Cost of Living: Amsterdam vs Gothenburg (2026)

Netherlands vs Sweden — relocation comparison

Your passport:

Livability Score

Amsterdam

Gothenburg

$2,602/mo

Rent

1BR centre

$1,080/mo

$15k/yr

Take-home savings

At each city's local median pay

$11k/yr

5 yr

PR path

5 yr

30% Ruling (expatriateregeling)

Tax breaks

Open incentive regimes for newcomers

—

Freelance setup

ZZP'er

VAT-free under €20k
5.3% social
€1200/yr accountant

WiseStripe

Enskild firma

VAT-free under €7k
29% social
€1000/yr accountant

WiseStripe

Sourced from Numbeo · Updated April 2026

TL;DRGothenburg is 58% cheaper on rent ($1,080/mo vs $2,602/mo). Both countries will let you complain about the government in public — and mean it.

Gothenburg scores 80 to Amsterdam's 69 on livability — the gap is real. Amsterdam has its charms, but the numbers favor Gothenburg.

Verdict delivered. Your move.

The winner's file

🇸🇪 Gothenburg

Full profile. Verify before you pack.

Due diligence

🇳🇱 Amsterdam

Every verdict deserves an appeal.

Plot twist

Amsterdam vs Rotterdam

Someone else's dilemma, equally unsolvable.

Household

Amsterdam

Metric

Gothenburg

$937/mo

🛒

Living costs (no rent)

lower is better

$631/mo✓

$10,705

🧳

Cost to land

lower is better

$3,302✓

89 / 100

🛡️

Settler safety

higher is better

85 / 100

✓0.7 / 100k

🔒

Homicides

lower is better

1.1 / 100k

3.4 / 100k

🚗

Road deaths

lower is better

2.1 / 100k✓

✓74 / 100

🚨

Safety Index

higher is better

54 / 100

68°F

☀️

Summer high

personal taste

66°F

34°F

❄️

Winter low

personal taste

27°F

122 Mbps

⚡

Internet speed

higher is better

163 Mbps✓

11.2 μg/m³

🌬️

Air quality (PM2.5)

lower is better

5.6 μg/m³✓

86 / 100

🏥

Healthcare

higher is better

84 / 100

9.0 / 10

🗳️

Democracy

higher is better

9.4 / 10

59 / 100

🏳️‍🌈

Rainbow Index

higher is better

64 / 100✓

100/100

🗣️

Street English

higher is better

100/100

✓$86k

💼

GDP per capita

higher is better

$72k

3.3% · Boringly steady

📈

Inflation

lower is better

2.8% · Boringly steady✓

94/100 — Reliable

⚡

Grid reliability

higher is better

93/100 — Reliable

97/100

🗽

Freedom House

higher is better

99/100

A median Software Engineer in Amsterdam takes home $6,417/mo under Standard employee. In Gothenburg: $3,686/mo under Standard employee.

$2,731/mo more in Amsterdam

🎯 Amsterdam's 30% Ruling (expatriateregeling) isn't modelled above — if you qualify, take-home would be $8,212/mo instead.

Each city pays its own median — Software Engineer gross via Levels.fyi / Eurostat. Moving changes your salary too; that's the point.

$128k

💰

Gross income

$78k

−$39k

🏛️

Income tax

Standard employee

−$28k

−$12k

🛡️

Social contributions

−$5k

✓$77k/yr

$6k/mo

💵

Take-home pay

$44k/yr

$4k/mo

−$62k

🏠

Cost of living

−$34k

✓$15k/yr

🐖

Annual savings

$11k/yr

Swap the local medians for your actual number

Sources: Numbeo · UNODC · Ookla · WHO · EIU · World Bank · Freedom House · Updated April 2026

💰

Cost of Living

Gothenburg

$1,522/mo cheaper on rent alone

🔒

Safety

Amsterdam

0.7 homicides per 100k

🗳️

Democracy

Gothenburg

9.4/10 EIU index

🗣️

English

Amsterdam

higher proficiency score

Sun

How much sky you actually get

44% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

Sky clear

avg daytime

41% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

7.7h

Shortest day

Dec

6.5h

16.8h

Longest day

Jun

18.1h

Sun clocks out before 5pm in both cities come December. Plan accordingly.

Source: WeatherSpark (clear-sky share of daytime hours)

Settler Essentials

stable →

Democracy trend

stable →

improving ↑

Inflation trend

improving ↑

fintechlogisticssemiconductorsagri-food-tech

Industries

automotivemaritimecleantechfintech

hub

Startup ecosystem

active

Moderate

🇺🇸 Your visa

Moderate

Easy

EU visa

Easy

Complex

RU visa

Complex

Easy

UA visa

Moderate

✅ Partner can work immediately

Spouse works

✅ Partner can work immediately

Recognized

geregistreerd partnerschap / samenwonend

Partner pathway

Recognized

sambo

Visa stamps:Easy <90 daysModerate 3–6 moComplex 6+ mo

Sources: EIU · Freedom House · Startup Genome · official immigration portals

Reproductive Rights

Because your body shouldn't need a visa too

On request

Abortion access

On request

24 wk

Gestational limit

18 wk

On request up to 24 weeks. 5-day reflection period removed in 2023.

On request up to 18 weeks. Between 18-22 weeks requires board approval.

Source: Center for Reproductive Rights

LGBTQ+ Rights

Can you hold hands without doing a risk assessment first

Legal

Marriage

Legal

Joint adoption

Adoption

Joint adoption

Yes

Job protection

Yes

Hate crime law

Yes

Amsterdam vs Gothenburg — Common Questions

Is Amsterdam cheaper than Gothenburg?▾

Gothenburg is cheaper. A 1-bedroom apartment in city centre costs around $1080/month there vs $2602/month in the other city (Numbeo data).

Which is safer, Amsterdam or Gothenburg?▾

Amsterdam is statistically safer based on UNODC homicide data. Amsterdam has a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 and Gothenburg has 1.10 per 100,000.

Should I move to Amsterdam or Gothenburg?▾

Gothenburg scores 80 to Amsterdam's 69 on livability — the gap is real. Amsterdam has its charms, but the numbers favor Gothenburg. See the full comparison above for rent, safety, internet speed, climate, and democracy scores to decide which city fits your priorities.

Is it easier to get residency in Amsterdam or Gothenburg?▾

Amsterdam: Netherlands Highly Skilled Migrant (complex process, Up to 5 years). Gothenburg: Sweden Self-Employment Permit (complex process, 2 years (renewable)). See each city's profile page for full requirements.

What's the cost of rent in Amsterdam vs Gothenburg?▾

A 1-bedroom in the centre: $1080/month in Gothenburg, $2602/month in Amsterdam (Numbeo). That's 58% cheaper rent in Gothenburg.