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Living in Gävle

In Gävle, rents across existing tenancies average €10.11 per m² a month (2025) and unemployment is 14.9% (2024).

Monthly mean temperatures were −2.5°C in January and 17.3°C in July. Car density was 460.5 vehicles per 1,000 residents in 2025.

Last checked 2026-09-1924 sources

Population103,838people31 Dec 2024Official source · SCB table BefArealTathetKon: municipality land area/population by year.
Median gross salary (region)3,298EUR/month31 Dec 2025Official source · api.scb.se
Average net rent10.11EUR/m²/monthcountry median €9.83 — 3% aboveOfficial source · api.scb.se
Unemployment rate14.9%country median 10.6% — 41% aboveIndependent source · SCB labour-market variables by municipality, 2022–2024
Recorded crime12,732offences per 100,000country median 9,986 — 28% aboveOfficial source · Brå — reported offences by municipality, 2025
PM2.5, annual mean5.63µg/m³country median 5.1 — 11% aboveOfficial source · Official exact-kommun station observations are derived to a kommun aggregate.

Higher unemployment than 91% of Swedish cities that publish it, more recorded crime than 83% of Swedish cities that publish it and dirtier air than 69% of Swedish cities that publish it.

Which Sweden-wide rules apply when you move to Gävle?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Housing and cost

How much does it cost to rent in Gävle?

Average net cold rent is about 10.11 EUR/m² per month (2025), excluding heating and operating charges.

Published average over existing tenancies; a specific flat can sit either side of it. Asking-rent series, where present, are separate rows in the table.

  • Average net rent (nettokalt): 10.11 EUR/m²/month · api.scb.se1
What recurs every month6 published recurring costs, € per month
Gävle recurring monthly costs, € per month

€ / month

Private kindergarten€149
Utilities, 85 m² flat€107
Transport pass€50
Fitness club€40
Internet, 60 Mbps€35
Mobile plan, 10 GB€22

Supplemental estimate lane, not official statistics: Utilities, 85 m² flat, Private kindergarten, Transport pass, Fitness club, Internet, 60 Mbps. The others are published prices.

Net rent across major citiesGävle highlighted among comparable cities
Net rent across major cities with Gävle highlighted

net rent, € / m² / month

Stockholm€13.35
Malmö€13.04
Helsingborg€12.09
Gävle€10.11
Örebro€7.00
Jönköping€6.88
Show the other 6 cities
Västerås€11.91
Gothenburg€11.83
Norrköping€11.42
Uppsala€7.85
Umeå€7.45
Linköping€7.38
MetricValuePeriodSource
Fitness club membership, monthly40.01 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v224Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited35.03 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v224Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Private kindergarten, monthly148.8 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v224Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Meal at an inexpensive restaurant10.52 EUR31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v224Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Mobile plan, 10 GB22.16 EUR/month30 Sept 2026Tele2 mobile plan23Official · national market
Monthly transport pass50.3 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v224Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Basic utilities, 85 m² home107.2 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v224Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Average net rent (nettokalt)10.11 EUR/m²/monthcountry median €9.8331 Dec 2025api.scb.se1Official

Is Gävle a good place to live?

There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile
Remote worker57%strong on work, weak on safety · range 49–65%
Skilled employee58%strong on work, weak on education · range 50–66%
Student53%strong on cost, weak on education · range 44–62%
Family34%strong on housing, weak on education · range 26–42%
Retirement47%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 38–56%

Worked out from these numbers

What does a 60 m² flat cost?

About 606 EUR a month in cold rent at the published average of about 10.11 EUR/m² per month, before heating and operating charges.

Heating, water and operating charges come on top, and a specific flat can sit either side of an average.

Source period: 2025

Work and income

The unemployment rate was 14.9% at the end of 2024.

What is the unemployment rate in Gävle?

The unemployment rate is 14.9 % (2024). Source: SCB labour-market variables by municipality, 2022–202416

Unemployment across cities in SwedenUnemployment in Gävle is 14.9%. Of 216 cities with data, 61 have unemployment of 8 to under 10%.

