Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Sweden Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Sweden

Name: Sweden
Address: SE

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,718 in Italy versus $1,828 in Sweden.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,621 in Italy versus $2,831 in Sweden.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,524 in Italy versus $3,834 in Sweden.

Living in Italy costs about 6% less than in Sweden on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Italy 29% above, Sweden 37% above.

Italy ($1,176–$2,467) and Sweden ($1,448–$2,582) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.58 €15.38

$14.86 SEK 144

18.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.5 €72.1

$85.4 SEK 826

-3.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.72 €10.25

$11.45 SEK 111

2.36%

Cappuccino

$1.92 €1.68

$4.82 SEK 46.59

-60.17%

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

$2.99 €2.62

$2.82 SEK 27.28

6.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.19

$2.38 SEK 22.98

-42.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.76 €5.04

$8.04 SEK 77.8

-28.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.22 €4.57

$8.03 SEK 77.6

-34.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 €1.48

$1.70 SEK 16.47

-0.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 €2.04

$3.13 SEK 30.25

-25.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.05 €2.67

$3.86 SEK 37.26

-20.98%

Eggs

$3.99 €3.49

$4.53 SEK 43.80

-11.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.68 €14.59

$12.07 SEK 117

38.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.57 €11.00

$12.20 SEK 118

3.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.53 €17.96

$18.93 SEK 183

8.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 €2.24

$3.15 SEK 30.48

-18.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 €1.93

$2.84 SEK 27.41

-22.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 €2.34

$3.07 SEK 29.68

-12.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.37 €2.95

$4.38 SEK 42.30

-23.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.78

$1.84 SEK 17.74

10.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 €1.65

$1.82 SEK 17.62

3.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.29

$2.33 SEK 22.57

-36.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.47

$1.46 SEK 14.08

-63.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.00 €6.12

$8.14 SEK 78.7

-14.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.09 €6.20

$11.30 SEK 109

-37.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 €1.58

$2.11 SEK 20.35

-14.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 €2.19

$2.18 SEK 21.10

15.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 €1.71

$3.71 SEK 35.90

-47.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.58 €36.38

$90.6 SEK 875

-54.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.80 €5.08

$6.52 SEK 63.0

-11.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 €1.40

$1.82 SEK 17.63

-12.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.07 €30.68

$63.0 SEK 609

-44.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.86

$1.93 SEK 18.61

10.36%

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

$32.6K €28.5K

$32.0K SEK 308.9K

1.92%

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

$33.8K €29.6K

$34.8K SEK 336.7K

-3.00%

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

$225 €197

$127 SEK 1,230

76.84%

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

$13.14 €11.50

$29.12 SEK 281

-54.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.19 €27.29

$38.54 SEK 373

-19.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 €50.0

$41.63 SEK 402

37.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.85 €22.61

$27.79 SEK 269

-6.98%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 €9.05

$17.12 SEK 165

-39.60%

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

$564 €493

$152 SEK 1,471

270.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.3K €9,047

$2,607 SEK 25.2K

296.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.9 €80.4

$95.1 SEK 919

-3.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.54 €35.47

$41.34 SEK 400

-1.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.2 €85.9

$105 SEK 1,012

-6.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €116

$150 SEK 1,451

-12.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$855 €748

$941 SEK 9,098

-9.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$663 €580

$744 SEK 7,187

-10.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,522 €1,332

$1,565 SEK 15.1K

-2.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,089 €953

$1,215 SEK 11.7K

-10.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,747 €3,278

$5,268 SEK 50.9K

-28.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,299 €2,011

$3,325 SEK 32.1K

-30.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,897 €1,659

$3,114 SEK 30.1K

-39.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.41

4.52

-2.43%

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

Last update for Italy: July 11, 2026

Last update for Sweden: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $742 in Italy, $868 in Sweden. Capital cities: $1,328 in Rome vs $1,566 in Stockholm.

National salary averages: $1,912 in Italy, $2,959 in Sweden. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 17% higher in Sweden.

Public transport is 75% more expensive in Sweden.

Salaries are 55% higher in Sweden, and purchasing power comes out stronger 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

Italy vs Sweden: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,822 per month in Italy and $2,015 in Sweden, there's a 11% 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 Italy: 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 Sweden is consistently higher than in Italy across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In Italy, $2,500 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: Italy wins on affordability; Sweden may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.