Gothenburgvs
MadridGothenburg vs Madrid: cost, size & quality of life compared
Trying to decide between Gothenburg and Madrid? Here's the honest bottom line first — then the full, sourced breakdown on cost of living, salary, safety and quality of life.
Gothenburg and Madrid are almost dead even overall.
But the "winner" depends on what you care about. Here's who takes each dimension:
MadridGothenburgMadridGothenburgComposite scores
Overall: Madrid wins by 0.1 points
Population & size
Is Gothenburg bigger than Madrid?
Madrid is the bigger city: about 3.3M people versus Gothenburg's 580k — roughly 5.7× larger.
City-proper / metro population estimates. Size is one input — scroll on for cost of living, salary equivalence and quality-of-life scoring.
National income
Is Gothenburg richer than Madrid?
Sweden is the higher earner — average annual wage of $60,415 against $54,564 in Spain, about 11% more in purchasing-power terms.
Country-level figures — Gothenburg is not Sweden and Madrid is not Spain, and both cities typically pay above their national average. Gross, before tax: see take-home pay by country for what lands in the account.
Distance
How far is Gothenburg from Madrid?
Gothenburg is about 2,220 km (1,380 mi) from Madrid in a straight line — roughly 3 h 20 m of nonstop flight time.
Great-circle distance, not a routed itinerary; flight estimate assumes ~850 km/h cruise plus 45 minutes of taxi, climb and descent.
Climate
Is Gothenburg warmer than Madrid?
Madrid is the warmer city: January highs average 10°C vs 2°C, and July 33°C vs 21°C. Madrid gets noticeably more sun — about 1,050 more sunshine hours per year.
| Month | Gothenburg | Madrid |
|---|---|---|
| January (high / low) | 2° / -3°C | 10° / 2°C |
| July (high / low) | 21° / 13°C | 33° / 18°C |
Maritime Nordic — milder than Stockholm thanks to the Atlantic, but wetter and windier. Short bright summers, long dark wet winters.
Hot, dry summers and crisp winters. Continental climate with low humidity — comfortable for many but the July heat is intense.
Madrid's 6.6 score edges Gothenburg's 5.7 by a meaningful margin, suggesting the Spanish capital offers more comprehensive urban advantages across measured dimensions.
A 0.9-point gap at this tier reflects real differences in livability—Madrid pulls ahead where Gothenburg remains solid but specialized.
If you're weighing these two, prioritize what matters most to you professionally and personally, since both rank competently but serve different city-living priorities.
Data signals
What separates Gothenburg and Madrid
How decisive
Madrid comes out ahead by 0.1 composite points — essentially a tie.
Biggest difference
The widest gap is healthcare, where Madrid leads by 1.7 points.
Where they match
They're most evenly matched on remote-work friendliness — within 0.5 points of each other.
Overall cost gap
Total monthly costs in Madrid run about 21% higher than in Gothenburg.
Where budgets split most
Healthcare is the line item that diverges most: roughly 145% pricier in Madrid than Gothenburg.
Size difference
Madrid is the larger metro — about 5.7× the population of the other, which shapes commute times, housing supply and how "big-city" daily life feels.
Safety
Madrid scores higher on safety (70 vs 52 / 100) — a common deciding factor for families.
Score-by-score, side-by-side
Each axis is scored independently with disclosed weights and a calculation string.
The exact scores and winners:
| Axis | Gothenburg | Madrid | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability | 7.2 | 6.3 | Gothenburg +0.9 |
| Quality of life | 6.6 | 7.1 | Madrid +0.5 |
| Remote-work friendliness | 7.9 | 7.4 | Gothenburg +0.5 |
| Healthcare | 6.5 | 8.2 | Madrid +1.7 |
Each axis is a weighted aggregate of underlying indicators normalized to a 0–10 scale. Weights are explicit and disclosed per axis. The composite is the unweighted mean of the four axes — axes are not collapsed further because the underlying trade-offs (e.g. low cost vs poor air quality) are user-dependent.
