Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karlstad and Stockholm

For one person, living is cheaper in Karlstad: $1,713 a month against $2,574 in Stockholm, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in Karlstad
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Karlstad Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Stockholm
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Stockholm Living Index

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Karlstad

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,713

/mo nomad

Stockholm

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,574

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karlstad and in Stockholm

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Karlstad and in Stockholm actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,713 per month in Karlstad vs $2,574 in Stockholm, rent included.

Karlstad $1,713
Stockholm $2,574

A couple spends around $2,643 per month in Karlstad vs $3,871 in Stockholm, rent included.

Karlstad $2,643
Stockholm $3,871

A family of three spends $3,572 per month in Karlstad vs $5,167 in Stockholm, rent included.

Karlstad $3,572
Stockholm $5,167

Karlstad is about 33% cheaper than Stockholm, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Karlstad and Stockholm sit above the global median – Karlstad by 27%, Stockholm by 91%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.97 SEK 148

$18.12 SEK 180

-17.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.2 SEK 775

$99.6 SEK 986

-21.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 SEK 95.7

$11.76 SEK 117

-17.86%

Cappuccino

$4.80 SEK 47.60

$4.95 SEK 49.03

-3.03%

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

$2.54 SEK 25.21

$3.68 SEK 36.46

-30.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 SEK 20.98

$3.16 SEK 31.28

-32.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.69 SEK 76.2

$8.05 SEK 79.8

-4.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.45 SEK 63.9

$8.82 SEK 87.4

-26.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 SEK 15.00

$1.80 SEK 17.80

-16.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 SEK 28.64

$3.88 SEK 38.43

-25.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.68 SEK 36.48

$3.83 SEK 37.99

-3.92%

Eggs

$4.50 SEK 44.60

$5.14 SEK 50.9

-12.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.84 SEK 97.5

$12.45 SEK 123

-20.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.17 SEK 140

$12.63 SEK 125

12.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.97 SEK 178

$21.90 SEK 217

-17.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.82 SEK 27.95

$3.47 SEK 34.41

-18.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.64 SEK 26.12

$2.74 SEK 27.15

-3.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.09 SEK 30.57

$3.08 SEK 30.54

0.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.09 SEK 50.4

$4.48 SEK 44.41

13.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 SEK 18.88

$1.77 SEK 17.54

7.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 SEK 16.58

$1.79 SEK 17.70

-6.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 SEK 25.90

$2.40 SEK 23.76

8.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 SEK 12.95

$2.37 SEK 23.50

-44.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.89 SEK 68.3

$8.72 SEK 86.4

-20.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.86 SEK 97.7

$11.99 SEK 119

-17.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 SEK 23.46

$2.11 SEK 20.90

12.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 SEK 20.69

$2.56 SEK 25.34

-18.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.16 SEK 31.32

$4.34 SEK 42.96

-27.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.9 SEK 792

$107 SEK 1,063

-25.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.42 SEK 53.7

$5.74 SEK 56.9

-5.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 SEK 13.16

$1.47 SEK 14.58

-9.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$61.5 SEK 609

$57.1 SEK 566

7.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 SEK 17.50

$1.80 SEK 17.86

-1.67%

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

$32.2K SEK 319.4K

$32.4K SEK 321.2K

-0.55%

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

$32.7K SEK 323.8K

$33.6K SEK 332.8K

-2.69%

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

$101 SEK 1,001

$249 SEK 2,469

-59.44%

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

$15.82 SEK 157

$21.60 SEK 214

-26.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.59 SEK 442

$40.18 SEK 398

10.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.52 SEK 441

$46.98 SEK 466

-5.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.95 SEK 168

$38.15 SEK 378

-55.57%

Cinema Ticket

$13.91 SEK 138

$19.09 SEK 189

-27.13%

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

$123 SEK 1,223

$158 SEK 1,569

-22.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K SEK 162.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 SEK 1,039

$111 SEK 1,104

-5.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.98 SEK 386

$59.0 SEK 584

-33.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.5 SEK 728

$138 SEK 1,364

-46.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$142 SEK 1,403

$186 SEK 1,847

-24.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$834 SEK 8,264

$1,658 SEK 16.4K

-49.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$567 SEK 5,617

$1,079 SEK 10.7K

-47.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,154 SEK 11.4K

$2,982 SEK 29.5K

-61.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$861 SEK 8,528

$1,746 SEK 17.3K

-50.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,710 SEK 36.8K

$11.3K SEK 111.8K

-67.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,794 SEK 27.7K

$6,332 SEK 62.7K

-55.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,220 SEK 31.9K

$3,583 SEK 35.5K

-10.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

3.37

12.76%

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

Last update for Karlstad: October 11, 2026

Last update for Stockholm: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Karlstad

$567 33.1%

Stockholm

$1.1K 41.9% 90.3% $512

Groceries & Markets

Karlstad

$370 21.6%

Stockholm

$414 16.1% 12% $44

Eating Out

Karlstad

$276 16.1%

Stockholm

$325 12.6% 17.5% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karlstad

$161 9.4%

Stockholm

$311 12.1% 92.6% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Karlstad

$161 9.4%

Stockholm

$222 8.6% 37.8% $61

Getting Around

Karlstad

$105 6.1%

Stockholm

$138 5.4% 31.6% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Karlstad

$72 4.2%

Stockholm

$85 3.3% 17.7% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $834 in Karlstad versus $1,658 in Stockholm. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 11% higher in Stockholm, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78.0 in Karlstad versus $100 in Stockholm. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $370 vs $414 – making Karlstad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Karlstad

🇸🇪 Stockholm

🕒 Local time

13:49 1:49 PM

Same time as Karlstad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,797

984,748 Capital

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Karlstad Stockholm 260 km

From you

Karlstad
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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

Karlstad vs Stockholm: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Stockholm is pricier by about 50%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,569 per month in Karlstad and $3,861 in Stockholm. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Karlstad, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78.0 in Karlstad and $100 in Stockholm. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,713 in Karlstad and $2,574 in Stockholm. That's a gap of about 50%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Karlstad, where all-in costs run around $1,713, than in Stockholm at $2,574. In Karlstad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Stockholm it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Karlstad – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Karlstad. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Stockholm makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.