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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Is Umeå good for families? Safety score 79/100, crime rate 38.4/1k. Cost index 101, rent 8 300 kr/mo. Compared to 23 other Västerbotten cities below.
Is Umeå good for families? Safety score 79/100, crime rate 38.4/1k. Cost index 101, rent 8 300 kr/mo. Compared to 23 other Västerbotten cities below.
| # | City | Cost Index | Rent/mo | Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Umeå | 101 | 8 300 kr | 373 000 kr |
| 2 | Visby | 100 | 8 200 kr | 347 000 kr |
| 3 | Östersund | 94 | 7 500 kr | 357 000 kr |
| 4 | Luleå | 96 | 7 600 kr | 378 000 kr |
| 5 | Falun | 93 | 7 500 kr | 357 000 kr |
| 6 | Jönköping | 96 | 7 900 kr | 362 000 kr |
| 7 | Kalmar | 90 | 7 200 kr | 347 000 kr |
| 8 | Halmstad | 104 | 8 700 kr | 383 000 kr |
| 9 | Karlskrona | 90 | 6 900 kr | 341 000 kr |
| 10 | Karlstad | 94 | 7 500 kr | 357 000 kr |
| 11 | Linköping | 102 | 8 700 kr | 378 000 kr |
| 12 | Lund | 112 | 9 700 kr | 400 000 kr |
| 13 | Uppsala | 114 | 10 400 kr | 405 000 kr |
| 14 | Stockholm | 136 | 13 200 kr | 440 000 kr |
| 15 | Sundsvall | 93 | 7 400 kr | 357 000 kr |
| 16 | Växjö | 95 | 7 500 kr | 357 000 kr |
| 17 | Örebro | 97 | 8 000 kr | 362 000 kr |
| 18 | Gothenburg | 112 | 10 100 kr | 395 000 kr |
| 19 | Gävle | 93 | 7 500 kr | 352 000 kr |
| 20 | Västerås | 99 | 8 000 kr | 362 000 kr |
Umeå: cost index 101 (0 vs national avg 101), rent 8 300 kr/month.
Västerbotten region average cost index: 101. Umeå is 0 vs region peers.
Quality of life: 71/100 — safety 79, healthcare 82, walkability 72.
Safety score: 79/100 (crime rate 38.4/1k). National average: 73/100.
Strip away assumptions, and something unexpected emerges. Umeå has a cost index of 101 — 0 points below the Sweden national average of 101. Median income is 373 000 kr with rent at 8 300 kr/month, putting the rent-to-income ratio at 27%. That ratio is hard to beat anywhere else.
That said, looking at Västerbotten as a whole, the spread across all 24 cities is 7 points on the cost index. Malmö sits at the other end with index 108 and rent of 9 500 kr/mo. Financially, that's significant.
On quality of life, Umeå scores a composite score of 71/100 — reflecting its safety (79), healthcare (82), and walkability (72) metrics. Pair that with the housing data, and the pattern sharpens. affordability and QoL don't always move in the same direction, and Sweden is a good example of that tension.
Umeå — cost index 101, rent 8 300 kr/mo, income 373 000 kr, QoL 71/100.
Visby — cost index 100, rent 8 200 kr/mo, income 347 000 kr, QoL 70/100.
Östersund — cost index 94, rent 7 500 kr/mo, income 357 000 kr, QoL 71/100.
Luleå — cost index 96, rent 7 600 kr/mo, income 378 000 kr, QoL 70/100.
Falun — cost index 93, rent 7 500 kr/mo, income 357 000 kr, QoL 70/100.
Umeå scores 71/100 on the relevant index for families — with rent of 8 300 kr/month and cost index 101 (0 points above the national average of 101).
The Västerbotten region of average QoL score is 69/100. Umeå leads with 71/100, 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.
Umeå: cost index 101, rent 8 300 kr/mo, income 373 000 kr/yr, QoL 71/100. Visby: cost index 100, rent 8 200 kr/mo, income 347 000 kr/yr, QoL 70/100.
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.