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
People in employment51,216 people31 Dec 2024Statistics Sweden (SCB)15Official
Employment rate79.9 %31 Dec 2024Statistics Sweden (SCB)16Official
Median gross salary (regional)3,298 EUR/month31 Dec 2025api.scb.se2Official
Unemployment rate14.9 %country median 10.6%31 Dec 2024SCB labour-market variables by municipality, 2022–202416Independent

What does a salary buy in Gävle?

Take-home pay after tax, minus rent and the everyday bills this city publishes. Each line names its source.

regional median gross pay: €3,298 (api.scb.se, 2025-12-31).
Left over each month€1,802of €2,623 take-home
  • Rent
  • Utilities
  • Transport
  • Internet
  • Mobile
  • Left over
Line-by-line breakdown and sources
Each month€
Take-home payOECD Taxing Wages 2025, single, no children. Includes central and local income tax and employee social contributions; euro amounts at the ECB average for 2026-08.€2,623
Rent, 60 m²€10.11/m² · official · api.scb.se · 2025-12-31− €606
Public transport pass€50 · market price · Global Cost of Living · 2022-12-31− €50
Utilities, 85 m²€107 · market price · Global Cost of Living · 2022-12-31− €107
Internet€35 · market price · Global Cost of Living · 2022-12-31− €35
Mobile plan€22 · official · Tele2 mobile plan · 2026-09-30− €22
Left over€1,802
Take-home pay for other salaries and households Compare with another city Check a job offer in Gävle Salary needed to live in Gävle

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Gävle. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information

Arbetsförmedlingen — Public employment service

Swedish Public Employment Service

Job Search

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Gävle. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Healthcare

MetricValuePeriodSource
Pharmacies11 count15 Sept 2026Sök apotek som har tillstånd14Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Gävle when the national insurance or residence conditions are met.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide
Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Safety

How safe is Gävle?

Police recorded 12,732 incidents per 100,000 (2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source.

  • Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents: 12,732 offences per 100,000 · Brå — reported offences by municipality, 20253
Recorded crime across major citiesGävle highlighted among comparable cities
Recorded crime across major cities with Gävle highlighted

recorded incidents per 100k residents

Stockholm19,159
Malmö16,183
Helsingborg15,583
Västerås14,153
Örebro13,915
Gothenburg13,878
Norrköping12,832
Gävle12,732
Uppsala11,137
Linköping10,322
Jönköping9,782
Umeå9,210
MetricValuePeriodSource
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents12,732 offences per 100,000country median 9,98631 Dec 2025Brå — reported offences by municipality, 20253Official

Mobility and administration

MetricValuePeriodSource
Destinations from nearest airport2 count13 Jun 2026OpenFlights — routes.dat7Official
Nearest airportBLE13 Jun 2026OurAirports — airports.csv8Official
Distance to nearest airport93.2 km13 Jun 2026OurAirports — airports.csv8Official

Language courses and integration

No exact city-level course record is currently published for Gävle. These verified national programmes may still apply; use the official programme page to check local availability.

Country-level information

Municipal civic orientation for newly arrived residents — Civic Orientation

Swedish municipalities

For newly arrived residents with residence permits.

In Person, OnlineFree

Swedish for immigrants (SFI) municipal adult education — State Language Course

Swedish municipalities under the national SFI framework

For persons over 16 eligible for SFI.

SwedishIn Person, Online
National programme information is not treated as proof of a course location in Gävle.

Find courses near Gävle

Climate and air quality

Monthly precipitation was 38.3 mm in January and 65.2 mm in July. Annual PM2.5 was 5.63 µg/m³ in 2024.

Is the air quality good in Gävle?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 5.6 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³.

Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.

  • PM2.5 — annual mean: 5.63 µg/m³ · Official exact-kommun station observations are derived to a kommun aggregate.4
Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C
Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm
Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits

City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.

PM2.5 across cities in SwedenAnnual PM2.5 in Gävle is 5.6 µg/m³. Of 197 cities with data, 64 have annual PM2.5 of 4 to under 5 µg/m³.

