 SEK 21.36

-42.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 £1.10

$1.55 SEK 14.55

-5.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.73 £13.95

$7.82 SEK 73.5

139.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.64 £7.92

$15.32 SEK 144

-30.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 £1.91

$2.26 SEK 21.22

13.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 £2.60

$2.61 SEK 24.49

33.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.75 £2.05

$3.80 SEK 35.69

-27.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$121 £90.3

$88.6 SEK 832

36.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.49 £4.09

$10.11 SEK 94.9

-45.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.85 £2.12

$1.66 SEK 15.58

71.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.28 £25.53

$61.7 SEK 580

-44.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 £1.46

$1.89 SEK 17.76

3.70%

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

$37.8K £28.1K

$32.0K SEK 300.9K

17.91%

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

$41.8K £31.1K

$34.5K SEK 323.8K

21.27%

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

$295 £220

$138 SEK 1,301

113.10%

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

$22.44 £16.71

$24.95 SEK 234

-10.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.92 £31.96

$38.25 SEK 359

12.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.39 £31.57

$41.78 SEK 392

1.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.07 £11.97

$25.26 SEK 237

-36.38%

Cinema Ticket

$13.72 £10.22

$17.98 SEK 169

-23.69%

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

$1,944 £1,448

$175 SEK 1,648

1007.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.8K £15.5K

$4,215 SEK 39.6K

394.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 £67.5

$87.6 SEK 823

3.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.85 £31.17

$40.28 SEK 378

3.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.5 £66.6

$96.9 SEK 910

-7.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 £79.0

$156 SEK 1,468

-32.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,637 £1,219

$1,125 SEK 10.6K

45.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,256 £936

$873 SEK 8,203

43.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,702 £2,013

$1,917 SEK 18.0K

40.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 £1,547

$1,434 SEK 13.5K

44.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,107 £3,804

$6,696 SEK 62.9K

-23.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,671 £3,479

$3,764 SEK 35.4K

24.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,247 £2,418

$3,953 SEK 37.1K

-17.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

4.33

36.72%

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

Last update for Manchester: May 31, 2026

Last update for Gothenburg: June 2, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,637 in Manchester and $1,125 in Gothenburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gothenburg pays 22% 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 $94.0 in Gothenburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $335 vs $381 per month, with Manchester cheaper across the board.

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 29% 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, Gothenburg earns 22% less. 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: $1,637 in Manchester versus $1,125 in Gothenburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,944 in Manchester versus $175 in Gothenburg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Manchester pay roughly 14% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,058 in Gothenburg versus $2,651 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 $2,058 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 29% less than in Manchester. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.