Cost of Living Comparison Between Spain and Sweden Cost of Living Comparison Between Spain and Sweden

Name: Sweden
Address: SE

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,686 in Spain versus $1,823 in Sweden.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,489 in Spain versus $2,827 in Sweden.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,291 in Spain versus $3,831 in Sweden.

Living in Spain costs about 8% less than in Sweden on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Spain 23% above, Sweden 33% above.

Internal cost variation is higher in Spain: monthly costs span $959 to $2,683, compared to $1,437–$2,631 in Sweden. City choice carries more weight in Spain.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.13 €14.93

$14.88 SEK 146

15.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 €49.86

$80.7 SEK 792

-29.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.60 €10.11

$11.18 SEK 110

3.76%

Cappuccino

$2.40 €2.09

$4.70 SEK 46.13

-48.94%

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

$2.73 €2.38

$2.86 SEK 28.09

-4.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.65

$2.35 SEK 23.10

-19.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.57 €3.11

$7.98 SEK 78.4

-55.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 €3.45

$7.65 SEK 75.1

-48.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.09

$1.65 SEK 16.22

-23.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 €1.34

$2.94 SEK 28.88

-47.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 €1.42

$3.56 SEK 34.96

-54.21%

Eggs

$3.44 €3.00

$4.24 SEK 41.66

-18.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.42 €12.56

$11.81 SEK 116

22.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.89 €7.75

$12.05 SEK 118

-26.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.49 €14.37

$19.34 SEK 190

-14.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 €2.17

$3.16 SEK 31.02

-21.20%

Banana (1kg)

$2.13 €1.85

$2.60 SEK 25.57

-18.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 €1.94

$3.08 SEK 30.30

-27.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 €2.22

$4.54 SEK 44.62

-44.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 €1.57

$1.79 SEK 17.63

1.12%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 €1.74

$1.63 SEK 16.01

22.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.17

$2.34 SEK 23.00

-42.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.66

$1.42 SEK 13.91

-46.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.91 €6.02

$7.89 SEK 77.6

-12.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.72 €4.98

$11.26 SEK 111

-49.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 €1.15

$2.03 SEK 19.99

-34.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.86

$2.19 SEK 21.51

-2.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 €1.49

$3.68 SEK 36.16

-53.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.14 €30.61

$89.7 SEK 881

-60.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.66 €4.06

$6.12 SEK 60.1

-23.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 €1.35

$1.97 SEK 19.40

-21.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.59 €22.29

$61.8 SEK 607

-58.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 €1.54

$1.89 SEK 18.58

-6.88%

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

$36.2K €31.5K

$33.5K SEK 329.5K

7.98%

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

$30.2K €26.3K

$34.2K SEK 336.4K

-11.81%

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

$155 €135

$131 SEK 1,291

17.58%

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

$18.12 €15.78

$27.19 SEK 267

-33.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.66 €28.45

$38.82 SEK 381

-15.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.15 €40.20

$40.38 SEK 397

14.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.65 €13.63

$27.49 SEK 270

-43.07%

Cinema Ticket

$10.01 €8.72

$16.32 SEK 160

-38.66%

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

$560 €488

$155 SEK 1,526

260.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K €9,348

$4,705 SEK 46.2K

128.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 €75.9

$94.6 SEK 930

-7.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.45 €33.49

$42.36 SEK 416

-9.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 €80.1

$102 SEK 1,002

-9.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 €94.3

$147 SEK 1,442

-26.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,042 €908

$863 SEK 8,483

20.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$814 €709

$694 SEK 6,821

17.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,627 €1,418

$1,434 SEK 14.1K

13.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,246 €1,086

$1,155 SEK 11.3K

7.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,266 €3,716

$5,217 SEK 51.3K

-18.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,607 €2,271

$3,320 SEK 32.6K

-21.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,046 €1,782

$3,033 SEK 29.8K

-32.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.29

3.67

-10.35%

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

Last update for Spain: September 14, 2026

Last update for Sweden: September 15, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $932 in Spain, $841 in Sweden. Capital cities: $1,567 in Madrid vs $1,771 in Stockholm.

National salary averages: $2,029 in Spain, $2,985 in Sweden. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 11% higher in Spain.

Dining out costs 34% more in Sweden.

Public transport is 158% more expensive in Sweden.

Salaries are 47% 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

Spain vs Sweden: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,821 per month in Spain and $2,034 in Sweden, there's a 12% 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 Spain: 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 Spain across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In Spain, $3,000 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: Spain wins on affordability; Sweden may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.