Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stockholm and Gavle

For one person, living is cheaper in Gavle: $1,439 a month against $2,580 in Stockholm, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Stockholm
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Stockholm Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Gavle
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Gavle Living Index

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Stockholm

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,580

/mo nomad

Gavle

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,439

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Stockholm and in Gavle

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Stockholm and in Gavle actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,580 in Stockholm versus $1,439 in Gavle.

Stockholm $2,580
Gavle $1,439

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,916 in Stockholm versus $2,286 in Gavle.

Stockholm $3,916
Gavle $2,286

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,251 in Stockholm versus $3,134 in Gavle.

Stockholm $5,251
Gavle $3,134

Living in Stockholm is roughly 79% more expensive than in Gavle, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Stockholm 90% above, Gavle 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.12 SEK 180

$13.69 SEK 136

32.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$103 SEK 1,019

$79.4 SEK 786

29.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.12 SEK 120

$9.31 SEK 92.2

30.18%

Cappuccino

$5.22 SEK 51.7

$4.42 SEK 43.79

18.10%

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

$3.63 SEK 35.97

$2.07 SEK 20.51

75.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 SEK 31.18

$1.91 SEK 18.95

64.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.22 SEK 81.5

$7.79 SEK 77.2

5.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.81 SEK 87.3

$7.75 SEK 76.8

13.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 SEK 17.44

$1.63 SEK 16.12

7.98%

White Bread (500g)

$4.04 SEK 39.99

$2.61 SEK 25.84

54.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.94 SEK 39.08

$3.73 SEK 36.95

5.63%

Eggs

$5.06 SEK 50.2

$3.81 SEK 37.80

32.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.02 SEK 129

$9.13 SEK 90.4

42.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.87 SEK 128

$10.29 SEK 102

25.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.96 SEK 218

$18.73 SEK 186

17.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.59 SEK 35.62

$3.05 SEK 30.25

17.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.82 SEK 27.92

$2.74 SEK 27.16

2.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 SEK 32.43

Tomato (1kg)

$4.41 SEK 43.67

$4.35 SEK 43.07

1.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.80 SEK 17.85

$1.73 SEK 17.12

4.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 SEK 17.34

$1.82 SEK 17.99

-3.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.49 SEK 24.71

$2.55 SEK 25.26

-2.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 SEK 23.91

$2.05 SEK 20.35

17.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.02 SEK 89.4

$7.99 SEK 79.1

12.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.09 SEK 120

$11.13 SEK 110

8.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 SEK 20.28

$1.64 SEK 16.23

25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 SEK 26.12

$1.55 SEK 15.34

70.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.37 SEK 43.25

$3.25 SEK 32.22

34.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 SEK 1,052

$60.4 SEK 598

75.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.87 SEK 58.2

$4.52 SEK 44.83

29.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 SEK 15.33

$1.53 SEK 15.16

1.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.6 SEK 570

$33.87 SEK 336

69.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 SEK 17.88

$1.81 SEK 17.90

-0.55%

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

$33.9K SEK 335.7K

$25.8K SEK 255.2K

31.56%

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

$33.5K SEK 332.4K

$28.1K SEK 278.1K

19.52%

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

$246 SEK 2,437

$55.6 SEK 551

342.14%

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

$21.36 SEK 212

$21.93 SEK 217

-2.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.80 SEK 404

$39.60 SEK 392

3.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.86 SEK 484

$47.32 SEK 469

3.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.17 SEK 388

Cinema Ticket

$18.76 SEK 186

$15.22 SEK 151

23.26%

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

$158 SEK 1,570

$133 SEK 1,321

18.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.7K SEK 165.7K

$15.3K SEK 151.1K

9.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$113 SEK 1,121

$70.6 SEK 699

60.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.2 SEK 596

$58.8 SEK 583

2.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$136 SEK 1,350

$50.9 SEK 505

167.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$186 SEK 1,845

$89.5 SEK 887

108.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,670 SEK 16.5K

$579 SEK 5,738

188.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 SEK 10.7K

$425 SEK 4,208

153.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,045 SEK 30.2K

$762 SEK 7,546

299.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,789 SEK 17.7K

$665 SEK 6,593

168.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.3K SEK 111.7K

$1,945 SEK 19.3K

479.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,484 SEK 64.2K

$1,333 SEK 13.2K

386.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,590 SEK 35.6K

$3,144 SEK 31.1K

14.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.37

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

Last update for Stockholm: October 18, 2026

Last update for Gavle: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stockholm

$1.1K 41.7%

Gavle

$425 29.5% 60.5% $650

Groceries & Markets

Stockholm

$421 16.3%

Gavle

$351 24.4% 16.5% $69

Eating Out

Stockholm

$330 12.8%

Gavle

$261 18.1% 20.9% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stockholm

$308 11.9%

Gavle

$117 8.1% 62% $191

Clothing & Footwear

Stockholm

$223 8.7%

Gavle

$121 8.4% 45.6% $102

Getting Around

Stockholm

$137 5.3%

Gavle

$86 6% 37.7% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Stockholm

$86 3.4%

Gavle

$78 5.4% 10% $8.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,670 in Stockholm and $579 in Gavle. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stockholm pays 14% 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: $103 in Stockholm vs $79.0 in Gavle for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $421 vs $351 per month, with Gavle cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Stockholm

🇸🇪 Gavle

🕒 Local time

09:57 9:57 AM

Same time as Stockholm

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

984,748 Capital

100,000

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Stockholm Gavle 160 km

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Stockholm
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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

Stockholm vs Gavle: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Stockholm and Gavle differ by about 79% in total monthly costs ($2,580 vs $1,439 including rent). Gavle is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 14% higher in Stockholm, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,670 in Stockholm versus $579 in Gavle. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Gavle runs roughly 76% less than in Stockholm. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $158 in Stockholm versus $133 in Gavle. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,439 in Gavle versus $2,580 in Stockholm, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Gavle but tight or insufficient in Stockholm. The gap between the two cities makes Gavle the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Stockholm and Gavle 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 Gavle gentler on the wallet – expenses run 79% less than in Stockholm. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.