Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Australia and Sweden

Name: Sweden
Address: SE

For one person, living is cheaper in Sweden: $1,917 a month against $2,626 in Australia, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Australia
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Australia Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Sweden
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Sweden Living Index

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🇦🇺 Australia

$2,626

/mo nomad

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,917

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Australia and in Sweden

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Australia and in Sweden actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,626 per month in Australia vs $1,917 in Sweden, rent included.

Australia $2,626
Sweden $1,917

A couple spends around $3,810 per month in Australia vs $2,943 in Sweden, rent included.

Australia $3,810
Sweden $2,943

A family of three spends $4,994 per month in Australia vs $3,968 in Sweden, rent included.

Australia $4,994
Sweden $3,968

The regional cost range is wider in Australia ($1,068–$3,303) than in Sweden ($1,436–$2,531), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Australia is about 37% higher than in Sweden on average.

Both Australia and Sweden are pricier than the global median – Australia by 93%, Sweden by 41%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.65 A$25.10

$14.63 SEK 144

20.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.2 A$121

$80.6 SEK 792

5.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.09 A$15.77

$10.98 SEK 108

1.00%

Cappuccino

$3.90 A$5.54

$4.66 SEK 45.72

-16.31%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 A$4.05

$2.72 SEK 26.66

4.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 A$3.29

$2.31 SEK 22.72

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.53 A$10.71

$8.02 SEK 78.7

-6.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.59 A$12.21

$7.41 SEK 72.8

15.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 A$2.50

$1.66 SEK 16.32

6.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 A$3.99

$3.02 SEK 29.70

-6.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 A$3.19

$3.61 SEK 35.48

-37.95%

Eggs

$5.02 A$7.14

$4.27 SEK 41.92

17.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.87 A$14.03

$11.73 SEK 115

-15.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 A$13.25

$11.54 SEK 113

-19.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.86 A$21.14

$18.86 SEK 185

-21.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.82 A$5.43

$2.99 SEK 29.40

27.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.92 A$4.16

$2.55 SEK 25.08

14.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 A$4.46

$2.97 SEK 29.12

5.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.81 A$6.84

$4.34 SEK 42.62

10.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.80 A$3.98

$1.71 SEK 16.76

63.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 A$3.38

$1.58 SEK 15.55

50.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.37 A$3.37

$2.41 SEK 23.68

-1.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 A$2.35

$1.40 SEK 13.78

17.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$39.13 A$55.7

$7.92 SEK 77.8

394.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.93 A$19.81

$10.97 SEK 108

26.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.96 A$7.05

$1.99 SEK 19.51

149.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.17 A$7.36

$2.05 SEK 20.15

152.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 A$3.44

$3.75 SEK 36.78

-35.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.6 A$135

$82.6 SEK 811

14.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 A$4.97

$6.16 SEK 60.5

-43.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 A$2.27

$1.95 SEK 19.11

-17.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.84 A$56.7

$59.1 SEK 580

-32.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 A$1.98

$1.80 SEK 17.69

-22.78%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$30.0K A$42.7K

$32.9K SEK 323.3K

-8.87%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$25.8K A$36.6K

$33.9K SEK 333.1K

-24.09%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$205 A$292

$131 SEK 1,286

56.63%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$28.33 A$40.30

$26.75 SEK 263

5.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.8 A$83.6

$38.08 SEK 374

54.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.7 A$79.2

$39.21 SEK 385

41.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.57 A$27.84

$27.16 SEK 267

-27.95%

Cinema Ticket

$15.38 A$21.87

$14.88 SEK 146

3.36%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$2,145 A$3,051

$151 SEK 1,483

1320.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K A$26.1K

$4,223 SEK 41.5K

334.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.3 A$111

$93.6 SEK 919

-16.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.3 A$80.0

$42.42 SEK 417

32.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 A$164

$99.0 SEK 972

16.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 A$175

$145 SEK 1,422

-14.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,591 A$2,263

$898 SEK 8,821

77.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,293 A$1,839

$725 SEK 7,115

78.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,524 A$3,591

$1,464 SEK 14.4K

72.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 A$2,852

$1,168 SEK 11.5K

71.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,751 A$12.4K

$5,168 SEK 50.8K

69.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,260 A$8,904

$3,366 SEK 33.0K

86.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,984 A$5,666

$3,056 SEK 30.0K

30.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.93

3.66

62.02%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Australia: October 27, 2026

Last update for Sweden: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Australia

$1.3K 49.2%

Sweden

$725 37.8% 44% $568

Groceries & Markets

Australia

$374 14.3%

Sweden

$363 18.9% 3.1% $12

Eating Out

Australia

$297 11.3%

Sweden

$281 14.7% 5.3% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Australia

$292 11.1%

Sweden

$196 10.2% 33% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Australia

$168 6.4%

Sweden

$171 8.9% 1.9% $3.2

Getting Around

Australia

$116 4.4%

Sweden

$113 5.9% 2% $2.3

Sport & Entertainment

Australia

$86 3.3%

Sweden

$69 3.6% 20.2% $17

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,383 in Australia vs $830 in Sweden. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,749 in Canberra and $1,614 in Stockholm.

Average salary: $3,874 in Australia vs $2,910 in Sweden. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 67% higher in Australia.

Salaries are 33% higher in Australia.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Australia

🇸🇪 Sweden

🕒 Local time

18:46 6:46 PM

08:46 8:46 AM

10 h behind Australia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,473,055

10,587,710

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

100 SEK = 10.18 USD

100 SEK = 9.13 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.82 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 SEK (100 SEK = 9.13 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Australia Sweden 15,610 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Australia
Sweden

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Australia vs Sweden: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sweden is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 27% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Australia: a central one-bedroom averages $1,383 versus $830 in Sweden.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Sweden – part of why living there is about 27% cheaper overall.

Sweden is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.