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

MetricValuePeriodSource
NO₂ — annual mean15.66 µg/m³country median 4.02024Official exact-kommun station observations are derived to a kommun aggregate.4Official
NO₂ — latest reading7.04 µg/m³15 Jul 2026Official exact-kommun station observations are derived to a kommun aggregate.4Official
PM10 — annual mean16.67 µg/m³country median 9.32024Official exact-kommun station observations are derived to a kommun aggregate.4Official
PM2.5 — annual mean5.63 µg/m³country median 5.12024Official exact-kommun station observations are derived to a kommun aggregate.4Official
Average daytime high by monthJan -0.079 · Feb 0.595 · Mar 4.4 · Apr 9.86 · May 15.32 · Jun 19.58 · Jul 22.33 · Aug 21.05 · Sep 16.06 · Oct 9.39 · Nov 4.08 · Dec 1.14 °C31 Dec 2020SMHI Mean maximum temperature — Gävle, 1991-202010Official
Average night-time low by monthJan -5.65 · Feb -5.89 · Mar -3.44 · Apr 0.21 · May 4.65 · Jun 9.23 · Jul 12.04 · Aug 11.09 · Sep 7.22 · Oct 2.78 · Nov -0.565 · Dec -4 °C31 Dec 2020SMHI Mean minimum temperature — Gävle, 1991-202011Official
Average temperature by monthJan -2.5 · Feb -2.41 · Mar 0.398 · Apr 4.84 · May 9.85 · Jun 14.3 · Jul 17.33 · Aug 16.14 · Sep 11.64 · Oct 6.16 · Nov 1.94 · Dec -1.09 °C31 Dec 2020SMHI Normal monthly temperature — Gävle, 1991-202013Official
Average precipitation by monthJan 38.29 · Feb 31.82 · Mar 29.22 · Apr 29.46 · May 43.51 · Jun 67.07 · Jul 65.24 · Aug 77.17 · Sep 49.94 · Oct 62.81 · Nov 54.73 · Dec 51.31 mm31 Dec 2020SMHI Normal monthly precipitation — Gävle, 1991-202012Official

Population and city profile

The city covered 1,621.5 km² in 2024. Population density was 64.2 people per km² in 2025.

How many people live in Gävle?

The published population was 103,838 people in 2024. Source: SCB table BefArealTathetKon: municipality land area/population by year.9

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Area1,621 km²31 Dec 2025Statistics Sweden (SCB)17Official
Cars per 1,000 residents460.5 cars/1000 residents31 Dec 2025Official vehicles-in-use table: Fordonsslag=10 is passenger cars, stock at the last month of 2025; divided by official SCB population at 31 December 2025.6Official
City area1,621 km²1 Jan 2024SCB table BefArealTathetKon: municipality land area/population by year.9Official
Foreign-resident share5.7 %31 Dec 2025Statistics Sweden (SCB)18Official
Foreign residents5,933 people31 Dec 2025Official number of foreign citizens at municipality grain, all ages and all sexes, reference 31 December 2025.5Official
Population density64.2 people/km²31 Dec 2025Official SCB population density per square kilometre at municipality grain. SCB states that it uses the population figure at 31 December with the following 1 January land-area figure.9Official
Female residents52,000 people31 Dec 2025Statistics Sweden (SCB)20Official
Male residents52,000 people31 Dec 2025Statistics Sweden (SCB)20Official
Population103,838 people31 Dec 2024SCB table BefArealTathetKon: municipality land area/population by year.9Official

International community in Gävle

Named groups from exact city-grain official distributions. Citizenship, birthplace, language and ancestry answer different questions and stay separate.

