Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Germany and Sweden

Name: Sweden
Address: SE

For one person, living is cheaper in Sweden: $1,917 a month against $2,080 in Germany, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Germany outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

100

Cost of Living Index in Germany
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Germany Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Sweden
Learn more

Sweden Living Index

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🇩🇪 Germany

$2,080

/mo nomad

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,917

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,080 in Germany versus $1,917 in Sweden.

Germany $2,080
Sweden $1,917

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,130 in Germany versus $2,943 in Sweden.

Germany $3,130
Sweden $2,943

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,180 in Germany versus $3,968 in Sweden.

Germany $4,180
Sweden $3,968

Germany ($1,337–$2,681) and Sweden ($1,436–$2,531) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Germany is roughly 9% more expensive than in Sweden on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Germany 53% above, Sweden 41% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.60 €14.87

$14.63 SEK 144

13.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.8 €64.3

$80.6 SEK 791

-10.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.12 €10.86

$10.98 SEK 108

10.38%

Cappuccino

$3.96 €3.55

$4.66 SEK 45.69

-15.02%

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

$3.36 €3.01

$2.72 SEK 26.65

23.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 €2.59

$2.31 SEK 22.71

25.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.07 €4.54

$8.02 SEK 78.7

-36.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.50 €4.03

$7.41 SEK 72.8

-39.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.13

$1.66 SEK 16.31

-24.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 €1.97

$3.02 SEK 29.68

-27.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.54 €3.17

$3.61 SEK 35.46

-1.94%

Eggs

$3.88 €3.48

$4.27 SEK 41.89

-9.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.24 €12.75

$11.73 SEK 115

21.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.90 €10.66

$11.54 SEK 113

3.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.68 €18.52

$18.86 SEK 185

9.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 €2.94

$2.99 SEK 29.38

9.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 €1.83

$2.55 SEK 25.06

-19.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$2.97 SEK 29.10

-22.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 €3.84

$4.34 SEK 42.59

-1.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.71 SEK 16.75

-10.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.58 SEK 15.54

-5.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.64 €1.46

$2.41 SEK 23.67

-31.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 €0.91

$1.40 SEK 13.77

-27.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.69 €8.68

$7.92 SEK 77.7

22.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 €5.38

$10.97 SEK 108

-45.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €1.01

$1.99 SEK 19.49

-43.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 €1.40

$2.05 SEK 20.13

-23.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.85 €3.44

$3.75 SEK 36.76

2.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.7 €62.4

$82.6 SEK 810

-15.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 €4.78

$6.16 SEK 60.5

-13.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.81 €2.51

$1.95 SEK 19.10

44.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.83 €34.78

$59.1 SEK 580

-34.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.91

$1.80 SEK 17.67

18.33%

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

$32.6K €29.2K

$32.9K SEK 323.1K

-1.12%

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

$37.7K €33.8K

$33.9K SEK 332.9K

11.24%

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

$342 €306

$131 SEK 1,285

161.31%

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

$24.87 €22.27

$26.75 SEK 263

-7.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.49 €43.43

$38.08 SEK 374

27.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.42 €35.30

$39.21 SEK 385

0.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.47 €24.61

$27.16 SEK 267

1.14%

Cinema Ticket

$14.65 €13.12

$14.88 SEK 146

-1.55%

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

$611 €547

$151 SEK 1,482

304.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.3K €15.5K

$4,223 SEK 41.4K

309.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.1 €79.8

$93.6 SEK 919

-4.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.07 €37.67

$42.42 SEK 416

-0.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.3 €88.0

$99.0 SEK 971

-0.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 €117

$145 SEK 1,421

-9.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$934 €837

$898 SEK 8,815

4.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$718 €643

$725 SEK 7,110

-0.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,704 €1,526

$1,464 SEK 14.4K

16.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,159

$1,168 SEK 11.5K

10.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,944 €5,323

$5,168 SEK 50.7K

15.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,958 €3,545

$3,366 SEK 33.0K

17.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,290 €2,946

$3,056 SEK 30.0K

7.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

3.66

8.20%

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

Last update for Germany: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sweden: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Germany

$718 34.6%

Sweden

$725 37.8% 0.9% $6.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Germany

$415 20%

Sweden

$196 10.2% 52.9% $220

Groceries & Markets

Germany

$335 16.1%

Sweden

$363 18.9% 8.2% $28

Eating Out

Germany

$276 13.3%

Sweden

$281 14.7% 1.7% $4.8

Clothing & Footwear

Germany

$162 7.8%

Sweden

$171 8.9% 5.5% $8.9

Getting Around

Germany

$104 5%

Sweden

$113 5.9% 8.6% $9

Sport & Entertainment

Germany

$69 3.3%

Sweden

$69 3.6% 0.4% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $812 in Germany, $830 in Sweden. Capital cities: $1,407 in Berlin vs $1,614 in Stockholm.

National salary averages: $3,107 in Germany, $2,910 in Sweden. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Public transport is 15% more expensive in Sweden.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Germany

🇸🇪 Sweden

🕒 Local time

19:27 7:27 PM

Same time as Germany

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

84,358,845

10,587,710

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 SEK = 10.19 USD

100 SEK = 9.13 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Germany Sweden 810 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Germany
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

Germany vs Sweden: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $2,080 per month in Germany and $1,917 in Sweden, Sweden comes out about 8% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Overall, Sweden is the cheaper option, but not in every category: rent, groceries, transport, and eating out each follow their own pattern. Check the categories you spend the most on before deciding.

It depends on what you’re after: Sweden wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.