GothenburgvsStockholmGothenburg vs Stockholm: cost, size & quality of life compared
Gothenburg (composite 5.7) vs Stockholm (composite 5.3). Side-by-side on cost of living, population & size, affordability, quality of life, remote-work friendliness and healthcare — with the calculation behind each score.
Composite scores
Overall: Gothenburg wins by 0.4 points
Population & size
Is Gothenburg bigger than Stockholm?
Stockholm is the bigger city: about 975k people versus Gothenburg's 580k — roughly 1.7× larger.
City-proper / metro population estimates. Size is one input — scroll on for cost of living, salary equivalence and quality-of-life scoring.
Gothenburg edges out Stockholm on the Mundevo composite, 5.7 to 5.3 out of 10 — a narrow 0.4-point margin across safety, healthcare, air quality and cost.
The composite gap is small enough that one weighted axis can flip the result. Use the per-axis breakdown below to see which city wins your specific priorities — someone optimizing for healthcare can land on a different answer than someone optimizing for affordability.
Run the salary calculator for both cities at your target lifestyle before deciding — Gothenburg winning on quality doesn't mean the gross-salary requirement also lands in your favor. If you're on a balanced tier, the cost-of-living pages for each city carry the full monthly basket and the gross-salary figure.
Data signals
What separates Gothenburg and Stockholm
How decisive
Gothenburg comes out ahead by 0.4 composite points — a narrow edge.
Biggest difference
The widest gap is affordability, where Gothenburg leads by 2.2 points.
Where they match
They're most evenly matched on quality of life — within 1.1 points of each other.
Overall cost gap
Total monthly costs in Stockholm run about 11% higher than in Gothenburg.
Where budgets split most
Healthcare is the line item that diverges most: roughly 50% cheaper in Stockholm than Gothenburg.
Score-by-score, side-by-side
Each axis is scored independently with disclosed weights and a calculation string.
| Axis | Gothenburg | Stockholm | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability | 3.3 | 1.1 | Gothenburg +2.2 |
| Quality of life | 6.6 | 7.7 | Stockholm +1.1 |
| Remote-work friendliness | 6.3 | 4.5 | Gothenburg +1.8 |
| Healthcare | 6.5 | 7.8 | Stockholm +1.3 |
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%)85
- Rent index (weight 40%)40
How this is calculated
Affordability = ((100 − costIndex)/100 × 0.6 + (100 − rentIndex)/100 × 0.4) × 10. For Gothenburg: ((100 − 85)/100 × 0.6 + (100 − 40)/100 × 0.4) × 10 = 3.3.
Gothenburg is among the more expensive cities tracked. Salary expectations should be calibrated to the high cost base before relocating.
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%)28.0%
- Cost-of-living (lower = better) (weight 25%)85
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 − 0.28) × 0.3 + (100 − 85)/100 × 0.25) × 10 = 6.3.
Gothenburg works for remote work but isn't optimized for it: internet 250 Mbps, income tax 28%, cost index 85.
Healthcare
- Healthcare quality index (weight 70%)75
- Healthcare out-of-pocket / month (lower = better) (weight 30%)300
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 − 300/500) × 0.3) × 10 = 6.5.
Gothenburg has trade-offs in healthcare: quality is good, typical out-of-pocket cost is ~300 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%)97
- Rent index (weight 40%)77
How this is calculated
Affordability = ((100 − costIndex)/100 × 0.6 + (100 − rentIndex)/100 × 0.4) × 10. For Stockholm: ((100 − 97)/100 × 0.6 + (100 − 77)/100 × 0.4) × 10 = 1.1.
Stockholm is among the more expensive cities tracked. Salary expectations should be calibrated to the high cost base before relocating.
Quality of life
- Safety index (weight 40%)70
- Healthcare index (weight 35%)82
- Air quality index (weight 25%)80
How this is calculated
QoL = (safety/100 × 0.4 + healthcare/100 × 0.35 + airQuality/100 × 0.25) × 10. For Stockholm: (70/100 × 0.4 + 82/100 × 0.35 + 80/100 × 0.25) × 10 = 7.7.
