Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sweden and Italy

Name: Italy
Address: IT

For one person, living is cheaper in Italy: $1,843 a month against $1,917 in Sweden, rent and utilities included – about $890 less a year. The total is higher in Sweden despite lower rent and utilities.

92

Cost of Living Index in Sweden
Learn more

Sweden Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Italy
Learn more

Italy Living Index

Jump to prices

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,917

/mo nomad

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,843

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sweden and in Italy

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,917 in Sweden versus $1,843 in Italy.

Sweden $1,917
Italy $1,843

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,943 in Sweden versus $2,816 in Italy.

Sweden $2,943
Italy $2,816

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,968 in Sweden versus $3,788 in Italy.

Sweden $3,968
Italy $3,788

Internal cost variation is higher in Italy: monthly costs span $1,038 to $2,555, compared to $1,436–$2,531 in Sweden. City choice carries more weight in Italy.

Living in Sweden is roughly 4% more expensive than in Italy on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Sweden 41% above, Italy 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.63 SEK 144

$20.46 €18.32

-28.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.6 SEK 791

$79.5 €71.2

1.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 SEK 108

$11.15 €9.99

-1.52%

Cappuccino

$4.66 SEK 45.69

$2.04 €1.83

128.43%

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

$2.72 SEK 26.65

$3.10 €2.78

-12.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 SEK 22.71

$1.40 €1.25

65.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.02 SEK 78.7

$5.51 €4.94

45.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.41 SEK 72.8

$5.74 €5.14

29.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 SEK 16.31

$1.57 €1.41

5.73%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 SEK 29.68

$2.38 €2.13

26.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.61 SEK 35.46

$2.90 €2.60

24.48%

Eggs

$4.27 SEK 41.89

$4.07 €3.65

4.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.73 SEK 115

$17.44 €15.62

-32.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.54 SEK 113

$12.56 €11.25

-8.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.86 SEK 185

$20.17 €18.06

-6.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 SEK 29.38

$2.58 €2.31

15.89%

Banana (1kg)

$2.55 SEK 25.06

$2.19 €1.96

16.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 SEK 29.10

$2.68 €2.40

10.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 SEK 42.59

$3.27 €2.93

32.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 SEK 16.75

$1.90 €1.70

-10.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 SEK 15.54

$1.82 €1.63

-13.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 SEK 23.67

$1.57 €1.40

53.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 SEK 13.77

$0.55 €0.49

154.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.92 SEK 77.7

$6.69 €5.99

18.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.97 SEK 108

$7.99 €7.15

37.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 SEK 19.49

$1.77 €1.59

12.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 SEK 20.13

$2.35 €2.11

-12.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.75 SEK 36.76

$1.91 €1.71

96.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.6 SEK 810

$43.44 €38.90

90.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.16 SEK 60.5

$5.62 €5.03

9.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 SEK 19.10

$1.71 €1.54

14.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.1 SEK 580

$33.64 €30.12

75.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 SEK 17.67

$2.03 €1.82

-11.33%

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

$32.9K SEK 323.1K

$35.3K €31.6K

-6.74%

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

$33.9K SEK 332.9K

$36.7K €32.9K

-7.68%

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

$131 SEK 1,285

$227 €203

-42.22%

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

$26.75 SEK 263

$11.59 €10.38

130.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.08 SEK 374

$30.38 €27.21

25.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.21 SEK 385

$51.8 €46.37

-24.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.16 SEK 267

$23.70 €21.22

14.60%

Cinema Ticket

$14.88 SEK 146

$10.60 €9.50

40.38%

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

$151 SEK 1,482

$568 €508

-73.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,223 SEK 41.4K

$11.5K €10.3K

-63.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.6 SEK 919

$90.5 €81.1

3.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.42 SEK 416

$38.55 €34.53

10.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.0 SEK 971

$103 €91.9

-3.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 SEK 1,421

$131 €117

10.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$898 SEK 8,815

$826 €739

8.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 SEK 7,110

$646 €579

12.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,464 SEK 14.4K

$1,400 €1,254

4.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 SEK 11.5K

$1,054 €944

10.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,168 SEK 50.7K

$3,662 €3,280

41.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,366 SEK 33.0K

$2,301 €2,061

46.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,056 SEK 30.0K

$1,886 €1,689

62.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.66

3.56

2.81%

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

Last update for Sweden: October 27, 2026

Last update for Italy: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sweden

$725 37.8%

Italy

$646 35.1% 10.8% $78

Groceries & Markets

Sweden

$363 18.9%

Italy

$348 18.9% 4% $15

Eating Out

Sweden

$281 14.7%

Italy

$279 15.1% 0.8% $2.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sweden

$196 10.2%

Italy

$269 14.6% 37.2% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Sweden

$171 8.9%

Italy

$163 8.9% 4.5% $7.7

Getting Around

Sweden

$113 5.9%

Italy

$65 3.5% 42.5% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Sweden

$69 3.6%

Italy

$73 4% 5.8% $4

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $830 in Sweden, $729 in Italy. Capital cities: $1,614 in Stockholm vs $1,297 in Rome.

National salary averages: $2,910 in Sweden, $1,890 in Italy. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 14% higher in Sweden.

Public transport is 81% more expensive in Sweden.

Salaries are 54% higher in Sweden, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Sweden.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Sweden

🇮🇹 Italy

🕒 Local time

11:07 11:07 AM

Same time as Sweden

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,587,710

58,850,717

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.19 USD

100 SEK = 9.13 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sweden Italy 1,980 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Sweden
Italy

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 Italy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,843 per month in Italy and $1,917 in Sweden, Italy comes out about 4% cheaper. 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 Italy: 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 $830 in Sweden and $729 in Italy. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Italy, $2,500 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: Italy wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.