Affordability
- Cost-of-living index (weight 60%)32
- Rent index (weight 40%)23
How this is calculated
Affordability = ((100 − costIndex)/100 × 0.6 + (100 − rentIndex)/100 × 0.4) × 10. For Gothenburg: ((100 − 32)/100 × 0.6 + (100 − 23)/100 × 0.4) × 10 = 7.2.
Gothenburg sits well below the New York baseline on both cost-of-living and rent. Budgets stretch further here than in benchmark Tier-1 cities.
Quality of life
- Safety index (weight 40%)52
- Healthcare index (weight 35%)75
- Air quality index (weight 25%)74
How this is calculated
QoL = (safety/100 × 0.4 + healthcare/100 × 0.35 + airQuality/100 × 0.25) × 10. For Gothenburg: (52/100 × 0.4 + 75/100 × 0.35 + 74/100 × 0.25) × 10 = 6.6.
Gothenburg has a mixed quality profile. Safety: fair; healthcare: good; air: good. Weigh the weakest axis against your personal priorities.
Remote-work friendliness
- Internet (median Mbps) (weight 45%)250 Mbps
- Effective income tax (lower = better) (weight 30%)16.9%
- Cost-of-living (lower = better) (weight 25%)32
How this is calculated
RemoteWork = (min(Mbps/300, 1) × 0.45 + (1 − incomeTax) × 0.3 + (100 − costIndex)/100 × 0.25) × 10. For Gothenburg: (min(250/300, 1) × 0.45 + (1 − 0.169) × 0.3 + (100 − 32)/100 × 0.25) × 10 = 7.9.
Gothenburg combines fast internet (250 Mbps median), a 17% effective income tax and cost index 32 — a strong configuration for remote workers earning in a stronger currency.
Healthcare
- Healthcare quality index (weight 70%)75
- Healthcare out-of-pocket / month (lower = better) (weight 30%)290
How this is calculated
Healthcare = (qualityIndex/100 × 0.7 + max(0, 1 − OOP/500) × 0.3) × 10. For Gothenburg: (75/100 × 0.7 + max(0, 1 − 290/500) × 0.3) × 10 = 6.5.
Gothenburg has trade-offs in healthcare: quality is good, typical out-of-pocket cost is ~290 SEK/month. Cross-border insurance closes the gap.
Each axis is a weighted aggregate of underlying indicators normalized to a 0–10 scale. Weights are explicit and disclosed per axis. The composite is the unweighted mean of the four axes — axes are not collapsed further because the underlying trade-offs (e.g. low cost vs poor air quality) are user-dependent.
Affordability
- Cost-of-living index (weight 60%)39
- Rent index (weight 40%)34
How this is calculated
Affordability = ((100 − costIndex)/100 × 0.6 + (100 − rentIndex)/100 × 0.4) × 10. For Madrid: ((100 − 39)/100 × 0.6 + (100 − 34)/100 × 0.4) × 10 = 6.3.
Madrid is mid-range on absolute cost. Affordability is reasonable but not its main advantage.
Quality of life
- Safety index (weight 40%)70
- Healthcare index (weight 35%)80
- Air quality index (weight 25%)60
How this is calculated
QoL = (safety/100 × 0.4 + healthcare/100 × 0.35 + airQuality/100 × 0.25) × 10. For Madrid: (70/100 × 0.4 + 80/100 × 0.35 + 60/100 × 0.25) × 10 = 7.1.
Madrid scores good on safety, excellent on healthcare and good on air. The composite quality-of-life signal is strong.
Remote-work friendliness
- Internet (median Mbps) (weight 45%)220 Mbps
- Effective income tax (lower = better) (weight 30%)15.6%
- Cost-of-living (lower = better) (weight 25%)39
How this is calculated
RemoteWork = (min(Mbps/300, 1) × 0.45 + (1 − incomeTax) × 0.3 + (100 − costIndex)/100 × 0.25) × 10. For Madrid: (min(220/300, 1) × 0.45 + (1 − 0.1561) × 0.3 + (100 − 39)/100 × 0.25) × 10 = 7.4.
Madrid combines fast internet (220 Mbps median), a 16% effective income tax and cost index 39 — a strong configuration for remote workers earning in a stronger currency.
