Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Skien and Stockholm

For one person, living is cheaper in Skien: $2,336 a month against $2,574 in Stockholm, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Stockholm outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

113

Cost of Living Index in Skien
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Skien Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Stockholm
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Stockholm Living Index

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Skien

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,336

/mo nomad

Stockholm

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,574

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,336 per month in Skien vs $2,574 in Stockholm, rent included.

Skien $2,336
Stockholm $2,574

A couple spends around $3,267 per month in Skien vs $3,871 in Stockholm, rent included.

Skien $3,267
Stockholm $3,871

A family of three spends $4,197 per month in Skien vs $5,167 in Stockholm, rent included.

Skien $4,197
Stockholm $5,167

Skien is about 9% cheaper than Stockholm, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Skien and Stockholm sit above the global median – Skien by 73%, Stockholm by 91%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.21 NOK 200

$18.12 SEK 180

17.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$103 NOK 971

$99.6 SEK 986

3.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.47 NOK 146

$11.76 SEK 117

31.55%

Cappuccino

$5.11 NOK 48.11

$4.95 SEK 49.03

3.23%

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

$4.36 NOK 41.01

$3.68 SEK 36.46

18.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 NOK 27.96

$3.16 SEK 31.28

-6.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.89 NOK 112

$8.05 SEK 79.8

47.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.33 NOK 116

$8.82 SEK 87.4

39.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 NOK 19.84

$1.80 SEK 17.80

17.22%

White Bread (500g)

$3.92 NOK 36.90

$3.88 SEK 38.43

1.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.57 NOK 42.98

$3.83 SEK 37.99

19.32%

Eggs

$5.66 NOK 53.3

$5.14 SEK 50.9

10.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.16 NOK 124

$12.45 SEK 123

5.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.17 NOK 143

$12.63 SEK 125

20.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.79 NOK 205

$21.90 SEK 217

-0.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.35 NOK 31.49

$3.47 SEK 34.41

-3.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.70 NOK 25.42

$2.74 SEK 27.15

-1.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.49 NOK 32.86

$3.08 SEK 30.54

13.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.95 NOK 56.0

$4.48 SEK 44.41

32.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 NOK 21.04

$1.77 SEK 17.54

26.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.78 NOK 26.12

$1.79 SEK 17.70

55.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.04 NOK 28.63

$2.40 SEK 23.76

26.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 NOK 23.33

$2.37 SEK 23.50

4.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.02 NOK 179

$8.72 SEK 86.4

118.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.76 NOK 148

$11.99 SEK 119

31.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.35 NOK 31.58

$2.11 SEK 20.90

58.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 NOK 40.76

$2.56 SEK 25.34

69.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.26 NOK 30.64

$4.34 SEK 42.96

-24.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.91 NOK 451

$107 SEK 1,063

-55.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.13 NOK 105

$5.74 SEK 56.9

93.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 NOK 17.02

$1.47 SEK 14.58

23.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$70.8 NOK 667

$57.1 SEK 566

23.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.27 NOK 21.39

$1.80 SEK 17.86

26.11%

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

$47.5K NOK 447.3K

$32.4K SEK 321.2K

46.58%

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

$43.4K NOK 408.1K

$33.6K SEK 332.8K

29.09%

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

$93.9 NOK 884

$249 SEK 2,469

-62.33%

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

$33.89 NOK 319

$21.60 SEK 214

56.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 NOK 504

$40.18 SEK 398

33.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.10 NOK 406

$46.98 SEK 466

-8.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.15 SEK 378

Cinema Ticket

$15.29 NOK 144

$19.09 SEK 189

-19.91%

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

$239 NOK 2,247

$158 SEK 1,569

50.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K NOK 148.1K

$16.4K SEK 162.0K

-3.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.7 NOK 600

$111 SEK 1,104

-42.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.4 NOK 568

$59.0 SEK 584

2.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.9 NOK 827

$138 SEK 1,364

-36.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$153 NOK 1,442

$186 SEK 1,847

-17.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,042 NOK 9,811

$1,658 SEK 16.4K

-37.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$975 NOK 9,183

$1,079 SEK 10.7K

-9.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,035 NOK 9,746

$2,982 SEK 29.5K

-65.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$939 NOK 8,841

$1,746 SEK 17.3K

-46.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,395 NOK 32.0K

$11.3K SEK 111.8K

-69.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,149 NOK 29.6K

$6,332 SEK 62.7K

-50.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,236 NOK 39.9K

$3,583 SEK 35.5K

18.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.37

3.37

29.67%

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

Last update for Skien: October 12, 2026

Last update for Stockholm: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Skien

$975 41.8%

Stockholm

$1.1K 41.9% 10.6% $104

Groceries & Markets

Skien

$470 20.1%

Stockholm

$414 16.1% 11.8% $56

Eating Out

Skien

$391 16.7%

Stockholm

$325 12.6% 16.9% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Skien

$181 7.8%

Stockholm

$311 12.1% 71.5% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Skien

$164 7%

Stockholm

$222 8.6% 35.4% $58

Getting Around

Skien

$81 3.5%

Stockholm

$138 5.4% 69.8% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Skien

$74 3.2%

Stockholm

$85 3.3% 15.6% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,042 in Skien 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 18% higher in Skien, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $103 in Skien versus $100 in Stockholm. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $470 vs $414 – making Stockholm the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Skien

🇸🇪 Stockholm

🕒 Local time

16:27 4:27 PM

Same time as Skien

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,769

984,748 Capital

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Skien Stockholm 480 km

From you

Skien
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

Skien vs Stockholm: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Stockholm is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,504 per month in Skien 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 Skien, 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 $103 in Skien 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 $2,336 in Skien and $2,574 in Stockholm. That's a gap of about 10%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Skien, where all-in costs run around $2,336, than in Stockholm at $2,574. In Skien it covers expenses comfortably, while in Stockholm it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Skien – 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 Skien. 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.