Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Sweden

Name: Sweden
Address: SE

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $800 a month against $1,892 in Sweden, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Sweden
Learn more

Sweden Living Index

Jump to prices

🇨🇳 China

$800

/mo nomad

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,892

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in China 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 China and in Sweden actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $800 in China versus $1,892 in Sweden.

China $800
Sweden $1,892

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,266 in China versus $2,934 in Sweden.

China $1,266
Sweden $2,934

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,731 in China versus $3,975 in Sweden.

China $1,731
Sweden $3,975

Internal cost variation is higher in Sweden: monthly costs span $1,439 to $2,580, compared to $462–$1,256 in China. City choice carries more weight in Sweden.

Living in China costs about 58% less than in Sweden on average.

China (41% below) and Sweden (40% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.92 ¥19.50

$15.01 SEK 149

-80.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.45 ¥150

$80.1 SEK 793

-71.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.33 ¥35.65

$10.89 SEK 108

-51.06%

Cappuccino

$3.04 ¥20.34

$4.64 SEK 45.99

-34.48%

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

$0.48 ¥3.23

$2.73 SEK 27.02

-82.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.02

$2.20 SEK 21.81

-86.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.07 ¥7.12

$8.14 SEK 80.7

-86.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ¥15.11

$7.35 SEK 72.9

-69.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 ¥11.70

$1.60 SEK 15.88

9.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ¥10.80

$2.90 SEK 28.70

-44.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.63

$3.64 SEK 36.08

-72.80%

Eggs

$1.56 ¥10.44

$4.26 SEK 42.19

-63.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.25 ¥88.6

$11.86 SEK 118

11.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.37 ¥22.50

$11.81 SEK 117

-71.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.39 ¥76.2

$19.17 SEK 190

-40.58%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.19

$3.11 SEK 30.81

-41.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.34

$2.52 SEK 24.96

-50.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 ¥10.39

$3.05 SEK 30.20

-49.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.55

$4.32 SEK 42.84

-70.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.72

$1.67 SEK 16.59

-57.49%

Onion (1kg)

$0.86 ¥5.75

$1.60 SEK 15.84

-46.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ¥4.36

$2.33 SEK 23.12

-72.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.97

$1.47 SEK 14.53

-59.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.76 ¥25.14

$7.69 SEK 76.2

-51.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.76 ¥78.6

$10.91 SEK 108

7.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 ¥6.11

$2.00 SEK 19.82

-54.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 ¥10.86

$2.17 SEK 21.47

-25.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$3.67 SEK 36.41

-91.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.75 ¥152

$84.9 SEK 841

-73.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ¥10.17

$6.17 SEK 61.2

-75.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.50

$1.97 SEK 19.51

-81.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.28 ¥48.66

$59.3 SEK 587

-87.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥8.38

$1.75 SEK 17.31

-28.57%

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

$19.4K ¥129.7K

$33.5K SEK 331.5K

-42.03%

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

$17.1K ¥114.4K

$33.3K SEK 329.5K

-48.54%

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

$55.5 ¥371

$133 SEK 1,317

-58.26%

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

$8.29 ¥55.4

$26.40 SEK 262

-68.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.97 ¥73.3

$38.88 SEK 385

-71.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.38 ¥270

$40.56 SEK 402

-0.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.76 ¥98.7

$27.06 SEK 268

-45.45%

Cinema Ticket

$6.76 ¥45.18

$15.33 SEK 152

-55.90%

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

$465 ¥3,108

$153 SEK 1,515

204.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K ¥131.2K

$4,292 SEK 42.5K

357.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.32 ¥310

$93.2 SEK 923

-50.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.30 ¥243

$42.81 SEK 424

-15.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.3 ¥510

$103 SEK 1,017

-25.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.8 ¥527

$144 SEK 1,432

-45.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$396 ¥2,646

$870 SEK 8,617

-54.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$240 ¥1,604

$687 SEK 6,804

-65.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 ¥5,499

$1,446 SEK 14.3K

-43.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$466 ¥3,116

$1,153 SEK 11.4K

-59.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,544 ¥30.4K

$5,029 SEK 49.8K

-9.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,282 ¥15.3K

$3,263 SEK 32.3K

-30.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,075 ¥7,188

$3,002 SEK 29.7K

-64.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

3.67

-5.72%

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

Last update for China: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sweden: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$240 30%

Sweden

$687 36.3% 186% $447

Groceries & Markets

China

$209 26.1%

Sweden

$365 19.3% 74.6% $156

Clothing & Footwear

China

$107 13.4%

Sweden

$172 9.1% 61.2% $65

Eating Out

China

$89 11.1%

Sweden

$284 15% 219% $195

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$75 9.3%

Sweden

$198 10.5% 165% $123

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.7%

Sweden

$71 3.8% 32.2% $17

Getting Around

China

$27 3.4%

Sweden

$116 6.1% 322% $88

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $299 in China, $818 in Sweden. Capital cities: $945 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,670 in Stockholm.

National salary averages: $870 in China, $2,927 in Sweden. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 174% higher in Sweden.

Dining out costs 267% more in Sweden.

Public transport is 359% more expensive in Sweden.

Salaries are 236% higher in Sweden, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Sweden.

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇸🇪 Sweden

🕒 Local time

18:35 6:35 PM

12:35 12:35 PM

6 h behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

10,587,710

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

China Sweden 6,710 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

China
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

China vs Sweden: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $800 per month in China and $1,892 in Sweden, there's a 136% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in China: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $818 in Sweden and $299 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In China, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in Sweden it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: China wins on affordability; Sweden may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.