Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stockholm and Skien

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.

125

Cost of Living Index in Stockholm
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Stockholm Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in Skien
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Skien Living Index

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Stockholm

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,574

/mo nomad

Skien

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,336

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Stockholm and in Skien

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 Skien actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Stockholm $2,574
Skien $2,336

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

Stockholm $3,871
Skien $3,267

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

Stockholm $5,167
Skien $4,197

Stockholm costs about 10% more than Skien, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.12 SEK 180

$21.21 NOK 200

-14.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.6 SEK 986

$103 NOK 971

-3.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 SEK 117

$15.47 NOK 146

-23.98%

Cappuccino

$4.95 SEK 49.03

$5.11 NOK 48.11

-3.13%

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

$3.68 SEK 36.46

$4.36 NOK 41.01

-15.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 SEK 31.28

$2.97 NOK 27.96

6.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 SEK 79.8

$11.89 NOK 112

-32.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.82 SEK 87.4

$12.33 NOK 116

-28.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 SEK 17.80

$2.11 NOK 19.84

-14.69%

White Bread (500g)

$3.88 SEK 38.43

$3.92 NOK 36.90

-1.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.83 SEK 37.99

$4.57 NOK 42.98

-16.19%

Eggs

$5.14 SEK 50.9

$5.66 NOK 53.3

-9.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.45 SEK 123

$13.16 NOK 124

-5.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.63 SEK 125

$15.17 NOK 143

-16.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.90 SEK 217

$21.79 NOK 205

0.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.47 SEK 34.41

$3.35 NOK 31.49

3.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 SEK 27.15

$2.70 NOK 25.42

1.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 SEK 30.54

$3.49 NOK 32.86

-11.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.48 SEK 44.41

$5.95 NOK 56.0

-24.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 SEK 17.54

$2.24 NOK 21.04

-20.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 SEK 17.70

$2.78 NOK 26.12

-35.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 SEK 23.76

$3.04 NOK 28.63

-21.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 SEK 23.50

$2.48 NOK 23.33

-4.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.72 SEK 86.4

$19.02 NOK 179

-54.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.99 SEK 119

$15.76 NOK 148

-23.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 SEK 20.90

$3.35 NOK 31.58

-37.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 SEK 25.34

$4.33 NOK 40.76

-40.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.34 SEK 42.96

$3.26 NOK 30.64

33.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 SEK 1,063

$47.91 NOK 451

123.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.74 SEK 56.9

$11.13 NOK 105

-48.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 SEK 14.58

$1.81 NOK 17.02

-18.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.1 SEK 566

$70.8 NOK 667

-19.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 SEK 17.86

$2.27 NOK 21.39

-20.70%

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

$32.4K SEK 321.2K

$47.5K NOK 447.3K

-31.78%

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

$33.6K SEK 332.8K

$43.4K NOK 408.1K

-22.53%

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

$249 SEK 2,469

$93.9 NOK 884

165.46%

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

$21.60 SEK 214

$33.89 NOK 319

-36.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.18 SEK 398

$53.6 NOK 504

-25.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.98 SEK 466

$43.10 NOK 406

9.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.15 SEK 378

Cinema Ticket

$19.09 SEK 189

$15.29 NOK 144

24.85%

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

$158 SEK 1,569

$239 NOK 2,247

-33.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K SEK 162.0K

$15.7K NOK 148.1K

3.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 SEK 1,104

$63.7 NOK 600

74.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.0 SEK 584

$60.4 NOK 568

-2.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 SEK 1,364

$87.9 NOK 827

56.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$186 SEK 1,847

$153 NOK 1,442

21.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,658 SEK 16.4K

$1,042 NOK 9,811

59.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,079 SEK 10.7K

$975 NOK 9,183

10.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,982 SEK 29.5K

$1,035 NOK 9,746

188.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,746 SEK 17.3K

$939 NOK 8,841

85.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.3K SEK 111.8K

$3,395 NOK 32.0K

232.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,332 SEK 62.7K

$3,149 NOK 29.6K

101.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,583 SEK 35.5K

$4,236 NOK 39.9K

-15.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.37

4.37

-22.88%

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

Last update for Stockholm: October 13, 2026

Last update for Skien: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stockholm

$1.1K 41.9%

Skien

$975 41.8% 9.6% $104

Groceries & Markets

Stockholm

$414 16.1%

Skien

$470 20.1% 13.4% $56

Eating Out

Stockholm

$325 12.6%

Skien

$391 16.7% 20.3% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stockholm

$311 12.1%

Skien

$181 7.8% 41.7% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Stockholm

$222 8.6%

Skien

$164 7% 26.2% $58

Getting Around

Stockholm

$138 5.4%

Skien

$81 3.5% 41.1% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Stockholm

$85 3.3%

Skien

$74 3.2% 13.5% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,658 in Stockholm versus $1,042 in Skien. 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 $100 in Stockholm versus $103 in Skien. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $414 vs $470 – making Stockholm the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Stockholm

🇳🇴 Skien

🕒 Local time

17:05 5:05 PM

Same time as Stockholm

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

984,748 Capital

56,769

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

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).

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).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Stockholm Skien 480 km

From you

Stockholm
Skien

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 Skien: 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 $3,861 per month in Stockholm and $3,504 in Skien. 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 $100 in Stockholm and $103 in Skien. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,574 in Stockholm and $2,336 in Skien. 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.