Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Stockholm

For one person, living is cheaper in Stockholm: $2,548 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $18,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Stockholm
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Stockholm Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Stockholm

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,086 per month in London vs $2,548 in Stockholm, rent included.

London $4,086
Stockholm $2,548

A couple spends around $5,816 per month in London vs $3,806 in Stockholm, rent included.

London $5,816
Stockholm $3,806

A family of three spends $7,546 per month in London vs $5,064 in Stockholm, rent included.

London $7,546
Stockholm $5,064

London costs about 60% more than Stockholm, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Stockholm sit above the global median – London by 205%, Stockholm by 90%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.62 £20.11

$18.26 SEK 182

45.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.3

$97.8 SEK 978

9.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.39 £7.85

$11.71 SEK 117

-11.27%

Cappuccino

$5.79 £4.38

$4.89 SEK 48.92

18.40%

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

$3.01 £2.27

$3.72 SEK 37.15

-19.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 £1.63

$3.03 SEK 30.29

-29.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.35 £7.06

$8.16 SEK 81.5

14.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.84 £5.93

$8.96 SEK 89.5

-12.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 £1.35

$1.81 SEK 18.05

-1.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 £1.56

$3.84 SEK 38.41

-46.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 £1.74

$3.75 SEK 37.52

-38.40%

Eggs

$5.05 £3.82

$5.04 SEK 50.4

0.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 £9.50

$12.90 SEK 129

-2.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.66 £8.05

$12.70 SEK 127

-16.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.13 £12.94

$21.70 SEK 217

-21.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 £2.29

$3.61 SEK 36.03

-16.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 £1.07

$2.80 SEK 27.97

-49.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 £2.31

$3.14 SEK 31.36

-2.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 £2.56

$4.36 SEK 43.52

-22.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.26

$1.70 SEK 16.99

-1.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 £1.31

$1.78 SEK 17.83

-2.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.07

$2.51 SEK 25.06

-43.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 £1.35

$2.43 SEK 24.33

-26.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.22 £17.55

$8.52 SEK 85.1

172.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.99 £9.82

$11.83 SEK 118

9.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.40

$2.03 SEK 20.29

56.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 £3.33

$2.55 SEK 25.49

72.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 £2.93

$4.31 SEK 43.11

-10.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$250 £189

$106 SEK 1,059

135.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 £4.31

$5.83 SEK 58.3

-2.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 £2.51

$1.51 SEK 15.09

120.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.9 £43.76

$56.0 SEK 560

3.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.54

$1.79 SEK 17.90

13.97%

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

$37.5K £28.4K

$33.3K SEK 332.8K

12.75%

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

$40.9K £30.9K

$34.1K SEK 340.4K

20.07%

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

$376 £284

$248 SEK 2,479

51.61%

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

$17.88 £13.51

$21.17 SEK 212

-15.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.01 £30.24

$39.91 SEK 399

0.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 £46.22

$47.51 SEK 475

28.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 £15.93

$38.80 SEK 388

-45.70%

Cinema Ticket

$17.95 £13.57

$19.19 SEK 192

-6.46%

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

$2,865 £2,165

$159 SEK 1,585

1706.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.7K

$16.4K SEK 163.7K

115.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £87.7

$112 SEK 1,119

3.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 £40.87

$57.4 SEK 574

-5.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 £95.7

$134 SEK 1,340

-5.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 £120

$181 SEK 1,809

-12.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,853 £2,156

$1,694 SEK 16.9K

68.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,301 £1,739

$1,088 SEK 10.9K

111.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,201 £3,931

$2,985 SEK 29.8K

74.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,723 £2,813

$1,782 SEK 17.8K

108.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.0K £14.4K

$11.1K SEK 111.4K

70.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,881 £5,955

$6,326 SEK 63.2K

24.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,818 £3,641

$3,501 SEK 35.0K

37.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.65

3.37

37.98%

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

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Last update for Stockholm: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56.5%

Stockholm

$1.1K 42.2% 52.7% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$434 10.7%

Stockholm

$309 12% 28.8% $125

Eating Out

London

$397 9.7%

Stockholm

$326 12.6% 17.9% $71

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.6%

Stockholm

$415 16.1% 18.8% $66

Getting Around

London

$288 7.1%

Stockholm

$137 5.3% 52.5% $151

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5%

Stockholm

$218 8.5% 6.3% $13

Sport & Entertainment

London

$97 2.4%

Stockholm

$86 3.3% 11.5% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,853 in London versus $1,694 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 38% higher in London, 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 $108 in London versus $98.0 in Stockholm. Groceries tell a different story – $349 in London vs $415 in Stockholm – so London wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇸🇪 Stockholm

🕒 Local time

11:51 11:51 AM

12:51 12:51 PM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

984,748 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

100 SEK = 10.01 USD

100 SEK = 8.93 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.847 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.99 SEK (1 SEK = 0.1 USD). 1 EUR = 11.2 SEK (100 SEK = 8.93 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

London Stockholm 1,430 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

London
Stockholm

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

London vs Stockholm: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,086 in London, $2,548 in Stockholm – roughly 60% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,129 per month in London and $3,821 in Stockholm. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Interestingly, groceries are about 19% cheaper in London – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $108 in London and $98.0 in Stockholm. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,086 in London and $2,548 in Stockholm. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Stockholm has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,548 in Stockholm to $4,086 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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