Gothenburg vs Turku
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Gothenburg edges it, 70 to 69, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Gothenburg is stronger on cost of living; Turku on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Sweden's laid-back west-coast city
Full Gothenburg profile →Where to stay in Gothenburg →Finland's old capital on the Aura river, gateway to the archipelago
Full Turku profile →Where to stay in Turku →Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Gothenburg | Turku |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 29 ✓ | 17 |
| Safety | 83 | 84 ✓ |
| Healthcare | 88 ✓ | 87 |
| Internet | 86 | 88 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 61 | 61 |
| Getting there & around | 73 | 74 ✓ |
| Climate | 17 | 17 |
| Air quality | 95 | 100 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 97 ✓ | 95 |
Cost
| Metric | Gothenburg | Turku |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one person | $2,222 ✓ | $3,023 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | $1,210 | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Gothenburg | Turku |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 0.87 ✓ | 0.93 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 80.5 | 82.3 ✓ |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 85 | 86 ✓ |
| Life expectancy | 82.7 yrs ✓ | 81.5 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Gothenburg | Turku |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 88 Mbps | 92.7 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 40.4 Mbps | 59.2 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Gothenburg | Turku |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | 90 days | 90 days |
| Entry, EU passport | unlimited | unlimited |
| Entry, UK passport | 90 days | 90 days |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Gothenburg | Turku |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 73 | 133 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 4 | 4 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 4 ✓ | 3 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Gothenburg | Turku |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 2 | 2 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 7.1 µg/m³ | 4.5 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Gothenburg or Turku?
- Gothenburg is cheaper: about $2,222 per month versus $3,023 for one person.
- Is Gothenburg or Turku safer?
- Turku scores higher on safety (84 vs 83), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Gothenburg or Turku?
- Turku: a measured median of 92.7 Mbps versus 88 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); SatPM2.5 satellite-derived annual PM2.5 (V6.GL.02.04); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); WhereNext city cost estimates 2026 (city pages); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.10.7. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.