Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sweden and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $800 a month against $1,892 in Sweden, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Sweden
Learn more

Sweden Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index

Jump to prices

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,892

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$800

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sweden and in China

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,892 in Sweden versus $800 in China.

Sweden $1,892
China $800

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,934 in Sweden versus $1,266 in China.

Sweden $2,934
China $1,266

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,975 in Sweden versus $1,731 in China.

Sweden $3,975
China $1,731

Internal cost variation is higher in Sweden: monthly costs span $1,439 to $2,580, compared to $462–$1,256 in China. City choice carries more weight in Sweden.

Living in Sweden is roughly 136% more expensive than in China on average.

Sweden (40% above) and China (41% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.01 SEK 149

$2.92 ¥19.50

414.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.1 SEK 793

$22.45 ¥150

256.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.89 SEK 108

$5.33 ¥35.65

104.32%

Cappuccino

$4.64 SEK 45.99

$3.04 ¥20.34

52.63%

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

$2.73 SEK 27.02

$0.48 ¥3.23

468.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 SEK 21.81

$0.30 ¥2.02

633.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.14 SEK 80.7

$1.07 ¥7.12

660.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.35 SEK 72.9

$2.26 ¥15.11

225.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 SEK 15.88

$1.75 ¥11.70

-8.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 SEK 28.70

$1.62 ¥10.80

79.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.64 SEK 36.08

$0.99 ¥6.63

267.68%

Eggs

$4.26 SEK 42.19

$1.56 ¥10.44

173.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.86 SEK 118

$13.25 ¥88.6

-10.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.81 SEK 117

$3.37 ¥22.50

250.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.17 SEK 190

$11.39 ¥76.2

68.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 SEK 30.81

$1.82 ¥12.19

70.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.52 SEK 24.96

$1.25 ¥8.34

101.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 SEK 30.20

$1.55 ¥10.39

96.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.32 SEK 42.84

$1.28 ¥8.55

237.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 SEK 16.59

$0.71 ¥4.72

135.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.60 SEK 15.84

$0.86 ¥5.75

86.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 SEK 23.12

$0.65 ¥4.36

258.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 SEK 14.53

$0.59 ¥3.97

149.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.69 SEK 76.2

$3.76 ¥25.14

104.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.91 SEK 108

$11.76 ¥78.6

-7.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 SEK 19.82

$0.91 ¥6.11

119.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 SEK 21.47

$1.62 ¥10.86

33.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.67 SEK 36.41

$0.31 ¥2.10

1083.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.9 SEK 841

$22.75 ¥152

273.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 SEK 61.2

$1.52 ¥10.17

305.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 SEK 19.51

$0.37 ¥2.50

432.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.3 SEK 587

$7.28 ¥48.66

714.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 SEK 17.31

$1.25 ¥8.38

40.00%

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

$33.5K SEK 331.5K

$19.4K ¥129.7K

72.51%

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

$33.3K SEK 329.5K

$17.1K ¥114.4K

94.31%

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

$133 SEK 1,317

$55.5 ¥371

139.59%

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

$26.40 SEK 262

$8.29 ¥55.4

218.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.88 SEK 385

$10.97 ¥73.3

254.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.56 SEK 402

$40.38 ¥270

0.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.06 SEK 268

$14.76 ¥98.7

83.33%

Cinema Ticket

$15.33 SEK 152

$6.76 ¥45.18

126.78%

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

$153 SEK 1,515

$465 ¥3,108

-67.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,292 SEK 42.5K

$19.6K ¥131.2K

-78.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 SEK 923

$46.32 ¥310

101.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.81 SEK 424

$36.30 ¥243

17.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 SEK 1,017

$76.3 ¥510

34.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 SEK 1,432

$78.8 ¥527

83.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$870 SEK 8,617

$396 ¥2,646

119.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$687 SEK 6,804

$240 ¥1,604

186.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,446 SEK 14.3K

$822 ¥5,499

75.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,153 SEK 11.4K

$466 ¥3,116

147.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,029 SEK 49.8K

$4,544 ¥30.4K

10.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,263 SEK 32.3K

$2,282 ¥15.3K

42.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,002 SEK 29.7K

$1,075 ¥7,188

179.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.67

3.46

6.07%

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

Last update for Sweden: October 18, 2026

Last update for China: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sweden

$687 36.3%

China

$240 30% 65.1% $447

Groceries & Markets

Sweden

$365 19.3%

China

$209 26.1% 42.7% $156

Eating Out

Sweden

$284 15%

China

$89 11.1% 68.7% $195

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sweden

$198 10.5%

China

$75 9.3% 62.3% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Sweden

$172 9.1%

China

$107 13.4% 37.9% $65

Getting Around

Sweden

$116 6.1%

China

$27 3.4% 76.3% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Sweden

$71 3.8%

China

$54 6.7% 24.3% $17

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $818 in Sweden, $299 in China. Capital cities: $1,670 in Stockholm vs $945 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $2,927 in Sweden, $870 in China. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 174% higher in Sweden.

Dining out costs 267% more in Sweden.

Public transport is 359% more expensive in Sweden.

Salaries are 236% higher in Sweden, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Sweden.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Sweden

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

15:19 3:19 PM

21:19 9:19 PM

6 h ahead of Sweden

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,587,710

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sweden China 6,710 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Sweden
China

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 China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $800 per month in China and $1,892 in Sweden, there's a 136% 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 cheaper in China: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $818 in Sweden and $299 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In China, $2,000 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: China wins on affordability; Sweden may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.