Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stockholm and Queenstown

For one person, living is cheaper in Queenstown: $2,370 a month against $2,531 in Stockholm, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Stockholm
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Stockholm Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Queenstown
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Queenstown Living Index

Jump to prices

Stockholm

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,531

/mo nomad

Queenstown

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,370

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Stockholm and in Queenstown

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,531 in Stockholm versus $2,370 in Queenstown.

Stockholm $2,531
Queenstown $2,370

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,823 in Stockholm versus $3,764 in Queenstown.

Stockholm $3,823
Queenstown $3,764

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,114 in Stockholm versus $5,158 in Queenstown.

Stockholm $5,114
Queenstown $5,158

Living in Stockholm is roughly 7% more expensive than in Queenstown, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Stockholm 86% above, Queenstown 74% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.91 SEK 178

$17.26 NZ$30.39

3.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 SEK 1,015

$86.8 NZ$153

17.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 SEK 117

$9.76 NZ$17.17

20.49%

Cappuccino

$5.17 SEK 51.5

$3.28 NZ$5.77

57.62%

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

$3.66 SEK 36.47

$2.29 NZ$4.03

59.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 SEK 30.59

$2.08 NZ$3.66

47.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.86 SEK 78.3

$6.75 NZ$11.87

16.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.11 SEK 90.6

$6.19 NZ$10.90

47.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 SEK 16.43

$2.14 NZ$3.76

-22.90%

White Bread (500g)

$3.91 SEK 38.93

$1.96 NZ$3.45

99.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.72 SEK 36.99

$1.78 NZ$3.13

108.99%

Eggs

$5.09 SEK 50.7

$5.80 NZ$10.20

-12.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.83 SEK 128

$8.53 NZ$15.02

50.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.77 SEK 127

$10.16 NZ$17.89

25.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.47 SEK 224

$15.81 NZ$27.83

42.13%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 SEK 35.37

$2.92 NZ$5.15

21.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.87 SEK 28.60

$2.40 NZ$4.23

19.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 SEK 32.43

$3.89 NZ$6.86

-16.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.36 SEK 43.38

$5.50 NZ$9.67

-20.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 SEK 17.54

$3.55 NZ$6.25

-50.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 SEK 17.79

$1.84 NZ$3.24

-2.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 SEK 24.39

$2.42 NZ$4.25

1.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 SEK 23.61

$1.97 NZ$3.46

20.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.68 SEK 86.4

$27.67 NZ$48.70

-68.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.16 SEK 121

$9.24 NZ$16.27

31.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 SEK 21.17

$4.50 NZ$7.92

-52.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 SEK 25.15

$6.63 NZ$11.66

-61.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.27 SEK 42.53

$1.88 NZ$3.31

127.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 SEK 1,060

$128 NZ$226

-17.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.05 SEK 60.2

$2.69 NZ$4.74

124.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 SEK 15.35

$1.92 NZ$3.38

-19.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$55.7 SEK 554

$29.48 NZ$51.9

88.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 SEK 18.07

$1.70 NZ$2.99

7.06%

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

$32.8K SEK 326.0K

$26.7K NZ$46.9K

22.91%

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

$33.7K SEK 335.5K

$22.5K NZ$39.6K

49.71%

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

$254 SEK 2,528

$111 NZ$195

129.78%

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

$21.66 SEK 216

$28.93 NZ$50.9

-25.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.33 SEK 411

$51.8 NZ$91.2

-20.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.32 SEK 461

$55.9 NZ$98.4

-17.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.99 SEK 388

$26.64 NZ$46.88

46.36%

Cinema Ticket

$18.53 SEK 184

$11.17 NZ$19.66

65.89%

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

$160 SEK 1,589

$983 NZ$1,730

-83.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K SEK 161.3K

$7,685 NZ$13.5K

110.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 SEK 1,107

$60.0 NZ$106

85.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.7 SEK 594

$46.90 NZ$82.6

27.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$133 SEK 1,324

$91.0 NZ$160

46.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$183 SEK 1,825

$137 NZ$242

33.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 SEK 16.1K

$1,523 NZ$2,680

6.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,031 SEK 10.3K

$1,162 NZ$2,046

-11.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,614 SEK 26.0K

$2,918 NZ$5,135

-10.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,677 SEK 16.7K

$2,294 NZ$4,038

-26.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.8K SEK 117.5K

$7,612 NZ$13.4K

55.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,816 SEK 67.8K

$5,271 NZ$9,278

29.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,521 SEK 35.0K

$3,054 NZ$5,375

15.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.33

6.12

-45.59%

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

Last update for Stockholm: October 24, 2026

Last update for Queenstown: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stockholm

$1K 40.8%

Queenstown

$1.2K 49% 12.7% $131

Groceries & Markets

Stockholm

$418 16.5%

Queenstown

$369 15.6% 11.6% $49

Eating Out

Stockholm

$325 12.9%

Queenstown

$270 11.4% 16.9% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stockholm

$317 12.5%

Queenstown

$191 8.1% 39.7% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Stockholm

$219 8.7%

Queenstown

$151 6.4% 31.2% $68

Getting Around

Stockholm

$137 5.4%

Queenstown

$148 6.3% 7.9% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Stockholm

$83 3.3%

Queenstown

$78 3.3% 6.2% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Stockholm and $1,523 in Queenstown. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stockholm pays 15% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $102 in Stockholm vs $87 in Queenstown for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $418 vs $369 per month, with Queenstown cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Stockholm

🇳🇿 Queenstown

🕒 Local time

12:06 12:06 PM

00:06 12:06 AM

12 h ahead of Stockholm

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

984,748 Capital

15,450

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.05 USD

100 SEK = 9.03 EUR

1 NZD = 0.568 USD

1 NZD = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.95 SEK (1 SEK = 0.1 USD). 1 EUR = 11.08 SEK (100 SEK = 9.03 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.76 NZD (1 NZD = 0.568 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 NZD (1 NZD = 0.511 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Stockholm Queenstown 17,490 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Stockholm
Queenstown

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

Stockholm vs Queenstown: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Queenstown is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and groceries. The 7% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 15% higher in Stockholm, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,614 in Stockholm versus $1,523 in Queenstown. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Queenstown – a meal for two runs $87 versus $102 in Stockholm. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,531 per month in Stockholm versus $2,370 in Queenstown – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Stockholm and Queenstown are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

It comes down to priorities – Queenstown wins on affordability, Stockholm on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.