Gothenburg vs Venlo
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights the two cities tie at 67. Gothenburg is stronger on cost of living; Venlo 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 →Plan a trip to Gothenburg →Maas border town where Dutch and German daily life mix
Full Venlo profile →Plan a trip to Venlo →Where they differ
- Cost of living. Gothenburg leads on cost of living, 36 to 25, against Venlo. Monthly cost, one person: $2,184 vs $2,750.
- Climate. Venlo leads on climate, 25 to 17, against Gothenburg. Comfortable months: 2 vs 3.
- Getting there & around. Venlo leads on getting there & around, 47 to 40, against Gothenburg. Non-stop airport destinations: 72 vs 191.
Where they are close. Within five points on air quality, safety, healthcare, internet, quality of life, visa ease.
Pick Gothenburg if you want
- to spend about $566 less a month
Pick Venlo if you want
- no clear edge over Gothenburg in the data
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Gothenburg | Venlo |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 36 ✓ | 25 |
| Safety | 83 ✓ | 81 |
| Healthcare | 90 ✓ | 88 |
| Internet | 86 | 87 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 61 | 61 |
| Getting there & around | 40 | 47 ✓ |
| Climate | 17 | 25 ✓ |
| Air quality | 95 ✓ | 93 |
| Quality of life | 97 ✓ | 96 |
Cost
| Metric | Gothenburg | Venlo |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $2,184 ✓ | $2,750 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | $1,190 | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Gothenburg | Venlo |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 0.87 | 0.66 ✓ |
| Political stability (0–100) | 80.5 ✓ | 75 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 85 | 85 |
| Life expectancy | 82.9 yrs ✓ | 81.6 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Gothenburg | Venlo |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 88 Mbps | 92 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 40.4 Mbps ✓ | 39.6 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Gothenburg | Venlo |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Venlo |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 72 | 191 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 4 | 4 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 4 ✓ | 2 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Gothenburg | Venlo |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 2 | 3 ✓ |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 7.1 µg/m³ ✓ | 8.3 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Gothenburg or Venlo?
- Gothenburg is cheaper: about $2,184 per month versus $2,750 for one person.
- Is Gothenburg or Venlo safer?
- Gothenburg scores higher on safety (83 vs 81), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Gothenburg or Venlo?
- Venlo: a measured median of 92 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); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.