Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portland, OR and Stockholm

For one person, living is cheaper in Stockholm: $2,580 a month against $3,305 in Portland, OR, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Portland, OR
🇺🇸 United States
$3,305
/mo nomad
Stockholm
🇸🇪 Sweden
$2,580
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,305 per month in Portland, OR vs $2,580 in Stockholm, rent included.

  • Portland, OR $3,305
  • Stockholm $2,580

A couple spends around $4,993 per month in Portland, OR vs $3,916 in Stockholm, rent included.

  • Portland, OR $4,993
  • Stockholm $3,916

A family of three spends $6,680 per month in Portland, OR vs $5,251 in Stockholm, rent included.

  • Portland, OR $6,680
  • Stockholm $5,251

Portland, OR costs about 28% more than Stockholm, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Portland, OR and Stockholm sit above the global median – Portland, OR by 144%, Stockholm by 90%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Portland, OR
Stockholm
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$24.60 $24.60
$18.12 SEK 180
35.76%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$89.5 $89.5
$103 SEK 1,019
-12.99%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.83 $12.83
$12.12 SEK 120
5.86%
Cappuccino
$6.01 $6.01
$5.22 SEK 51.7
15.13%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.42 $2.42
$3.63 SEK 35.97
-33.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.94 $1.94
$3.15 SEK 31.18
-38.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.15 $8.15
$8.22 SEK 81.5
-0.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.98 $7.98
$8.81 SEK 87.3
-9.42%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Portland, OR
Stockholm
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 $1.16
$1.76 SEK 17.44
-34.09%
White Bread (500g)
$4.76 $4.76
$4.04 SEK 39.99
17.82%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.87 $4.87
$3.94 SEK 39.08
23.60%
Eggs
$5.38 $5.38
$5.06 SEK 50.2
6.32%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$18.76 $18.76
$13.02 SEK 129
44.09%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$19.14 $19.14
$12.87 SEK 128
48.72%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$28.65 $28.65
$21.96 SEK 218
30.46%
Apples (1kg)
$6.81 $6.81
$3.59 SEK 35.62
89.69%
Banana (1kg)
$2.03 $2.03
$2.82 SEK 27.92
-28.01%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.94 $5.94
$3.27 SEK 32.43
81.65%
Tomato (1kg)
$8.94 $8.94
$4.41 SEK 43.67
102.72%
Potato (1kg)
$2.76 $2.76
$1.80 SEK 17.85
53.33%
Onion (1kg)
$2.31 $2.31
$1.75 SEK 17.34
32.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.32 $3.32
$2.49 SEK 24.71
33.33%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.59 $2.59
$2.41 SEK 23.91
7.47%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.29 $11.29
$9.02 SEK 89.4
25.17%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.12 $15.12
$12.09 SEK 120
25.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.45 $3.45
$2.05 SEK 20.28
68.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.15 $5.15
$2.64 SEK 26.12
95.08%
🚌 Getting Around
Portland, OR
Stockholm
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.86 $2.86
$4.37 SEK 43.25
-34.55%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$99.6 $99.6
$106 SEK 1,052
-6.20%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.91 $4.91
$5.87 SEK 58.2
-16.35%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.92 $1.92
$1.55 SEK 15.33
23.87%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$23.74 $23.74
$57.6 SEK 570
-58.76%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 $1.26
$1.80 SEK 17.88
-30.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.6K $33.6K
$33.9K SEK 335.7K
-0.86%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.1K $26.1K
$33.5K SEK 332.4K
-22.22%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Portland, OR
Stockholm
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$312 $312
$246 SEK 2,437
26.89%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$63.0 $63.0
$21.36 SEK 212
195.08%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$69.0 $69.0
$40.80 SEK 404
69.12%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Portland, OR
Stockholm
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$63.1 $63.1
$48.86 SEK 484
29.08%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$30.17 $30.17
$39.17 SEK 388
-22.98%
Cinema Ticket
$14.71 $14.71
$18.76 SEK 186
-21.59%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Portland, OR
Stockholm
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,731 $1,731
$158 SEK 1,570
992.48%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$24.6K $24.6K
$16.7K SEK 165.7K
46.78%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Portland, OR
Stockholm
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$64.9 $64.9
$113 SEK 1,121
-42.62%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.37 $42.37
$60.2 SEK 596
-29.56%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$115 $115
$136 SEK 1,350
-15.74%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$131 $131
$186 SEK 1,845
-29.40%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Portland, OR
Stockholm
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,972 $1,972
$1,670 SEK 16.5K
18.10%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,535 $1,535
$1,075 SEK 10.7K
42.78%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,489 $3,489
$3,045 SEK 30.2K
14.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,813 $2,813
$1,789 SEK 17.7K
57.27%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,837 $3,837
$11.3K SEK 111.7K
-65.97%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,407 $3,407
$6,484 SEK 64.2K
-47.45%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Portland, OR
Stockholm
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,690 $4,690
$3,590 SEK 35.6K
30.67%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.57
3.37
94.96%

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

Last update for Portland, OR: October 19, 2026

Last update for Stockholm: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Portland, OR
$1.5K
Stockholm
$1.1K 30% $460
Groceries & Markets
Portland, OR
$568
Stockholm
$421 25.9% $147
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Portland, OR
$444
Stockholm
$308 30.6% $136
Eating Out
Portland, OR
$382
Stockholm
$330 13.6% $52
Clothing & Footwear
Portland, OR
$159
Stockholm
$223 40.2% $64
Getting Around
Portland, OR
$126
Stockholm
$137 9.3% $12
Sport & Entertainment
Portland, OR
$92
Stockholm
$86 6.6% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,972 in Portland, OR versus $1,670 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 31% higher in Portland, OR, 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 $89.0 in Portland, OR versus $103 in Stockholm. Groceries tell a different story – $568 in Portland, OR vs $421 in Stockholm – so Stockholm wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Portland, OR
🇸🇪 Stockholm
🕒 Local time
21:47 9:47 PM
06:47 6:47 AM
9 h ahead of Portland, OR
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
652,503
984,748 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Portland, OR Stockholm 7,820 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Portland, OR
  • 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
Portland, OR vs Stockholm: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Portland, OR and in Stockholm compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $3,305 in Portland, OR, $2,580 in Stockholm – roughly 28% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Portland, OR compared to Stockholm?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,958 per month in Portland, OR and $3,870 in Stockholm. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Portland, OR and Stockholm?
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.
Which city is more expensive overall: Portland, OR or Stockholm?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,305 in Portland, OR and $2,580 in Stockholm. That's a gap of about 28%.
How do commuting costs compare in Portland, OR and in Stockholm?
Public transport costs about 7% less in Stockholm. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city is feasible on a $2,000 budget?
$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,305 in Portland, OR and $2,580 in Stockholm. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
How does quality of life compare between Portland, OR and Stockholm?
It depends on your priorities. Stockholm has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,580 in Stockholm to $3,305 in Portland, OR. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Portland, OR or Stockholm safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Portland, OR and Stockholm?
If budget matters most, go with Stockholm. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Portland, OR makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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