Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Uppsala and Utrecht

For one person, living is cheaper in Uppsala: $1,978 a month against $2,876 in Utrecht, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Uppsala
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Uppsala Living Index
141

Cost of Living Index in Utrecht
Learn more

Utrecht Living Index

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Uppsala

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,978

/mo nomad

Utrecht

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,876

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Uppsala and in Utrecht

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

A single person spends $1,978 per month in Uppsala vs $2,876 in Utrecht, rent included.

Uppsala $1,978
Utrecht $2,876

A couple spends around $3,051 per month in Uppsala vs $4,129 in Utrecht, rent included.

Uppsala $3,051
Utrecht $4,129

A family of three spends $4,124 per month in Uppsala vs $5,382 in Utrecht, rent included.

Uppsala $4,124
Utrecht $5,382

Uppsala is about 31% cheaper than Utrecht, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Uppsala and Utrecht sit above the global median – Uppsala by 46%, Utrecht by 113%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.90 SEK 148

$22.38 €19.90

-33.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.0 SEK 802

$85.1 €75.7

-4.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.87 SEK 97.8

$13.54 €12.04

-27.10%

Cappuccino

$4.98 SEK 49.39

$4.58 €4.08

8.73%

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

$3.05 SEK 30.25

$3.87 €3.44

-21.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 SEK 23.74

$3.28 €2.92

-26.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.96 SEK 78.9

$6.76 €6.01

17.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.87 SEK 97.8

$7.23 €6.43

36.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 SEK 17.91

$1.54 €1.37

17.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 SEK 27.57

$2.89 €2.57

-3.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.59 SEK 45.48

$2.51 €2.23

82.87%

Eggs

$5.05 SEK 50.1

$4.73 €4.21

6.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.12 SEK 100

$13.21 €11.75

-23.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.77 SEK 146

$13.86 €12.33

6.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.86 SEK 177

$19.03 €16.93

-6.15%

Apples (1kg)

$4.18 SEK 41.42

$2.69 €2.39

55.39%

Banana (1kg)

$2.73 SEK 27.06

$2.37 €2.10

15.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.49 SEK 34.63

$2.16 €1.92

61.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.12 SEK 50.7

$3.82 €3.40

34.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 SEK 19.20

$1.67 €1.48

16.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 SEK 16.80

$1.89 €1.68

-10.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.64 SEK 26.21

$1.58 €1.41

67.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 SEK 12.68

$1.36 €1.21

-5.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 SEK 78.9

$14.60 €12.99

-45.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.91 SEK 98.2

$6.71 €5.97

47.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 SEK 24.51

$1.33 €1.18

85.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 SEK 24.94

$2.71 €2.41

-7.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.92 SEK 38.80

$3.67 €3.27

6.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 SEK 1,103

$134 €119

-16.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.33 SEK 52.8

$3.77 €3.35

41.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.32 SEK 13.13

$2.70 €2.40

-51.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$61.3 SEK 607

$44.46 €39.54

37.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 SEK 17.54

$2.56 €2.27

-30.86%

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

$33.2K SEK 329.1K

$41.0K €36.4K

-18.93%

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

$32.1K SEK 318.3K

$39.4K €35.1K

-18.50%

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

$109 SEK 1,077

$240 €214

-54.73%

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

$15.95 SEK 158

$21.52 €19.14

-25.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.42 SEK 470

$48.22 €42.90

-1.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.13 SEK 388

$44.50 €39.58

-12.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.27 SEK 231

$31.38 €27.91

-25.84%

Cinema Ticket

$18.61 SEK 184

$15.87 €14.12

17.27%

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

$126 SEK 1,248

$3,059 €2,721

-95.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,154 €7,253

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 SEK 1,037

$93.4 €83.1

12.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.48 SEK 480

$51.3 €45.64

-5.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.4 SEK 935

$103 €92.0

-8.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$200 SEK 1,982

$122 €108

64.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$892 SEK 8,836

$1,841 €1,638

-51.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$707 SEK 7,009

$1,455 €1,294

-51.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,750 SEK 17.3K

$3,208 €2,853

-45.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,138 SEK 11.3K

$2,194 €1,951

-48.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,186 SEK 51.4K

$6,832 €6,077

-24.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,595 SEK 25.7K

$4,670 €4,154

-44.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,008 SEK 29.8K

$4,240 €3,771

-29.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

3.23

17.65%

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

Last update for Uppsala: October 10, 2026

Last update for Utrecht: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Uppsala

$707 35.8%

Utrecht

$1.5K 50.6% 106% $747

Groceries & Markets

Uppsala

$391 19.8%

Utrecht

$352 12.2% 10.2% $40

Eating Out

Uppsala

$290 14.7%

Utrecht

$352 12.2% 21.2% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Uppsala

$201 10.2%

Utrecht

$166 5.8% 17.4% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Uppsala

$172 8.7%

Utrecht

$310 10.8% 80.1% $138

Getting Around

Uppsala

$139 7%

Utrecht

$166 5.8% 19.2% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Uppsala

$76 3.9%

Utrecht

$76 2.7% 0.1% $0.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $892 in Uppsala versus $1,841 in Utrecht. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 41% higher in Utrecht, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81.0 in Uppsala versus $85.0 in Utrecht. Groceries tell a different story – $391 in Uppsala vs $352 in Utrecht – so Utrecht wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Uppsala

🇳🇱 Utrecht

🕒 Local time

01:24 1:24 AM

Same time as Uppsala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

166,698

367,947

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Uppsala Utrecht 1,160 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Uppsala
Utrecht

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

Uppsala vs Utrecht: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,978 in Uppsala, $2,876 in Utrecht – roughly 45% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,966 per month in Uppsala and $4,314 in Utrecht. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Uppsala, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 20% less in Uppsala. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $126 per month in Uppsala and $3,059 in Utrecht. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Uppsala, where all-in costs run around $1,978, than in Utrecht at $2,876. In Uppsala it covers expenses comfortably, while in Utrecht it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Utrecht has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,978 in Uppsala to $2,876 in Utrecht. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Uppsala. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Utrecht makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.