Healthcare
- Healthcare quality index (weight 70%)80
- Healthcare out-of-pocket / month (lower = better) (weight 30%)63
How this is calculated
Healthcare = (qualityIndex/100 × 0.7 + max(0, 1 − OOP/500) × 0.3) × 10. For Madrid: (80/100 × 0.7 + max(0, 1 − 63/500) × 0.3) × 10 = 8.2.
Madrid combines excellent system quality with a manageable out-of-pocket cost (~63 EUR/month). Travel insurance still recommended for non-residents.
Monthly cost delta: Gothenburg vs Madrid
Normalized to SEK at 1 EUR = 11.2900 SEK.
| Category | Gothenburg | Madrid | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| housing | SEK 10,427 | €1,374 | +49% |
| food | SEK 3,769 | €275 | -18% |
| transport | SEK 860 | €34 | -55% |
| utilities | SEK 1,077 | €166 | +74% |
| leisure | SEK 4,059 | €275 | -24% |
| healthcare | SEK 290 | €63 | +145% |
Where each city's money goes
Two cities can have the same monthly total but very different shapes — one might burn 50% on housing while the other splits more evenly. The composition matters as much as the headline.
The biggest shape difference is housing: Madrid spends 11.9 percentage points more of its budget on it (63% vs. 51%). If you're sensitive to that category, weight the per-axis scores accordingly.
Buying property
Apartment prices: Gothenburg vs Madrid
Approximate asking prices in EUR per square meter (as of 2025-01), central vs mid-distance neighborhoods.
Midpoints of public listing ranges — a scoping number for rent-vs-buy thinking, not a valuation. Renting comparisons live in the cost table above.
Getting around
Public transport: Gothenburg vs Madrid
Monthly pass and casual-ride pricing in EUR (as of 2025-01) plus the modes each network runs.
Västtrafik zone A monthly SEK 860 includes the archipelago ferries; the tram network is Scandinavia's largest.
Single ride: €3.25 · Modes: Tram, Bus, Ferry
Abono Transportes zone A €54.6/mo covers metro + bus + Cercanías commuter rail; the over-26 youth pass is materially cheaper.
Single ride: €1.5 · Modes: Metro, Tram, Bus, Commuter rail
Salary equivalence: Gothenburg ↔ Madrid
What earning the same purchasing power costs in each city. Cost-adjusted using the local cost-of-living index (Gothenburg = 32, Madrid = 39); currency-converted at 1 EUR = 11.2900 SEK. Tax differences are not modeled.
| Gothenburg gross | Madrid equivalent |
|---|---|
| SEK 40,000 | €4,318 |
| SEK 75,000 | €8,096 |
| SEK 120,000 | €12,954 |
| Madrid gross | Gothenburg equivalent |
|---|---|
| €40,000 | SEK 370,544 |
| €75,000 | SEK 694,769 |
| €120,000 | SEK 1,111,631 |
Equivalence here means same cost-of-living purchasing power, not same net take-home. Effective tax rates differ between countries; a salary equivalent on cost can still net more or less depending on the destination's tax regime. Use the calculator for tax-adjusted figures at a specific lifestyle tier.
Pros and cons
Why pick Gothenburg
- Wins on affordability (+0.9 points vs Madrid).
- Wins on remote-work friendliness (+0.5 points vs Madrid).
Why pick Madrid
- Wins on quality of life (+0.5 points vs Gothenburg).
- Wins on healthcare (+1.7 points vs Gothenburg).
Gothenburg trade-offs
- Trails Madrid on quality of life by 0.5 points.
- Trails Madrid on healthcare by 1.7 points.
Madrid trade-offs
- Trails Gothenburg on affordability by 0.9 points.
- Trails Gothenburg on remote-work friendliness by 0.5 points.
Remote work logistics
Time zones and language: Gothenburg vs Madrid
Gothenburg (Europe/Stockholm) and Madrid (Europe/Madrid) share the same standard-time offset — meetings, markets and deadlines line up 1:1.