Stockholm scores good on safety, excellent on healthcare and excellent on air. The composite quality-of-life signal is strong.
Remote-work friendliness
- Internet (median Mbps) (weight 45%)150 Mbps
- Effective income tax (lower = better) (weight 30%)28.0%
- Cost-of-living (lower = better) (weight 25%)97
How this is calculated
RemoteWork = (min(Mbps/300, 1) × 0.45 + (1 − incomeTax) × 0.3 + (100 − costIndex)/100 × 0.25) × 10. For Stockholm: (min(150/300, 1) × 0.45 + (1 − 0.28) × 0.3 + (100 − 97)/100 × 0.25) × 10 = 4.5.
Stockholm works for remote work but isn't optimized for it: internet 150 Mbps, income tax 28%, cost index 97.
Healthcare
- Healthcare quality index (weight 70%)82
- Healthcare out-of-pocket / month (lower = better) (weight 30%)150
How this is calculated
Healthcare = (qualityIndex/100 × 0.7 + max(0, 1 − OOP/500) × 0.3) × 10. For Stockholm: (82/100 × 0.7 + max(0, 1 − 150/500) × 0.3) × 10 = 7.8.
Stockholm combines excellent system quality with a manageable out-of-pocket cost (~150 SEK/month). Travel insurance still recommended for non-residents.
Monthly cost delta: Gothenburg vs Stockholm
Normalized to SEK at 1 SEK = 1.0000 SEK.
| Category | Gothenburg | Stockholm | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| housing | SEK 10,000 | SEK 13,500 | +35% |
| food | SEK 3,900 | SEK 4,000 | +3% |
| transport | SEK 850 | SEK 970 | +14% |
| utilities | SEK 1,200 | SEK 1,100 | -8% |
| leisure | SEK 4,200 | SEK 3,000 | -29% |
| healthcare | SEK 300 | SEK 150 | -50% |
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: Stockholm spends 10.5 percentage points more of its budget on it (59% vs. 49%). If you're sensitive to that category, weight the per-axis scores accordingly.
Salary equivalence: Gothenburg ↔ Stockholm
What earning the same purchasing power costs in each city. Cost-adjusted using the local cost-of-living index (Gothenburg = 85, Stockholm = 97); currency-converted at 1 SEK = 1.0000 SEK. Tax differences are not modeled.
| Gothenburg gross | Stockholm equivalent |
|---|---|
| SEK 40,000 | SEK 45,647 |
| SEK 75,000 | SEK 85,588 |
| SEK 120,000 | SEK 136,941 |
| Stockholm gross | Gothenburg equivalent |
|---|---|
| SEK 40,000 | SEK 35,052 |
| SEK 75,000 | SEK 65,722 |
| SEK 120,000 | SEK 105,155 |
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 (+2.2 points vs Stockholm).
- Wins on remote-work friendliness (+1.8 points vs Stockholm).
Why pick Stockholm
- Wins on quality of life (+1.1 points vs Gothenburg).
- Wins on healthcare (+1.3 points vs Gothenburg).
Gothenburg trade-offs
- Trails Stockholm on quality of life by 1.1 points.
- Trails Stockholm on healthcare by 1.3 points.
Stockholm trade-offs
- Trails Gothenburg on affordability by 2.2 points.
- Trails Gothenburg on remote-work friendliness by 1.8 points.
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.
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 2026-05-28 (Stockholm).
- FX rate. 1 SEK = 1.0000 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 Stockholm: which is cheaper?
Gothenburg is roughly 11% cheaper than Stockholm on the monthly cost basket (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare). Gothenburg has cost index 85 vs Stockholm at 97 (both with New York = 100).
Which city has better quality of life?
Gothenburg scores 5.7/10 on the Mundevo composite versus Stockholm at 5.3/10. The composite weights safety (40%), healthcare (35%) and air quality (25%). Gothenburg wins overall by 0.4 points.
Is Gothenburg or Stockholm better for remote work?
Gothenburg has 250 Mbps median internet vs Stockholm at 150 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.