Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Utrecht and Uppsala

For one person, living is cheaper in Uppsala: $2,081 a month against $2,987 in Utrecht, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

142

Cost of Living Index in Utrecht
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Utrecht Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Uppsala
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Uppsala Living Index

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Utrecht

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,987

/mo nomad

Uppsala

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,081

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Utrecht and in Uppsala

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

A single person spends $2,987 per month in Utrecht vs $2,081 in Uppsala, rent included.

Utrecht $2,987
Uppsala $2,081

A couple spends around $4,205 per month in Utrecht vs $3,256 in Uppsala, rent included.

Utrecht $4,205
Uppsala $3,256

A family of three spends $5,423 per month in Utrecht vs $4,431 in Uppsala, rent included.

Utrecht $5,423
Uppsala $4,431

Utrecht costs about 44% more than Uppsala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Utrecht and Uppsala sit above the global median – Utrecht by 120%, Uppsala by 53%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.74 €20.37

$14.88 SEK 146

52.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.0 €75.3

$79.0 SEK 775

6.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.55 €12.14

$10.11 SEK 99.3

34.03%

Cappuccino

$4.78 €4.29

$4.83 SEK 47.43

-1.04%

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

$3.84 €3.44

$2.99 SEK 29.39

28.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 €3.04

$2.45 SEK 24.03

38.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.59 €5.91

$8.12 SEK 79.7

-18.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.15 €6.41

$10.25 SEK 101

-30.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.81 SEK 17.76

-16.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.86 SEK 28.12

4.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.54 €2.27

$4.76 SEK 46.70

-46.64%

Eggs

$4.68 €4.19

$4.90 SEK 48.12

-4.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.36 €11.97

$9.96 SEK 97.8

34.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.92 €12.47

$14.63 SEK 144

-4.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.68 €16.74

$17.91 SEK 176

4.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 €2.45

$4.05 SEK 39.77

-32.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 €2.15

$2.75 SEK 26.97

-12.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 €1.86

$3.63 SEK 35.65

-42.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.78 €3.39

$5.30 SEK 52.0

-28.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.90 SEK 18.65

-8.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 €1.69

$1.67 SEK 16.40

12.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 €1.43

$2.58 SEK 25.36

-38.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.24

$1.33 SEK 13.04

3.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.42 €12.92

$7.84 SEK 77.0

83.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.82 €6.11

$10.17 SEK 99.9

-32.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 €1.21

$2.41 SEK 23.64

-43.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 €2.40

$2.61 SEK 25.61

2.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.55 €3.18

$4.04 SEK 39.72

-12.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$132 €118

$112 SEK 1,101

17.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.73 €3.34

$5.44 SEK 53.5

-31.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.73 €2.44

$1.33 SEK 13.05

105.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.56 €40.82

$62.8 SEK 617

-27.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.80 SEK 17.68

43.89%

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

$41.0K €36.8K

$32.6K SEK 319.7K

26.00%

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

$40.1K €35.9K

$33.5K SEK 329.2K

19.60%

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

$245 €220

$110 SEK 1,078

123.14%

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

$21.75 €19.49

$16.28 SEK 160

33.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.16 €43.16

$48.41 SEK 475

-0.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.24 €39.64

$41.35 SEK 406

6.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.25 €28.00

$23.71 SEK 233

31.80%

Cinema Ticket

$15.06 €13.49

$17.96 SEK 176

-16.15%

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

$3,274 €2,934

$126 SEK 1,233

2507.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,994 €7,164

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.1 €83.5

$107 SEK 1,055

-13.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.5 €46.14

$48.84 SEK 480

5.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.9

$96.6 SEK 949

6.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 €113

$205 SEK 2,009

-38.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,945 €1,743

$1,026 SEK 10.1K

89.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,558 €1,396

$800 SEK 7,860

94.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,128 €2,803

$1,590 SEK 15.6K

96.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,229 €1,998

$1,435 SEK 14.1K

55.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,109 €6,371

$5,234 SEK 51.4K

35.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,877 €4,371

$2,915 SEK 28.6K

67.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,245 €3,803

$3,421 SEK 33.6K

24.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.23

4.09

-21.03%

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

Last update for Utrecht: October 26, 2026

Last update for Uppsala: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Utrecht

$1.6K 52.2%

Uppsala

$800 38.5% 48.6% $758

Eating Out

Utrecht

$356 11.9%

Uppsala

$290 13.9% 18.5% $66

Groceries & Markets

Utrecht

$352 11.8%

Uppsala

$393 18.9% 11.5% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Utrecht

$315 10.5%

Uppsala

$175 8.4% 44.6% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Utrecht

$168 5.6%

Uppsala

$206 9.9% 22.7% $38

Getting Around

Utrecht

$164 5.5%

Uppsala

$140 6.8% 14.2% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Utrecht

$74 2.5%

Uppsala

$77 3.7% 3.9% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,945 in Utrecht versus $1,026 in Uppsala. 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 24% 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 $84 in Utrecht versus $79 in Uppsala. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Utrecht vs $393 in Uppsala – so Utrecht wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Utrecht

🇸🇪 Uppsala

🕒 Local time

09:00 9:00 AM

Same time as Utrecht

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

367,947

166,698

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 SEK = 10.18 USD

100 SEK = 9.13 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Utrecht Uppsala 1,160 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Utrecht
Uppsala

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

Utrecht vs Uppsala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,987 in Utrecht, $2,081 in Uppsala – Uppsala comes out roughly 30% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,481 per month in Utrecht and $3,122 in Uppsala. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,026 there versus $1,945 in Utrecht.

Public transport costs about 15% less in Uppsala. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $3,274 per month in Utrecht and $126 in Uppsala. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Utrecht has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,081 in Uppsala to $2,987 in Utrecht. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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