Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varnamo and Gothenburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Varnamo: $1,692 a month against $2,008 in Gothenburg, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Varnamo
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Varnamo Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Gothenburg
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Gothenburg Living Index

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Varnamo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,692

/mo nomad

Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,008

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Varnamo versus $2,008 in Gothenburg.

Varnamo $1,692
Gothenburg $2,008

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,672 in Varnamo versus $3,067 in Gothenburg.

Varnamo $2,672
Gothenburg $3,067

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,652 in Varnamo versus $4,127 in Gothenburg.

Varnamo $3,652
Gothenburg $4,127

Living in Varnamo costs roughly 16% less than in Gothenburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Varnamo 24% above, Gothenburg 48% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.01 SEK 128

$13.67 SEK 134

-4.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.7 SEK 880

$86.7 SEK 851

3.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.23 SEK 120

$12.40 SEK 122

-1.37%

Cappuccino

$4.68 SEK 45.91

$5.04 SEK 49.48

-7.14%

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

$2.72 SEK 26.67

$2.99 SEK 29.31

-9.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 SEK 20.90

$2.33 SEK 22.89

-8.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.81 SEK 76.7

$6.88 SEK 67.5

13.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.08 SEK 69.5

$7.57 SEK 74.3

-6.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 SEK 16.83

$1.73 SEK 16.97

-1.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.50 SEK 24.51

$2.79 SEK 27.36

-10.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.54 SEK 34.78

$3.26 SEK 31.97

8.59%

Eggs

$4.63 SEK 45.42

$3.90 SEK 38.26

18.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 SEK 123

$11.25 SEK 110

11.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.73 SEK 115

$11.57 SEK 114

1.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.69 SEK 154

$16.43 SEK 161

-4.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 SEK 30.55

$3.01 SEK 29.54

3.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.55 SEK 25.01

$2.45 SEK 24.06

4.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 SEK 27.66

$2.90 SEK 28.48

-2.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 SEK 44.35

$4.49 SEK 44.09

0.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 SEK 16.92

$1.83 SEK 17.95

-6.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.41 SEK 13.85

$1.67 SEK 16.36

-15.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.57 SEK 25.23

$2.05 SEK 20.11

25.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 SEK 14.95

$1.60 SEK 15.72

-5.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.81 SEK 76.7

$8.35 SEK 81.9

-6.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.14 SEK 109

$15.18 SEK 149

-26.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 SEK 18.99

$2.04 SEK 20.04

-5.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 SEK 25.94

$2.25 SEK 22.12

17.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.19 SEK 31.33

$3.83 SEK 37.56

-16.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.7 SEK 733

$86.4 SEK 848

-13.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.04 SEK 49.48

$6.21 SEK 60.9

-18.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 SEK 10.58

$1.67 SEK 16.37

-35.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.06 SEK 403

$59.2 SEK 581

-30.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 SEK 16.87

$1.75 SEK 17.20

-1.71%

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

$33.6K SEK 329.5K

$33.4K SEK 327.9K

0.49%

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

$34.2K SEK 336.1K

$33.8K SEK 331.7K

1.33%

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

$77.0 SEK 755

$104 SEK 1,017

-25.74%

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

$17.22 SEK 169

$19.70 SEK 193

-12.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.45 SEK 299

$34.35 SEK 337

-11.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.03 SEK 383

$34.01 SEK 334

14.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.33 SEK 219

$24.39 SEK 239

-8.45%

Cinema Ticket

$15.36 SEK 151

$16.98 SEK 167

-9.54%

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

$157 SEK 1,539

$222 SEK 2,180

-29.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,450 SEK 43.7K

$4,336 SEK 42.6K

2.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.4 SEK 789

$88.7 SEK 870

-9.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.8 SEK 557

$32.91 SEK 323

72.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.9 SEK 980

$87.8 SEK 861

13.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 SEK 1,208

$134 SEK 1,315

-8.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$794 SEK 7,795

$1,107 SEK 10.9K

-28.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 SEK 6,003

$874 SEK 8,575

-29.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,178 SEK 11.6K

$1,861 SEK 18.3K

-36.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$985 SEK 9,664

$1,400 SEK 13.7K

-29.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,023 SEK 39.5K

$6,415 SEK 63.0K

-37.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,853 SEK 28.0K

$4,026 SEK 39.5K

-29.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,032 SEK 19.9K

$3,521 SEK 34.6K

-42.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.03

3.06

-0.98%

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

Last update for Varnamo: October 24, 2026

Last update for Gothenburg: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Varnamo

$612 36.2%

Gothenburg

$874 43.5% 42.8% $262

Groceries & Markets

Varnamo

$357 21.1%

Gothenburg

$360 17.9% 0.9% $3.1

Eating Out

Varnamo

$269 15.9%

Gothenburg

$278 13.8% 3.1% $8.4

Clothing & Footwear

Varnamo

$162 9.6%

Gothenburg

$155 7.7% 4.7% $7.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varnamo

$125 7.4%

Gothenburg

$158 7.9% 26.5% $33

Getting Around

Varnamo

$98 5.8%

Gothenburg

$116 5.8% 18.7% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Varnamo

$70 4.1%

Gothenburg

$68 3.4% 2.6% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $794 in Varnamo and $1,107 in Gothenburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gothenburg pays 73% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $90 in Varnamo vs $87 in Gothenburg. Groceries flip the comparison at $357 vs $360, with Varnamo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Varnamo

🇸🇪 Gothenburg

🕒 Local time

23:15 11:15 PM

Same time as Varnamo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,778

607,882

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.19 USD

100 SEK = 9.13 EUR

100 SEK = 10.19 USD

100 SEK = 9.13 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Varnamo Gothenburg 140 km

From you

Varnamo
Gothenburg

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

Varnamo vs Gothenburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Varnamo wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Gothenburg. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Varnamo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 42% lower in Varnamo. 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: $794 in Varnamo versus $1,107 in Gothenburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $157 in Varnamo 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 Gothenburg – a meal for two runs $87 versus $90 in Varnamo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Varnamo gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Varnamo and Gothenburg are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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