Country of birth

Registered population by municipality and country of birth; total sex · 2024

Published groupPeopleShare
All birth countries103,838100.0%
Sweden86,21583.0%
Syrian Arab Republic2,5132.4%
Iraq1,4511.4%
Somalia1,2721.2%
Finland1,1601.1%
Eritrea8410.8%
Iran (Islamic Republic of)6960.7%
Afghanistan6340.6%
Thailand6060.6%
Show 111 more groups
Published groupPeopleShare
Türkiye5860.6%
Poland3430.3%
Norway2720.3%
Ukraine2600.3%
United Kingdom2340.2%
Philippines2290.2%
Germany2260.2%
Ethiopia2170.2%
Chile2120.2%
India2070.2%
Viet Nam2040.2%
Russian Federation1870.2%
Romania1790.2%
Bosnia and Herzegovina1780.2%
El Salvador1760.2%
Ireland1660.2%
Sudan1630.2%
Yugoslavia1540.1%
other countries1520.1%
China1280.1%
Lebanon1260.1%
United States of America1260.1%
Moldova, Republic of1250.1%
Pakistan1170.1%
Palestinian territory, occupied1090.1%
Colombia1060.1%
Saudi Arabia1040.1%
Spain1000.1%
Korea, Republic of Korea980.1%
Nigeria960.1%
Democratic Republic of the Congo920.1%
Hungary890.1%
Morocco830.1%
Greece820.1%
Jordan820.1%
Sri Lanka790.1%
Bulgaria750.1%
Latvia740.1%
Bangladesh730.1%
Gambia720.1%
Kingdom of the Netherlands 670.1%
Egypt630.1%
Denmark620.1%
Burundi610.1%
Lithuania600.1%
Brazil590.1%
Armenia570.1%
Serbia560.1%
Italy500.0%
Tunisia490.0%
Uganda490.0%
Peru470.0%
Canada440.0%
Albania430.0%
Algeria430.0%
Azerbaijan420.0%
Estonia400.0%
South Africa400.0%
Croatia390.0%
United Arab Emirates370.0%
Kenya370.0%
North Macedonia370.0%
France360.0%
Senegal350.0%
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya340.0%
Australia330.0%
Portugal300.0%
Soviet Union300.0%
Mexico290.0%
Indonesia280.0%
Kuwait270.0%
Mongolia270.0%
Sierra Leone270.0%
Angola260.0%
Austria250.0%
Cuba250.0%
Yemen250.0%
Ghana230.0%
Rwanda220.0%
Kosovo210.0%
Ecuador200.0%
Czechoslovakia200.0%
Tanzania, United Republic of200.0%
Zambia200.0%
Belgium190.0%
Switzerland190.0%
Serbia and Montenegro190.0%
Myanmar190.0%
unknown country of birth190.0%
Japan180.0%
Tadzjikistan180.0%
Belarus170.0%
Israel170.0%
Georgia160.0%
Argentina150.0%
Bolivia150.0%
Nepal150.0%
Uzbekistan150.0%
Venezuela150.0%
Cameroon140.0%
Liberia140.0%
Nicaragua140.0%
Iceland130.0%
Kazakhstan130.0%
Malaysia130.0%
Taiwan130.0%
Djibouti120.0%
Congo, the Republic of the110.0%
Cyprus110.0%
Dominican Republic100.0%
Kyrgyzstan100.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source22

Citizenship

Registered population by municipality and citizenship; total sex · 2024

Published groupPeopleShare
total103,838100.0%
Swedish98,30494.7%
Rest of the world incl. Stateless and unknown3,1833.1%
European citizenship except Swedish2,3512.3%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source21

Additional context

MetricValuePeriodSource
Households50,993 households31 Dec 2024Statistics Sweden (SCB)19Official

Alternatives for people set on Gävle

Three places for the three reasons people leave a city on the shortlist: stay in the region, stay in the country, or keep the budget and change the country. A percentage appears only where both cities publish that metric from the same source, period and grain. Distances are straight lines — travel times are not collected yet.

Sundsvall as a Gävle alternative in the same country

Better on 4 of 7 metrics measured the same way, worse on 1.

  • Unemployment: 11.1% Sundsvall vs 14.9% Gävle−26%
  • Nearest airport: 16.8 km Sundsvall vs 93.2 km Gävle−82%
  • Recorded crime, per 100k: 9,650 Sundsvall vs 12,732 Gävle−24%
  • Foreign residents: 4.2% Sundsvall vs 5.7% Gävle−27%
  • Annual PM2.5: 5.2 µg/m³ Sundsvall vs 5.6 µg/m³ Gävle−7%
  • Median gross pay, region: €3,235 Sundsvall vs €3,298 Gävlesame level
  • Rent: €10.02/m² Sundsvall vs €10.11/m² Gävlesame level

Alternative cities in Sweden

Other cities in Sweden to compare with Gävle, nearest in population first.

All Sweden cities

How does Gävle compare?

Pick a city. The answer appears here and the address bar keeps it, so the comparison can be shared; the page stays Gävle's.

Gävle in rankings

School for children who move here. School is compulsory from age 6 to 16, and public school is free. Newly arrived pupils get support in the school language: förberedelseklass (reception class) + språkförskola (special language preschool). How to enrol a child (skolverket.se).

