Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stockholm and Umea

For one person, living is cheaper in Umea: $1,633 a month against $2,574 in Stockholm, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Stockholm
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Stockholm Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Umea
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Umea Living Index

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Stockholm

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,574

/mo nomad

Umea

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,633

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Stockholm and in Umea

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

A single person spends $2,574 per month in Stockholm vs $1,633 in Umea, rent included.

Stockholm $2,574
Umea $1,633

A couple spends around $3,871 per month in Stockholm vs $2,596 in Umea, rent included.

Stockholm $3,871
Umea $2,596

A family of three spends $5,167 per month in Stockholm vs $3,558 in Umea, rent included.

Stockholm $5,167
Umea $3,558

Stockholm costs about 58% more than Umea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Stockholm and Umea sit above the global median – Stockholm by 91%, Umea by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.12 SEK 179

$15.23 SEK 151

18.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.6 SEK 985

$79.0 SEK 782

26.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 SEK 116

$11.78 SEK 117

-0.17%

Cappuccino

$4.95 SEK 48.97

$4.02 SEK 39.79

23.13%

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

$3.68 SEK 36.42

$3.12 SEK 30.86

17.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 SEK 31.24

$2.36 SEK 23.31

33.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 SEK 79.7

$8.71 SEK 86.2

-7.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.82 SEK 87.3

$7.33 SEK 72.6

20.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 SEK 17.78

$1.63 SEK 16.16

10.43%

White Bread (500g)

$3.88 SEK 38.38

$3.30 SEK 32.61

17.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.83 SEK 37.95

$4.00 SEK 39.60

-4.25%

Eggs

$5.14 SEK 50.9

$3.86 SEK 38.17

33.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.45 SEK 123

$11.16 SEK 110

11.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.63 SEK 125

$10.65 SEK 105

18.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.90 SEK 217

$16.95 SEK 168

29.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.47 SEK 34.37

$2.54 SEK 25.09

36.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 SEK 27.11

$2.16 SEK 21.42

26.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 SEK 30.51

$2.82 SEK 27.93

9.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.48 SEK 44.36

$4.15 SEK 41.06

7.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 SEK 17.52

$1.61 SEK 15.92

9.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 SEK 17.68

$1.66 SEK 16.46

7.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 SEK 23.73

$2.48 SEK 24.53

-3.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 SEK 23.48

$1.26 SEK 12.44

88.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.72 SEK 86.3

$7.02 SEK 69.5

24.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.99 SEK 119

$9.76 SEK 96.6

22.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 SEK 20.87

$2.28 SEK 22.61

-7.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 SEK 25.31

$2.33 SEK 23.10

9.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.34 SEK 42.91

$2.98 SEK 29.45

45.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 SEK 1,061

$56.0 SEK 555

91.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.74 SEK 56.8

$6.80 SEK 67.3

-15.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 SEK 14.56

$4.86 SEK 48.11

-69.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.1 SEK 566

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 SEK 17.84

$1.66 SEK 16.42

8.43%

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

$32.4K SEK 320.8K

$33.1K SEK 327.8K

-2.14%

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

$33.6K SEK 332.4K

$33.6K SEK 332.1K

0.10%

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

$249 SEK 2,466

$83.2 SEK 823

199.54%

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

$21.60 SEK 214

$32.84 SEK 325

-34.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.18 SEK 398

$26.82 SEK 265

49.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.98 SEK 465

$48.77 SEK 483

-3.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.15 SEK 378

$34.57 SEK 342

10.36%

Cinema Ticket

$19.09 SEK 189

$16.39 SEK 162

16.47%

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

$158 SEK 1,568

$137 SEK 1,354

15.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K SEK 161.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 SEK 1,102

$100 SEK 992

11.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.0 SEK 583

$36.16 SEK 358

63.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 SEK 1,363

$118 SEK 1,166

16.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$186 SEK 1,845

$141 SEK 1,393

32.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,658 SEK 16.4K

$758 SEK 7,503

118.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,079 SEK 10.7K

$502 SEK 4,968

114.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,982 SEK 29.5K

$1,107 SEK 11.0K

169.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,746 SEK 17.3K

$834 SEK 8,255

109.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.3K SEK 111.7K

$4,556 SEK 45.1K

147.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,332 SEK 62.7K

$2,965 SEK 29.3K

113.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,583 SEK 35.5K

$2,654 SEK 26.3K

35.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.37

3.65

-7.67%

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

Last update for Stockholm: October 13, 2026

Last update for Umea: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stockholm

$1.1K 41.9%

Umea

$502 30.7% 53.5% $577

Groceries & Markets

Stockholm

$414 16.1%

Umea

$345 21.1% 16.7% $69

Eating Out

Stockholm

$325 12.6%

Umea

$286 17.5% 12.1% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stockholm

$311 12.1%

Umea

$143 8.8% 54.1% $168

Clothing & Footwear

Stockholm

$222 8.6%

Umea

$178 10.9% 20.1% $45

Getting Around

Stockholm

$138 5.4%

Umea

$99 6.1% 28.1% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Stockholm

$85 3.3%

Umea

$82 5% 4.2% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,658 in Stockholm versus $758 in Umea. 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 35% higher in Stockholm, 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 $100 in Stockholm versus $79.0 in Umea. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $414 vs $345 – making Umea the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Stockholm

🇸🇪 Umea

🕒 Local time

15:41 3:41 PM

Same time as Stockholm

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

984,748 Capital

79,594

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.1 USD

100 SEK = 8.99 EUR

100 SEK = 10.1 USD

100 SEK = 8.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Stockholm Umea 510 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Stockholm
Umea

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 Umea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Stockholm costs about 58% more than Umea, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,861 per month in Stockholm and $2,450 in Umea. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Umea, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 91% less in Umea. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $158 per month in Stockholm and $137 in Umea. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Umea, where all-in costs run around $1,633, than in Stockholm at $2,574. In Umea it covers expenses comfortably, while in Stockholm it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Umea costs $1,633 versus $2,574 in Stockholm. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Umea. 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.