Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between India and Sweden

For one person, living is cheaper in India: $399 a month against $1,917 in Sweden, rent and utilities included – about $18,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

India
Sweden
🇮🇳 India
$399
/mo nomad
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,917
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $399 in India versus $1,917 in Sweden.

  • India $399
  • Sweden $1,917

Estimated couple costs with rent: $639 in India versus $2,943 in Sweden.

  • India $639
  • Sweden $2,943

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $879 in India versus $3,968 in Sweden.

  • India $879
  • Sweden $3,968

Internal cost variation is higher in Sweden: monthly costs span $1,436 to $2,531, compared to $230–$813 in India. City choice carries more weight in Sweden.

Living in India costs about 79% less than in Sweden on average.

India (71% below) and Sweden (41% above) straddle the global median.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
India
Sweden
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.14 ₹203
$14.63 SEK 144
-85.37%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$10.46 ₹993
$80.6 SEK 792
-87.02%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.80 ₹361
$10.98 SEK 108
-65.39%
Cappuccino
$1.68 ₹159
$4.66 SEK 45.72
-63.95%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.38 ₹35.93
$2.72 SEK 26.66
-86.03%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.15 ₹14.58
$2.31 SEK 22.72
-93.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.87 ₹177
$8.02 SEK 78.7
-76.68%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.18 ₹302
$7.41 SEK 72.8
-57.09%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
India
Sweden
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.62 ₹59.1
$1.66 SEK 16.32
-62.65%
White Bread (500g)
$0.50 ₹47.68
$3.02 SEK 29.70
-83.44%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.63 ₹60.2
$3.61 SEK 35.48
-82.55%
Eggs
$0.96 ₹91.1
$4.27 SEK 41.92
-77.52%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.85 ₹460
$11.73 SEK 115
-58.65%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.84 ₹270
$11.54 SEK 113
-75.39%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
-
$18.86 SEK 185
-
Apples (1kg)
$2.00 ₹190
$2.99 SEK 29.40
-33.11%
Banana (1kg)
$0.65 ₹61.3
$2.55 SEK 25.08
-74.51%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.97 ₹92.1
$2.97 SEK 29.12
-67.34%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.47 ₹44.22
$4.34 SEK 42.62
-89.17%
Potato (1kg)
$0.34 ₹31.82
$1.71 SEK 16.76
-80.12%
Onion (1kg)
$0.42 ₹39.66
$1.58 SEK 15.55
-73.42%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.47 ₹44.32
$2.41 SEK 23.68
-80.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.31 ₹29.62
$1.40 SEK 13.78
-77.86%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.08 ₹482
$7.92 SEK 77.8
-35.86%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.31 ₹694
$10.97 SEK 108
-33.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.63 ₹154
$1.99 SEK 19.51
-18.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.76 ₹262
$2.05 SEK 20.15
34.63%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
$5.11 ₹485
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
India
Sweden
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.26 ₹24.81
$3.75 SEK 36.78
-93.07%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.58 ₹815
$82.6 SEK 811
-89.61%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.00 ₹94.5
$6.16 SEK 60.5
-83.77%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.27 ₹25.69
$1.95 SEK 19.11
-86.15%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.54 ₹146
$59.1 SEK 580
-97.39%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.07 ₹102
$1.80 SEK 17.69
-40.56%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$11.2K ₹1.1M
$32.9K SEK 323.3K
-65.94%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.1K ₹1.9M
$33.9K SEK 333.1K
-40.90%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
India
Sweden
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$37.08 ₹3,521
$131 SEK 1,286
-71.68%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$3.58 ₹340
$26.75 SEK 263
-86.62%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$7.15 ₹679
$38.08 SEK 374
-81.22%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
India
Sweden
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$15.00 ₹1,424
$39.21 SEK 385
-61.74%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.17 ₹681
$27.16 SEK 267
-73.60%
Cinema Ticket
$3.20 ₹303
$14.88 SEK 146
-78.49%
🧸 Childcare & Education
India
Sweden
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$58.8 ₹5,583
$151 SEK 1,483
-61.05%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,667 ₹158.2K
$4,223 SEK 41.5K
-60.53%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
India
Sweden
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$23.03 ₹2,187
$93.6 SEK 919
-75.40%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.17 ₹2,295
$42.42 SEK 417
-43.02%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$41.20 ₹3,911
$99.0 SEK 972
-58.37%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$29.62 ₹2,812
$145 SEK 1,422
-79.55%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
India
Sweden
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$146 ₹13.9K
$898 SEK 8,821
-83.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$96.4 ₹9,149
$725 SEK 7,115
-86.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$343 ₹32.6K
$1,464 SEK 14.4K
-76.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$234 ₹22.2K
$1,168 SEK 11.5K
-79.98%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,177 ₹111.7K
$5,168 SEK 50.8K
-77.23%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$633 ₹60.1K
$3,366 SEK 33.0K
-81.18%
💵 Salaries & Financials
India
Sweden
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$409 ₹38.8K
$3,056 SEK 30.0K
-86.62%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.93
3.66
143.99%

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

Last update for India: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sweden: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
India
$102
Sweden
$363 255% $260
Accommodation & Living
India
$96
Sweden
$725 652% $628
Eating Out
India
$67
Sweden
$281 322% $214
Clothing & Footwear
India
$53
Sweden
$171 222% $118
Monthly Utilities & Internet
India
$48
Sweden
$196 309% $148
Sport & Entertainment
India
$21
Sweden
$69 222% $48
Getting Around
India
$12
Sweden
$113 847% $101

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $120 in India, $830 in Sweden. Capital cities: $277 in Delhi vs $1,614 in Stockholm.

National salary averages: $412 in India, $2,910 in Sweden. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 592% higher in Sweden.

Dining out costs 600% more in Sweden.

Public transport is 875% more expensive in Sweden.

Salaries are about 7.1 times higher in Sweden, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Sweden.

Good to know
🇮🇳 India
🇸🇪 Sweden
🕒 Local time
15:25 3:25 PM
10:55 10:55 AM
4 h 30 min behind India
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,326,093,247
10,587,710
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 94.94 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.44 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • India Sweden 5,570 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • India
  • 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
India vs Sweden: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost difference between India and Sweden?
At $399 per month in India and $1,917 in Sweden, India comes out about 79% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.
Which country is cheaper for everyday spending?
Day-to-day life is cheaper in India: 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.
Which country has higher housing costs?
Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $830 in Sweden and $120 in India. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.
Should I move to India or to Sweden?
It depends on what you’re after: India wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.

India vs other spots: cost of living compared

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