SE flag
Göteborg

Sweden

vs
SE flag
Umeå

Sweden

Climate

Göteborg logs 83 frost days a year to Umeå's 154 — Göteborg wins by 71. Göteborg also leads on sunny days by 8.

GöteborgUmeå
Sunny days
149141
Hot days
00
Frost days
83154
Rain days
14993
Snow days
1547
Outdoor dinner months
3/123/12
Avg wind
3.6 m/s4.4 m/s
Sunshine hours
1,8861,820
Darkest month sun
18 hrs/mo0 hrs/mo
UV peak month
4.73.9

Göteborg

Feels-like °C

-11
-11
-4
3
10
18
17
16
12
3
-4
-10

Dinner outside

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

Umeå

Feels-like °C

-20
-15
-7
1
9
19
19
16
7
-2
-10
-19

Dinner outside

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

Cost of Living

Göteborg averages $2,370/mo for balanced living; Umeå has no cost baseline yet.

Göteborg

$2,370

monthly · balanced

Minimalist $1,839Comfort $3,537
Top 74%in Among 217 Europe cities

Umeå

monthly · balanced

Mobility

Göteborg scores 3.8 on mobility (0–5 scale); Umeå has no mobility baseline.

3.8/5
vs
/5
GöteborgUmeå
WalkabilityTransitCyclingCar EfficiencyMotorbikeFlightsAirport

Culture

Göteborg's culture score of 3.9 sits well above Umeå's 0.0.

3.9/5
vs
0.0/5
GöteborgUmeå
ArtsHistoryTheatreVenuesNightlife
Göteborg leads

Nature & Outdoors

Göteborg scores 4.3 on nature & outdoors (0–5 scale); Umeå has no nature & outdoors baseline.

4.3/5
vs
/5
GöteborgUmeå
SeaForestGreen AreasLakesRunningHikingCampingBeachSurfingDivingClimbing

Safety

Göteborg scores 3.9 on safety (0–5 scale); Umeå has no safety baseline.

3.9/5
vs
/5

Career

Göteborg scores 3.9 on career (0–5 scale); Umeå has no career baseline.

3.9/5
vs
/5
GöteborgUmeå
JobsEconomyStartupsCoworking

Social & Community

Göteborg scores 3.2 on social & community (0–5 scale); Umeå has no social & community baseline.

3.2/5
vs
/5
GöteborgUmeå
Everyday EnglishExpat-First CommunityMulticultural MixUrban EnergyStreet AtmosphereGovernment Immigration FriendlinessAdmin English Support

Food & Dining

Göteborg scores 4.0 on food & dining (0–5 scale); Umeå has no food & dining baseline.

4.0/5
vs
/5
GöteborgUmeå
RestaurantsBrunchVeganDelivery

Family

Göteborg scores 3.6 on family (0–5 scale); Umeå has no family baseline.

3.6/5
vs
/5
GöteborgUmeå
Intl SchoolsUniversitiesAmenitiesSportPlaygroundsGroceriesGymYogaSpaTennis

Healthcare

Göteborg scores 3.4 on healthcare (0–5 scale); Umeå has no healthcare baseline.

3.4/5
vs
/5
GöteborgUmeå
Public Healthcare

Air Quality

Göteborg averages 6.5 µg/m³ (good) PM2.5 annually versus Umeå's 3.9 µg/m³ (excellent) — Umeå breathes ~40% cleaner air (2.6 µg/m³ lower).

Göteborg

Umeå

6.5µg/m³
3.9µg/m³

PM2.5 annual average

Good
Excellent

WHO classification

City Scale

Both maps at the same real-world scale — 1 cm on either map is the same distance.

Göteborg (600K) and Umeå (65K) are 9.2x in population — Göteborg is the larger metro, Umeå the smaller; on land area Göteborg spans roughly 6.4x more ground.

7.7x

Göteborg is roughly 7.7x the scale of Umeå

Combined population & area comparison

SE flagGöteborg
7.7x
SE flagUmeå
1x

City Scale Rankings

Population
1.SE flagGöteborg600K9.2x
2.SE flagUmeå65K1x
Area
1.SE flagGöteborg191 km²6.4x
2.SE flagUmeå30 km²1x
© Stadia Maps, © OpenMapTiles, © OpenStreetMap contributors
19 km25 km

SE flagGöteborg

© Stadia Maps, © OpenMapTiles, © OpenStreetMap contributors
7.7 km8.5 km

SE flagUmeå

Who Thrives Here

Frequently asked about Göteborg vs Umeå

Which is cheaper, Göteborg or Umeå?
Göteborg has an estimated monthly cost of $2,370.
How does the climate compare between Göteborg and Umeå?
Sunny days: 149 vs 141 d — Similar Annual sunshine: 1,886 vs 1,820 hrs — Similar Winter sunshine: 18 vs 0 hrs/day — Similar Hot days (>30°C): 0 vs 0 d — Similar Frost days: 83 vs 154 d — Göteborg lower Rainy days: 149 vs 93 d — Umeå lower Snowy days: 15 vs 47 d — Göteborg lower
Is Göteborg or Umeå safer?
Göteborg has a safety score of 3.9/5.
Should I move to Göteborg or Umeå?
Göteborg and Umeå are both popular relocation destinations with distinct characteristics. The best choice depends on your priorities — climate preferences, career opportunities, cost constraints, and lifestyle needs. Take the personalized quiz to find your ideal match, or explore the map to compare cities by region and lifestyle factors.

The best city depends on what matters to you

This comparison shows how Göteborg and Umeå stack up on the data. But your climate preferences, budget, career needs, and lifestyle priorities can shift the picture entirely. A personalized diagnostic finds what fits your life.

Take the free diagnostic

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