Cost of Living Comparison Between Uppsala and Gothenburg Cost of Living Comparison Between Uppsala and Gothenburg

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,044 in Uppsala versus $2,128 in Gothenburg.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,170 in Uppsala versus $3,175 in Gothenburg.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,295 in Uppsala versus $4,222 in Gothenburg.

Living in Uppsala costs roughly 4% less than in Gothenburg, driven mainly by Clothing & Footwear.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Uppsala 49% above, Gothenburg 55% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.45 SEK 148

$13.76 SEK 132

12.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.2 SEK 805

$91.9 SEK 879

-8.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.51 SEK 101

$12.84 SEK 123

-18.15%

Cappuccino

$5.22 SEK 49.97

$5.06 SEK 48.44

3.16%

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

$3.22 SEK 30.84

$2.94 SEK 28.14

9.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 SEK 23.94

$2.19 SEK 20.94

14.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.19 SEK 78.4

$7.18 SEK 68.7

14.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.33 SEK 98.8

$7.86 SEK 75.2

31.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 SEK 17.27

$1.80 SEK 17.19

0.56%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 SEK 29.41

$2.77 SEK 26.50

10.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.14 SEK 39.59

$3.17 SEK 30.28

30.60%

Eggs

$5.29 SEK 50.6

$4.10 SEK 39.18

29.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 SEK 105

$12.10 SEK 116

-9.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.34 SEK 147

$11.67 SEK 112

31.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.38 SEK 176

$17.76 SEK 170

3.49%

Apples (1kg)

$4.29 SEK 41.01

$3.23 SEK 30.88

32.82%

Banana (1kg)

$2.79 SEK 26.71

$2.64 SEK 25.25

5.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.83 SEK 36.64

$3.22 SEK 30.79

18.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.42 SEK 51.8

$4.37 SEK 41.82

24.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 SEK 17.43

$1.82 SEK 17.41

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 SEK 17.52

$1.68 SEK 16.02

8.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.67 SEK 25.52

$2.03 SEK 19.38

31.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 SEK 12.86

$1.78 SEK 17.01

-24.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.14 SEK 77.8

$8.50 SEK 81.3

-4.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.33 SEK 98.8

$14.55 SEK 139

-29.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 SEK 24.65

$2.20 SEK 21.02

17.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 SEK 26.26

$2.38 SEK 22.76

15.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.01 SEK 38.38

$3.85 SEK 36.81

4.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$115 SEK 1,104

$88.8 SEK 849

30.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 SEK 53.4

$6.45 SEK 61.7

-13.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 SEK 13.31

$1.73 SEK 16.50

-19.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$63.6 SEK 608

$61.3 SEK 586

3.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 SEK 17.44

$1.90 SEK 18.22

-4.21%

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

$34.1K SEK 326.4K

$34.0K SEK 324.8K

0.48%

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

$34.9K SEK 333.4K

$34.4K SEK 328.6K

1.45%

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

$115 SEK 1,100

$110 SEK 1,052

4.56%

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

$18.74 SEK 179

$19.66 SEK 188

-4.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.09 SEK 441

$36.30 SEK 347

26.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.35 SEK 386

$37.94 SEK 363

6.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.00 SEK 239

$25.89 SEK 248

-3.44%

Cinema Ticket

$19.72 SEK 189

$19.34 SEK 185

1.96%

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

$134 SEK 1,286

$230 SEK 2,196

-41.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,554 SEK 43.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.3 SEK 902

$91.0 SEK 870

3.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.5 SEK 492

$34.36 SEK 329

49.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 SEK 946

$94.0 SEK 900

5.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$212 SEK 2,023

$135 SEK 1,294

56.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$945 SEK 9,040

$1,061 SEK 10.2K

-10.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 SEK 6,890

$961 SEK 9,192

-25.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,831 SEK 17.5K

$1,849 SEK 17.7K

-1.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,165 SEK 11.1K

$1,440 SEK 13.8K

-19.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,485 SEK 52.5K

$6,496 SEK 62.1K

-15.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,680 SEK 25.6K

$3,613 SEK 34.6K

-25.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,063 SEK 29.3K

$3,639 SEK 34.8K

-15.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.94

3.06

28.76%

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

Last update for Uppsala: August 29, 2026

Last update for Gothenburg: August 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $945 in Uppsala and $1,061 in Gothenburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gothenburg pays 19% 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: $84.0 in Uppsala vs $92.0 in Gothenburg. Groceries flip the comparison at $407 vs $372, with Gothenburg 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

Uppsala vs Gothenburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Uppsala and Gothenburg differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($2,044 vs $2,128 including rent). Uppsala is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 19% 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: $945 in Uppsala versus $1,061 in Gothenburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $134 in Uppsala versus $230 in Gothenburg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Gothenburg pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,044 in Uppsala versus $2,128 in Gothenburg, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Uppsala but tight or insufficient in Gothenburg. The gap between the two cities makes Uppsala the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Uppsala delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,044 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Uppsala hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Uppsala 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 Uppsala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Gothenburg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.