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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Is Sundsvall good for expats? It's worth considering — QoL score 69/100, safety 72/100, rent 7 400 kr/mo, median income 357 000 kr/yr. Compared to 23 other Västernorrland cities below.
Is Sundsvall good for expats? It's worth considering — QoL score 69/100, safety 72/100, rent 7 400 kr/mo, median income 357 000 kr/yr. Compared to 23 other Västernorrland cities below.
| # | City | Cost Index | Rent/mo | Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sundsvall | 93 | 7 400 kr | 357 000 kr |
| 2 | Kalmar | 90 | 7 200 kr | 347 000 kr |
| 3 | Linköping | 102 | 8 700 kr | 378 000 kr |
| 4 | Jönköping | 96 | 7 900 kr | 362 000 kr |
| 5 | Umeå | 101 | 8 300 kr | 373 000 kr |
| 6 | Karlskrona | 90 | 6 900 kr | 341 000 kr |
| 7 | Karlstad | 94 | 7 500 kr | 357 000 kr |
| 8 | Östersund | 94 | 7 500 kr | 357 000 kr |
| 9 | Lund | 112 | 9 700 kr | 400 000 kr |
| 10 | Falun | 93 | 7 500 kr | 357 000 kr |
| 11 | Luleå | 96 | 7 600 kr | 378 000 kr |
| 12 | Visby | 100 | 8 200 kr | 347 000 kr |
| 13 | Uppsala | 114 | 10 400 kr | 405 000 kr |
| 14 | Örebro | 97 | 8 000 kr | 362 000 kr |
| 15 | Gävle | 93 | 7 500 kr | 352 000 kr |
| 16 | Växjö | 95 | 7 500 kr | 357 000 kr |
| 17 | Gothenburg | 112 | 10 100 kr | 395 000 kr |
| 18 | Norrköping | 96 | 8 100 kr | 357 000 kr |
| 19 | Halmstad | 104 | 8 700 kr | 383 000 kr |
| 20 | Västerås | 99 | 8 000 kr | 362 000 kr |
Sundsvall: cost index 93 (-8 vs national avg 101), rent 7 400 kr/month.
Västernorrland region average cost index: 101. Sundsvall is -8 vs region peers.
Quality of life: 69/100 — safety 72, healthcare 72, walkability 64.
Safety score: 72/100 (crime rate 52.1/1k). National average: 73/100.
Strip away assumptions, and something unexpected emerges. Sundsvall has a cost index of 93 — 8 points below the Sweden national average of 101. Median income is 357 000 kr with rent at 7 400 kr/month, putting the rent-to-income ratio at 25%. This is an advantage that compounds over time.
Zooming out, looking at Västernorrland as a whole, the spread across all 24 cities is 10 points on the cost index. Helsingborg sits at the other end with index 103 and rent of 9 000 kr/mo. Financially, that's significant.
On quality of life, Sundsvall scores a composite score of 69/100 — reflecting its safety (72), healthcare (72), and walkability (64) metrics. And there's one more thing: affordability and QoL don't always move in the same direction, and Sweden is a good example of that tension.
Sundsvall — cost index 93, rent 7 400 kr/mo, income 357 000 kr, QoL 69/100.
Kalmar — cost index 90, rent 7 200 kr/mo, income 347 000 kr, QoL 72/100.
Linköping — cost index 102, rent 8 700 kr/mo, income 378 000 kr, QoL 71/100.
Jönköping — cost index 96, rent 7 900 kr/mo, income 362 000 kr, QoL 71/100.
Umeå — cost index 101, rent 8 300 kr/mo, income 373 000 kr, QoL 71/100.
Sundsvall scores 69/100 on the relevant index for expats — with rent of 7 400 kr/month and cost index 93 (8 points below the national average of 101).
The Västernorrland region of average QoL score is 69/100. Sundsvall leads with 69/100, reflecting safety, healthcare access, walkability, and green space.
Our index is benchmarked to 100 (national median). Sub-categories cover housing, food, transport, utilities, and healthcare. Data sources include SCB, Lantmäteriet, Skatteverket.
Sundsvall: cost index 93, rent 7 400 kr/mo, income 357 000 kr/yr, QoL 69/100. Kalmar: cost index 90, rent 7 200 kr/mo, income 347 000 kr/yr, QoL 72/100.
This analysis uses data from SCB, Lantmäteriet, Skatteverket to rank cities in Sweden. The cost of living index is benchmarked to 100 (national median). Quality of life scores combine safety, healthcare, walkability, air quality, green space, and transit metrics. Salary ranges use national occupation data adjusted for local cost differences. Data is updated regularly to reflect current market conditions.