Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sala, Sweden and Gothenburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Sala: $1,555 a month against $2,008 in Gothenburg, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Sala
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Sala Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Gothenburg
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Gothenburg Living Index

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Sala

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,555

/mo nomad

Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,008

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,555 in Sala versus $2,008 in Gothenburg.

Sala $1,555
Gothenburg $2,008

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,301 in Sala versus $3,067 in Gothenburg.

Sala $2,301
Gothenburg $3,067

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,046 in Sala versus $4,127 in Gothenburg.

Sala $3,046
Gothenburg $4,127

Living in Sala costs roughly 23% less than in Gothenburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sala 14% above, Gothenburg 48% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.16 SEK 119

$13.67 SEK 134

-11.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.1 SEK 590

$86.7 SEK 851

-30.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.87 SEK 96.9

$12.40 SEK 122

-20.40%

Cappuccino

$3.04 SEK 29.84

$5.04 SEK 49.48

-39.68%

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

$1.74 SEK 17.05

$2.99 SEK 29.31

-41.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 SEK 21.97

$2.33 SEK 22.89

-3.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.19 SEK 70.5

$6.88 SEK 67.5

4.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.24 SEK 71.1

$7.57 SEK 74.3

-4.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 SEK 16.89

$1.73 SEK 16.97

-0.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.57 SEK 25.25

$2.79 SEK 27.36

-7.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.42 SEK 33.61

$3.26 SEK 31.97

4.91%

Eggs

$5.26 SEK 51.6

$3.90 SEK 38.26

34.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.30 SEK 111

$11.25 SEK 110

0.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.99 SEK 127

$11.57 SEK 114

12.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.54 SEK 221

$16.43 SEK 161

37.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 SEK 28.43

$3.01 SEK 29.54

-3.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.67 SEK 26.21

$2.45 SEK 24.06

8.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 SEK 26.32

$2.90 SEK 28.48

-7.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.59 SEK 45.05

$4.49 SEK 44.09

2.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 SEK 14.21

$1.83 SEK 17.95

-20.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 SEK 11.11

$1.67 SEK 16.36

-32.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.53 SEK 24.81

$2.05 SEK 20.11

23.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 SEK 10.14

$1.60 SEK 15.72

-35.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.96 SEK 68.3

$8.35 SEK 81.9

-16.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 SEK 59.0

$15.18 SEK 149

-60.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 SEK 19.70

$2.04 SEK 20.04

-1.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 SEK 17.30

$2.25 SEK 22.12

-21.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.98 SEK 29.25

$3.83 SEK 37.56

-22.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.73 SEK 203

$86.4 SEK 848

-76.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.86 SEK 57.5

$6.21 SEK 60.9

-5.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 SEK 17.48

$1.67 SEK 16.37

6.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$81.0 SEK 795

$59.2 SEK 581

36.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 SEK 16.70

$1.75 SEK 17.20

-2.86%

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

$33.9K SEK 332.6K

$33.4K SEK 327.9K

1.43%

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

$33.6K SEK 330.0K

$33.8K SEK 331.7K

-0.49%

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

$178 SEK 1,742

$104 SEK 1,017

71.31%

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

$19.84 SEK 195

$19.70 SEK 193

0.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.07 SEK 383

$34.35 SEK 337

13.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.69 SEK 448

$34.01 SEK 334

34.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.95 SEK 196

$24.39 SEK 239

-18.20%

Cinema Ticket

$16.33 SEK 160

$16.98 SEK 167

-3.83%

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

$221 SEK 2,164

$222 SEK 2,180

-0.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,219 SEK 12.0K

$4,336 SEK 42.6K

-71.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.53 SEK 437

$88.7 SEK 870

-49.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.85 SEK 342

$32.91 SEK 323

5.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$52.4 SEK 514

$87.8 SEK 861

-40.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.0 SEK 540

$134 SEK 1,315

-58.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 SEK 7,028

$1,107 SEK 10.9K

-35.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$516 SEK 5,065

$874 SEK 8,575

-40.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$921 SEK 9,035

$1,861 SEK 18.3K

-50.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$713 SEK 7,001

$1,400 SEK 13.7K

-49.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,986 SEK 39.1K

$6,415 SEK 63.0K

-37.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,798 SEK 27.5K

$4,026 SEK 39.5K

-30.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,432 SEK 23.9K

$3,521 SEK 34.6K

-30.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.8

3.06

-8.50%

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

Last update for Sala: October 25, 2026

Last update for Gothenburg: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sala

$516 33.2%

Gothenburg

$874 43.5% 69.3% $358

Groceries & Markets

Sala

$363 23.4%

Gothenburg

$360 17.9% 0.9% $3.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sala

$236 15.2%

Gothenburg

$158 7.9% 33.3% $79

Eating Out

Sala

$230 14.8%

Gothenburg

$278 13.8% 21% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Sala

$84 5.4%

Gothenburg

$155 7.7% 83.8% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Sala

$78 5%

Gothenburg

$68 3.4% 13.3% $10

Getting Around

Sala

$47 3.1%

Gothenburg

$116 5.8% 145% $69

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Sala and $1,107 in Gothenburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gothenburg pays 45% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $60 in Sala vs $87 in Gothenburg. Groceries flip the comparison at $363 vs $360, with Gothenburg cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Sala

🇸🇪 Gothenburg

🕒 Local time

23:29 11:29 PM

Same time as Sala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,994

607,882

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.19 USD

100 SEK = 9.13 EUR

100 SEK = 10.19 USD

100 SEK = 9.13 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Sala Gothenburg 370 km

From you

Sala
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

Sala vs Gothenburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sala wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Gothenburg. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Sala the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 31% lower in Sala. 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: $716 in Sala versus $1,107 in Gothenburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $221 in Sala versus $222 in Gothenburg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sala – a meal for two runs $60 versus $87 in Gothenburg. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Sala is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Sala and Gothenburg are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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