Official: Swedish · English: Native-equivalent · Local language: Not needed
Scandinavian-typical near-universal English; Volvo and the tech sector operate substantially in English. Swedish is for integration and long-term settling, not survival.
Official: Spanish · English: Moderate · Local language: Recommended
Spanish is essential outside multinational firms. English is moderate in central Madrid; bureaucracy is Spanish-only. A gestor (administrative agent) is standard for residency tasks.
Who should choose which
The composite winner doesn't always match what matters to you. These four reader profiles weigh the axes differently — find the closest fit.
Single, salaried remote worker, 25-40, optimizing for runway + bandwidth.
Axes scored: affordability, remoteWork
Couple with school-age children, prioritizing safety, healthcare, and air quality.
Axes scored: qualityOfLife, healthcare
Fixed income, healthcare-sensitive, prefers low cost and stable infrastructure.
Axes scored: healthcare, qualityOfLife, affordability
Salary stretch matters most. Cuts everything else if it lowers the burn rate.
Axes scored: affordability
Profiles use simple axis averaging — for a deeper read with your own weights, use the per-axis breakdown above.
Zoom out from cities to countries: compare Sweden vs Spain on average wage, take-home after tax and cost of living.
Going deeper
Visa landscape for both countries — and case studies that touch this corridor.
Tools that work for either choice
Some links below are affiliate links — if you sign up we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you.
How this page is calculated
Data sources
- Mundevo per-city dataset. Cost basket, rent index, safety, healthcare, air quality and median internet for both cities. Reference date: 2026-06-10 (Gothenburg) and 2026-05-23 (Madrid).
- FX rate. 1 EUR = 11.2900 SEK, used to normalize cost baskets.
- CityScoreCalculator. Four axes (Affordability, Quality of life, Remote work, Healthcare) computed with explicit weights and explanations. See per-axis calculation strings rendered on this page.
- ComparisonService. Per-category cost deltas (housing, food, transport, utilities, leisure, healthcare) normalized to the origin currency.
Update cadence
Data as of . Last reviewed .
Calculation
For each of the four axes we compute an independent 0–10 score using the formulas printed beside each axis. The composite is the unweighted mean of the four axes. The overall winner is the city with the higher composite, unless the margin is under 0.05 points — in which case Gothenburg is shown first as a tiebreaker to keep results stable.
Limitations
- Climate is not scored — we don't yet hold a maintained climate dataset, so weather-driven preferences are not modeled.
- Tax differences between cities in the same country are not modeled (Spain and Germany don't have material regional differences for this dataset).
- Indices are population-level. Personal cost varies with neighborhood, employer benefits and family status.
- Quality-of-life axis weights (safety 0.4 / healthcare 0.35 / air 0.25) are editorial defaults — readers with strong preferences should re-weight manually.
Frequently asked questions
Gothenburg vs Madrid: which is cheaper?
Gothenburg is roughly 21% cheaper than Madrid on the monthly cost basket (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare). Gothenburg has cost index 32 vs Madrid at 39 (both with New York = 100).
Which city has better quality of life?
Gothenburg scores 7.1/10 on the Mundevo composite versus Madrid at 7.2/10. The composite weights safety (40%), healthcare (35%) and air quality (25%). Madrid wins overall by 0.1 points.
Is Gothenburg or Madrid better for remote work?
Gothenburg has 250 Mbps median internet vs Madrid at 220 Mbps. The four-axis decision rubric on this page (affordability, quality of life, remote work, healthcare) gives a per-dimension breakdown rather than a single answer.
Is Gothenburg bigger than Madrid?
Madrid is larger — about 3.3M people versus Gothenburg's 580k, roughly 5.7× the size.
Is Gothenburg safer than Madrid?
Madrid scores higher on safety — 70 vs 52 / 100 on the Mundevo safety index (crime and personal-security signals).
Should I move to Gothenburg or Madrid?
It depends on what you weight. Madrid wins the overall Mundevo composite by 0.1 points, but Gothenburg is cheaper, and the two split differently across affordability, quality of life, remote work and healthcare. Use the per-axis table and the reader-profile section above to match the verdict to your own priorities.