Cost of Living Comparison Between Germany and Sweden Cost of Living Comparison Between Germany and Sweden

Name: Sweden
Address: SE

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,041 in Germany versus $1,823 in Sweden.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,068 in Germany versus $2,827 in Sweden.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,094 in Germany versus $3,831 in Sweden.

Living in Germany is roughly 12% more expensive than in Sweden on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Germany 49% above, Sweden 33% above.

Germany ($1,405–$2,841) and Sweden ($1,437–$2,631) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 €15.30

$14.88 SEK 146

18.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.2 €65.5

$80.7 SEK 792

-6.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.56 €10.94

$11.18 SEK 110

12.34%

Cappuccino

$4.25 €3.70

$4.70 SEK 46.13

-9.57%

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

$3.53 €3.08

$2.86 SEK 28.09

23.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 €2.71

$2.35 SEK 23.10

32.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.13 €4.47

$7.98 SEK 78.4

-35.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.67 €4.07

$7.65 SEK 75.1

-38.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 €1.19

$1.65 SEK 16.22

-17.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 €1.90

$2.94 SEK 28.88

-25.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.70 €3.22

$3.56 SEK 34.96

3.93%

Eggs

$3.91 €3.40

$4.24 SEK 41.66

-7.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.68 €12.79

$11.81 SEK 116

24.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.84 €10.31

$12.05 SEK 118

-1.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.38 €18.63

$19.34 SEK 190

10.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.21 €2.80

$3.16 SEK 31.02

1.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 €1.87

$2.60 SEK 25.57

-17.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 €2.07

$3.08 SEK 30.30

-22.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 €3.73

$4.54 SEK 44.62

-5.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.48 €1.29

$1.79 SEK 17.63

-17.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 €1.33

$1.63 SEK 16.01

-6.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 €1.48

$2.34 SEK 23.00

-27.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 €0.92

$1.42 SEK 13.91

-25.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.96 €8.67

$7.89 SEK 77.6

26.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.92 €5.16

$11.26 SEK 111

-47.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.00

$2.03 SEK 19.99

-43.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 €1.39

$2.19 SEK 21.51

-26.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.91 €3.41

$3.68 SEK 36.16

6.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 €64.4

$89.7 SEK 881

-17.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.47 €4.77

$6.12 SEK 60.1

-10.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.93 €2.56

$1.97 SEK 19.40

48.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.75 €35.50

$61.8 SEK 607

-34.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.86

$1.89 SEK 18.58

12.70%

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

$34.6K €30.1K

$33.5K SEK 329.5K

3.18%

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

$40.0K €34.8K

$34.2K SEK 336.4K

16.74%

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

$359 €313

$131 SEK 1,291

172.97%

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

$25.93 €22.59

$27.19 SEK 267

-4.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.77 €42.48

$38.82 SEK 381

25.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.62 €36.26

$40.38 SEK 397

3.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.33 €24.68

$27.49 SEK 270

3.06%

Cinema Ticket

$15.29 €13.32

$16.32 SEK 160

-6.31%

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

$582 €507

$155 SEK 1,526

274.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K €15.5K

$4,705 SEK 46.2K

277.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.2 €79.4

$94.6 SEK 930

-3.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.75 €38.11

$42.36 SEK 416

3.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €88.9

$102 SEK 1,002

0.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €116

$147 SEK 1,442

-9.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$925 €806

$863 SEK 8,483

7.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$712 €620

$694 SEK 6,821

2.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,715 €1,494

$1,434 SEK 14.1K

19.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,333 €1,161

$1,155 SEK 11.3K

15.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,235 €5,432

$5,217 SEK 51.3K

19.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,085 €3,559

$3,320 SEK 32.6K

23.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,390 €2,953

$3,033 SEK 29.8K

11.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

3.67

7.90%

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

Last update for Germany: September 14, 2026

Last update for Sweden: September 15, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $832 in Germany, $841 in Sweden. Capital cities: $1,551 in Berlin vs $1,771 in Stockholm.

National salary averages: $3,205 in Germany, $2,985 in Sweden. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Public transport is 18% more expensive in Sweden.

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

Germany vs Sweden: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $2,123 per month in Germany and $2,034 in Sweden, there's a 4% 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 simply cheaper in Sweden: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in Germany is consistently higher than in Sweden across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In Sweden, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in Germany 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: Sweden wins on affordability; Germany may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.