Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varberg and Gothenburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Varberg: $1,635 a month against $2,008 in Gothenburg, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Varberg
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Varberg Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Gothenburg
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Gothenburg Living Index

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Varberg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,635

/mo nomad

Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,008

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,635 in Varberg versus $2,008 in Gothenburg.

Varberg $1,635
Gothenburg $2,008

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,623 in Varberg versus $3,067 in Gothenburg.

Varberg $2,623
Gothenburg $3,067

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,610 in Varberg versus $4,127 in Gothenburg.

Varberg $3,610
Gothenburg $4,127

Living in Varberg costs roughly 19% less than in Gothenburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Varberg 20% above, Gothenburg 48% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.35 SEK 153

$13.67 SEK 136

12.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.3 SEK 760

$86.7 SEK 863

-11.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.20 SEK 102

$12.40 SEK 123

-17.74%

Cappuccino

$3.83 SEK 38.12

$5.04 SEK 50.2

-24.01%

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

$1.19 SEK 11.84

$2.99 SEK 29.72

-60.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 SEK 10.15

$2.33 SEK 23.22

-56.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.18 SEK 61.5

$6.88 SEK 68.5

-10.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.42 SEK 73.9

$7.57 SEK 75.4

-1.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 SEK 14.20

$1.73 SEK 17.21

-17.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.96 SEK 29.49

$2.79 SEK 27.75

6.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.44 SEK 34.23

$3.26 SEK 32.42

5.52%

Eggs

$4.13 SEK 41.08

$3.90 SEK 38.80

5.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.77 SEK 127

$11.25 SEK 112

13.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.88 SEK 108

$11.57 SEK 115

-5.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.85 SEK 198

$16.43 SEK 164

20.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 SEK 29.56

$3.01 SEK 29.96

-1.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.53 SEK 25.15

$2.45 SEK 24.40

3.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 SEK 29.31

$2.90 SEK 28.88

1.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.21 SEK 41.88

$4.49 SEK 44.72

-6.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 SEK 14.63

$1.83 SEK 18.21

-19.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 SEK 14.78

$1.67 SEK 16.60

-10.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.53 SEK 25.21

$2.05 SEK 20.39

23.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 SEK 9.67

$1.60 SEK 15.94

-39.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.77 SEK 67.4

$8.35 SEK 83.1

-18.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.24 SEK 102

$15.18 SEK 151

-32.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 SEK 20.59

$2.04 SEK 20.32

1.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 SEK 11.74

$2.25 SEK 22.43

-47.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.94 SEK 29.22

$3.83 SEK 38.09

-23.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.8 SEK 774

$86.4 SEK 860

-9.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.93 SEK 49.11

$6.21 SEK 61.8

-20.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.41 SEK 23.94

$1.67 SEK 16.61

44.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.63 SEK 494

$59.2 SEK 589

-16.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 SEK 18.04

$1.75 SEK 17.44

3.43%

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

$33.0K SEK 328.3K

$33.4K SEK 332.5K

-1.28%

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

$33.6K SEK 334.2K

$33.8K SEK 336.4K

-0.63%

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

$141 SEK 1,403

$104 SEK 1,031

36.02%

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

$19.92 SEK 198

$19.70 SEK 196

1.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.69 SEK 295

$34.35 SEK 342

-13.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.37 SEK 402

$34.01 SEK 338

18.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.39 SEK 402

$24.39 SEK 243

65.60%

Cinema Ticket

$15.84 SEK 158

$16.98 SEK 169

-6.71%

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

$149 SEK 1,481

$222 SEK 2,211

-33.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,455 SEK 34.4K

$4,336 SEK 43.2K

-20.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.9 SEK 705

$88.7 SEK 883

-20.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.23 SEK 400

$32.91 SEK 328

22.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 SEK 1,079

$87.8 SEK 873

23.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 SEK 1,482

$134 SEK 1,334

11.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$798 SEK 7,943

$1,107 SEK 11.0K

-27.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$495 SEK 4,926

$874 SEK 8,696

-43.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,221 SEK 12.1K

$1,861 SEK 18.5K

-34.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$915 SEK 9,106

$1,400 SEK 13.9K

-34.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,532 SEK 65.0K

$6,415 SEK 63.8K

1.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,568 SEK 35.5K

$4,026 SEK 40.1K

-11.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,103 SEK 30.9K

$3,521 SEK 35.0K

-11.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.9

3.06

-37.91%

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

Last update for Varberg: October 26, 2026

Last update for Gothenburg: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Varberg

$495 30.3%

Gothenburg

$874 43.5% 76.5% $379

Groceries & Markets

Varberg

$352 21.5%

Gothenburg

$360 17.9% 2.3% $8.2

Eating Out

Varberg

$254 15.5%

Gothenburg

$278 13.8% 9.4% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varberg

$191 11.7%

Gothenburg

$158 7.9% 17.3% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Varberg

$166 10.1%

Gothenburg

$155 7.7% 6.8% $11

Getting Around

Varberg

$107 6.5%

Gothenburg

$116 5.8% 9.1% $9.7

Sport & Entertainment

Varberg

$72 4.4%

Gothenburg

$68 3.4% 5.7% $4.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $798 in Varberg and $1,107 in Gothenburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gothenburg pays 13% 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: $76 in Varberg vs $87 in Gothenburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $360 per month, with Varberg cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Varberg

🇸🇪 Gothenburg

🕒 Local time

12:04 12:04 PM

Same time as Varberg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,602

607,882

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.05 USD

100 SEK = 9.03 EUR

100 SEK = 10.05 USD

100 SEK = 9.03 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Varberg Gothenburg 69 km

From you

Varberg
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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

Varberg vs Gothenburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Varberg wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Gothenburg. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Varberg the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 12% lower in Varberg. 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: $798 in Varberg versus $1,107 in Gothenburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $149 in Varberg versus $222 in Gothenburg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Varberg – a meal for two runs $76 versus $87 in Gothenburg. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,635 in Varberg versus $2,008 in Gothenburg, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Varberg but tight or insufficient in Gothenburg. The gap between the two cities makes Varberg 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, Varberg 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.

It comes down to priorities – Varberg wins on affordability, Gothenburg on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.