Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sweden and Australia

Name: Australia
Address: AU

For one person, living is cheaper in Sweden: $1,917 a month against $2,626 in Australia, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Sweden
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Sweden Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Australia
Learn more

Australia Living Index

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🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,917

/mo nomad

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,626

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sweden and in Australia

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

A single person spends $1,917 per month in Sweden vs $2,626 in Australia, rent included.

Sweden $1,917
Australia $2,626

A couple spends around $2,943 per month in Sweden vs $3,810 in Australia, rent included.

Sweden $2,943
Australia $3,810

A family of three spends $3,968 per month in Sweden vs $4,994 in Australia, rent included.

Sweden $3,968
Australia $4,994

The regional cost range is wider in Australia ($1,068–$3,303) than in Sweden ($1,436–$2,531), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Sweden is roughly 27% lower than in Australia on average.

Both Sweden and Australia are pricier than the global median – Sweden by 41%, Australia by 93%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.63 SEK 144

$17.65 A$25.08

-17.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.6 SEK 791

$85.2 A$121

-5.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 SEK 108

$11.09 A$15.76

-0.99%

Cappuccino

$4.66 SEK 45.69

$3.90 A$5.54

19.49%

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

$2.72 SEK 26.65

$2.85 A$4.05

-4.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 SEK 22.71

$2.31 A$3.29

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.02 SEK 78.7

$7.53 A$10.70

6.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.41 SEK 72.8

$8.59 A$12.20

-13.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 SEK 16.31

$1.76 A$2.50

-5.68%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 SEK 29.68

$2.81 A$3.99

7.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.61 SEK 35.46

$2.24 A$3.19

61.16%

Eggs

$4.27 SEK 41.89

$5.02 A$7.14

-14.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.73 SEK 115

$9.87 A$14.02

18.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.54 SEK 113

$9.32 A$13.24

23.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.86 SEK 185

$14.86 A$21.13

26.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 SEK 29.38

$3.82 A$5.42

-21.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.55 SEK 25.06

$2.92 A$4.16

-12.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 SEK 29.10

$3.13 A$4.46

-5.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 SEK 42.59

$4.81 A$6.83

-9.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 SEK 16.75

$2.80 A$3.98

-38.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 SEK 15.54

$2.38 A$3.38

-33.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 SEK 23.67

$2.37 A$3.37

1.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 SEK 13.77

$1.65 A$2.35

-15.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.92 SEK 77.7

$39.13 A$55.6

-79.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.97 SEK 108

$13.93 A$19.80

-21.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 SEK 19.49

$4.96 A$7.05

-59.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 SEK 20.13

$5.17 A$7.35

-60.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.75 SEK 36.76

$2.42 A$3.44

54.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.6 SEK 810

$94.6 A$134

-12.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.16 SEK 60.5

$3.49 A$4.97

76.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 SEK 19.10

$1.60 A$2.27

21.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.1 SEK 580

$39.84 A$56.6

48.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 SEK 17.67

$1.39 A$1.97

29.50%

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

$32.9K SEK 323.1K

$30.0K A$42.7K

9.74%

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

$33.9K SEK 332.9K

$25.8K A$36.6K

31.73%

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

$131 SEK 1,285

$205 A$291

-36.15%

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

$26.75 SEK 263

$28.33 A$40.27

-5.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.08 SEK 374

$58.8 A$83.5

-35.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.21 SEK 385

$55.7 A$79.1

-29.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.16 SEK 267

$19.57 A$27.82

38.78%

Cinema Ticket

$14.88 SEK 146

$15.38 A$21.86

-3.25%

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

$151 SEK 1,482

$2,145 A$3,049

-92.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,223 SEK 41.4K

$18.3K A$26.1K

-76.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.6 SEK 919

$78.3 A$111

19.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.42 SEK 416

$56.3 A$80.0

-24.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.0 SEK 971

$115 A$164

-14.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 SEK 1,421

$123 A$175

17.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$898 SEK 8,815

$1,591 A$2,261

-43.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 SEK 7,110

$1,293 A$1,837

-43.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,464 SEK 14.4K

$2,524 A$3,588

-41.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 SEK 11.5K

$2,005 A$2,850

-41.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,168 SEK 50.7K

$8,751 A$12.4K

-40.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,366 SEK 33.0K

$6,260 A$8,898

-46.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,056 SEK 30.0K

$3,984 A$5,663

-23.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.66

5.93

-38.28%

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

Last update for Sweden: October 27, 2026

Last update for Australia: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sweden

$725 37.8%

Australia

$1.3K 49.2% 78.4% $568

Groceries & Markets

Sweden

$363 18.9%

Australia

$374 14.3% 3.2% $12

Eating Out

Sweden

$281 14.7%

Australia

$297 11.3% 5.6% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sweden

$196 10.2%

Australia

$292 11.1% 49.2% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Sweden

$171 8.9%

Australia

$168 6.4% 1.8% $3.2

Getting Around

Sweden

$113 5.9%

Australia

$116 4.4% 2% $2.3

Sport & Entertainment

Sweden

$69 3.6%

Australia

$86 3.3% 25.3% $17

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $830 in Sweden vs $1,383 in Australia. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,614 in Stockholm and $1,749 in Canberra.

Average salary: $2,910 in Sweden vs $3,874 in Australia. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 67% higher in Australia.

Salaries are 33% higher in Australia.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Sweden

🇦🇺 Australia

🕒 Local time

00:52 12:52 AM

10:52 10:52 AM

10 h ahead of Sweden

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,587,710

26,473,055

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.19 USD

100 SEK = 9.13 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 9.81 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 SEK (100 SEK = 9.13 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sweden Australia 15,610 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Sweden
Australia

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

Sweden vs Australia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sweden is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 27% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Australia: a central one-bedroom averages $1,383 versus $830 in Sweden.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Sweden – part of why living there is about 27% cheaper overall.

Sweden is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.