Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stockholm and Gothenburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Gothenburg: $2,026 a month against $2,574 in Stockholm, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Stockholm
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Stockholm Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Gothenburg
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Gothenburg Living Index

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Stockholm

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,574

/mo nomad

Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,026

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,574 in Stockholm versus $2,026 in Gothenburg.

Stockholm $2,574
Gothenburg $2,026

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,871 in Stockholm versus $3,062 in Gothenburg.

Stockholm $3,871
Gothenburg $3,062

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,167 in Stockholm versus $4,099 in Gothenburg.

Stockholm $5,167
Gothenburg $4,099

Living in Stockholm is roughly 27% more expensive than in Gothenburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Stockholm 91% above, Gothenburg 50% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.12 SEK 180

$13.13 SEK 130

38.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.6 SEK 986

$83.8 SEK 830

18.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 SEK 117

$12.47 SEK 124

-5.69%

Cappuccino

$4.95 SEK 49.03

$5.03 SEK 49.80

-1.59%

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

$3.68 SEK 36.46

$2.84 SEK 28.14

29.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 SEK 31.28

$2.37 SEK 23.44

33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 SEK 79.8

$6.84 SEK 67.8

17.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.82 SEK 87.4

$7.51 SEK 74.4

17.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 SEK 17.80

$1.68 SEK 16.68

7.14%

White Bread (500g)

$3.88 SEK 38.43

$2.69 SEK 26.63

44.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.83 SEK 37.99

$3.09 SEK 30.60

23.95%

Eggs

$5.14 SEK 50.9

$3.81 SEK 37.74

34.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.45 SEK 123

$11.45 SEK 113

8.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.63 SEK 125

$11.32 SEK 112

11.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.90 SEK 217

$16.54 SEK 164

32.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.47 SEK 34.41

$3.07 SEK 30.42

13.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 SEK 27.15

$2.41 SEK 23.88

13.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 SEK 30.54

$3.01 SEK 29.83

2.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.48 SEK 44.41

$4.25 SEK 42.09

5.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 SEK 17.54

$1.74 SEK 17.24

1.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 SEK 17.70

$1.62 SEK 16.06

10.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 SEK 23.76

$1.96 SEK 19.47

22.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 SEK 23.50

$1.65 SEK 16.30

43.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.72 SEK 86.4

$8.38 SEK 83.0

4.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.99 SEK 119

$14.69 SEK 146

-18.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 SEK 20.90

$2.03 SEK 20.14

3.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 SEK 25.34

$2.24 SEK 22.24

14.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.34 SEK 42.96

$3.63 SEK 35.97

19.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 SEK 1,063

$86.4 SEK 857

24.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.74 SEK 56.9

$5.92 SEK 58.7

-3.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 SEK 14.58

$1.72 SEK 17.01

-14.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.1 SEK 566

$58.6 SEK 581

-2.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 SEK 17.86

$1.74 SEK 17.29

3.45%

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

$32.4K SEK 321.2K

$33.5K SEK 331.8K

-3.21%

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

$33.6K SEK 332.8K

$33.4K SEK 331.3K

0.44%

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

$249 SEK 2,469

$102 SEK 1,011

144.11%

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

$21.60 SEK 214

$19.73 SEK 196

9.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.18 SEK 398

$33.00 SEK 327

21.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.98 SEK 466

$35.48 SEK 352

32.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.15 SEK 378

$24.00 SEK 238

58.96%

Cinema Ticket

$19.09 SEK 189

$18.32 SEK 182

4.20%

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

$158 SEK 1,569

$217 SEK 2,147

-26.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K SEK 162.0K

$4,293 SEK 42.5K

280.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 SEK 1,104

$87.5 SEK 867

27.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.0 SEK 584

$33.46 SEK 332

76.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 SEK 1,364

$87.0 SEK 862

58.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$186 SEK 1,847

$131 SEK 1,298

42.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,658 SEK 16.4K

$1,026 SEK 10.2K

61.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,079 SEK 10.7K

$903 SEK 8,951

19.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,982 SEK 29.5K

$1,791 SEK 17.7K

66.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,746 SEK 17.3K

$1,409 SEK 14.0K

23.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.3K SEK 111.8K

$6,190 SEK 61.3K

82.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,332 SEK 62.7K

$3,427 SEK 34.0K

84.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,583 SEK 35.5K

$3,492 SEK 34.6K

2.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.37

3.06

10.13%

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

Last update for Stockholm: October 13, 2026

Last update for Gothenburg: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stockholm

$1.1K 41.9%

Gothenburg

$903 44.6% 16.3% $176

Groceries & Markets

Stockholm

$414 16.1%

Gothenburg

$355 17.5% 14.2% $59

Eating Out

Stockholm

$325 12.6%

Gothenburg

$273 13.5% 16% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stockholm

$311 12.1%

Gothenburg

$155 7.6% 50.2% $156

Clothing & Footwear

Stockholm

$222 8.6%

Gothenburg

$153 7.5% 31.5% $70

Getting Around

Stockholm

$138 5.4%

Gothenburg

$115 5.7% 16.1% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Stockholm

$85 3.3%

Gothenburg

$72 3.6% 15.3% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,658 in Stockholm and $1,026 in Gothenburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stockholm pays 3% 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: $100 in Stockholm vs $84.0 in Gothenburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $414 vs $355 per month, with Gothenburg cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Stockholm

🇸🇪 Gothenburg

🕒 Local time

09:59 9:59 AM

Same time as Stockholm

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

984,748 Capital

607,882

💱 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

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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 Gothenburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gothenburg wins on cost – living expenses run 27% lower than in Stockholm. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Gothenburg the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 3% 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: $1,658 in Stockholm versus $1,026 in Gothenburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $158 in Stockholm versus $217 in Gothenburg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Stockholm. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,026 in Gothenburg versus $2,574 in Stockholm, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Gothenburg but tight or insufficient in Stockholm. 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 $2,026 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Gothenburg hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Stockholm 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 27% less than in Stockholm. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.