A country-wide rule for Sweden; Gävle's school authority applies it locally.

Sources: eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu · 2025–2026.

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

How many people live in Gävle?

The published population was 103,838 people in 2024. Source: SCB table BefArealTathetKon: municipality land area/population by year..

How much does it cost to rent in Gävle?

Average net cold rent is about 10.11 EUR/m² per month (2025), excluding heating and operating charges. For a 70 m² flat that is about 707 EUR a month before utilities. Source: api.scb.se.

Is the air quality good in Gävle?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 5.6 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: Official exact-kommun station observations are derived to a kommun aggregate..

How safe is Gävle?

Police recorded 12,732 incidents per 100,000 (2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Brå — reported offences by municipality, 2025.

What is the unemployment rate in Gävle?

The unemployment rate is 14.9 % (2024). Source: SCB labour-market variables by municipality, 2022–2024.

What is the typical salary around Gävle?

The median gross salary is 3,298 EUR/month. Source: api.scb.se.

Is Gävle a good place to live?

Gävle may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.

How many people born in All birth countries live in Gävle?

The official country of birth distribution records 103,838 people (100.0%) in the source-defined population for 2024. This is a country of birth measure, not a general estimate of ethnicity or migration status.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation
ImmigrationDB. (2026, October 16). Gävle, Sweden: population, rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 13e1473224df4fca45eec83c49e0b7a6]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/se/gavle/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_gavle-sweden-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living_b718f9ef5229,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Gävle, Sweden: population, rent, salary, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {13e1473224df4fca45eec83c49e0b7a6},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/se/gavle/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Gävle, Sweden: population, rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/se/gavle/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 13e1473224df4fca45eec83c49e0b7a6; retrieved 2026-10-16; built 2026-10-16.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown
  1. api.scb.se api.scb.se · checked 2026-08-27
  2. api.scb.se api.scb.se · checked 2026-08-27
  3. Brå — reported offences by municipality, 2025 Brå · bra.se · checked 2026-07-26
  4. Official exact-kommun station observations are derived to a kommun aggregate. datavardluft.smhi.se · checked 2026-07-15
  5. Official number of foreign citizens at municipality grain, all ages and all sexes, reference 31 December 2025. api.scb.se · checked 2025-12-31
  6. Official vehicles-in-use table: Fordonsslag=10 is passenger cars, stock at the last month of 2025; divided by official SCB population at 31 December 2025. api.scb.se · checked 2025-12-31
  7. OpenFlights — routes.dat OpenFlights · raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-07-14
  8. OurAirports — airports.csv OurAirports · davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-07-14
  9. SCB table BefArealTathetKon: municipality land area/population by year. api.scb.se · checked 2026-07-14
  10. SMHI Mean maximum temperature — Gävle, 1991-2020 SMHI Mean maximum temperature · smhi.se · checked 2026-07-26
Show 14 more sources
  1. SMHI Mean minimum temperature — Gävle, 1991-2020 SMHI Mean minimum temperature · smhi.se · checked 2026-07-26
  2. SMHI Normal monthly precipitation — Gävle, 1991-2020 SMHI Normal monthly precipitation · smhi.se · checked 2026-07-26
  3. SMHI Normal monthly temperature — Gävle, 1991-2020 SMHI Normal monthly temperature · smhi.se · checked 2026-07-26
  4. Sök apotek som har tillstånd lakemedelsverket.se · checked 2026-09-15
  5. Statistics Sweden (SCB) api.scb.se · checked 2026-08-07
  6. Statistics Sweden (SCB) api.scb.se · checked 2026-08-07
  7. Statistics Sweden (SCB) api.scb.se · checked 2026-08-07
  8. Statistics Sweden (SCB) api.scb.se · checked 2026-08-07
  9. Statistics Sweden (SCB) api.scb.se · checked 2026-08-07
  10. Statistics Sweden (SCB) api.scb.se · checked 2026-08-07
  11. Statistics Sweden (SCB) api.scb.se · checked 2026-08-30
  12. Statistics Sweden (SCB) country of birth distribution api.scb.se · checked 2026-08-28
  13. Tele2 mobile plan tele2.se · checked 2026-09-15
  14. Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2 Global Cost of Living · kaggle.com · checked 2026-07-27

Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.