Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sweden and Spain

Name: Spain
Address: ES

For one person, living is cheaper in Spain: $1,775 a month against $1,917 in Sweden, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. The total is higher in Sweden despite lower rent and utilities.

92

Cost of Living Index in Sweden
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Sweden Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Spain
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Spain Living Index

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🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,917

/mo nomad

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sweden and in Spain

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,917 in Sweden versus $1,775 in Spain.

Sweden $1,917
Spain $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,943 in Sweden versus $2,606 in Spain.

Sweden $2,943
Spain $2,606

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,968 in Sweden versus $3,438 in Spain.

Sweden $3,968
Spain $3,438

Internal cost variation is higher in Spain: monthly costs span $931 to $2,610, compared to $1,436–$2,531 in Sweden. City choice carries more weight in Spain.

Living in Sweden is roughly 8% more expensive than in Spain on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Sweden 41% above, Spain 30% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.63 SEK 144

$16.69 €14.96

-12.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.6 SEK 792

$55.7 €49.91

44.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 SEK 108

$11.37 €10.18

-3.43%

Cappuccino

$4.66 SEK 45.72

$2.42 €2.17

92.56%

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

$2.72 SEK 26.66

$2.68 €2.40

1.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 SEK 22.72

$1.79 €1.60

29.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.02 SEK 78.7

$3.42 €3.07

134.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.41 SEK 72.8

$3.88 €3.47

90.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 SEK 16.32

$1.20 €1.07

38.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 SEK 29.70

$1.48 €1.33

104.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.61 SEK 35.48

$1.67 €1.50

116.17%

Eggs

$4.27 SEK 41.92

$3.42 €3.07

24.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.73 SEK 115

$14.17 €12.70

-17.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.54 SEK 113

$8.33 €7.46

38.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.86 SEK 185

$16.20 €14.52

16.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 SEK 29.40

$2.45 €2.20

22.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.55 SEK 25.08

$2.03 €1.82

25.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 SEK 29.12

$2.08 €1.86

42.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 SEK 42.62

$2.58 €2.31

68.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 SEK 16.76

$1.83 €1.64

-6.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 SEK 15.55

$2.00 €1.79

-21.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 SEK 23.68

$1.31 €1.17

83.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 SEK 13.78

$0.77 €0.69

81.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.92 SEK 77.8

$6.36 €5.70

24.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.97 SEK 108

$5.64 €5.06

94.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 SEK 19.51

$1.30 €1.17

53.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 SEK 20.15

$2.09 €1.87

-1.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.75 SEK 36.78

$1.64 €1.47

128.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.6 SEK 811

$32.91 €29.49

150.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.16 SEK 60.5

$4.43 €3.97

39.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 SEK 19.11

$1.47 €1.31

32.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.1 SEK 580

$24.98 €22.39

136.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 SEK 17.69

$1.77 €1.59

1.69%

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

$32.9K SEK 323.3K

$35.5K €31.8K

-7.30%

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

$33.9K SEK 333.1K

$30.6K €27.4K

10.82%

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

$131 SEK 1,286

$149 €134

-12.31%

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

$26.75 SEK 263

$17.67 €15.84

51.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.08 SEK 374

$31.88 €28.57

19.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.21 SEK 385

$44.24 €39.64

-11.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.16 SEK 267

$15.29 €13.70

77.63%

Cinema Ticket

$14.88 SEK 146

$9.66 €8.66

54.04%

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

$151 SEK 1,483

$544 €488

-72.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,223 SEK 41.5K

$10.6K €9,504

-60.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.6 SEK 919

$84.9 €76.1

10.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.42 SEK 417

$37.11 €33.26

14.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.0 SEK 972

$89.2 €79.9

10.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 SEK 1,422

$106 €94.8

36.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$898 SEK 8,821

$1,056 €947

-14.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 SEK 7,115

$808 €724

-10.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,464 SEK 14.4K

$1,621 €1,453

-9.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 SEK 11.5K

$1,246 €1,117

-6.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,168 SEK 50.8K

$4,135 €3,706

24.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,366 SEK 33.0K

$2,633 €2,359

27.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,056 SEK 30.0K

$1,999 €1,791

52.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.66

3.3

10.91%

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

Last update for Sweden: October 27, 2026

Last update for Spain: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sweden

$725 37.8%

Spain

$808 45.5% 11.5% $83

Groceries & Markets

Sweden

$363 18.9%

Spain

$272 15.3% 25.1% $91

Eating Out

Sweden

$281 14.7%

Spain

$239 13.5% 14.8% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sweden

$196 10.2%

Spain

$199 11.2% 1.6% $3.1

Clothing & Footwear

Sweden

$171 8.9%

Spain

$143 8% 16.6% $28

Getting Around

Sweden

$113 5.9%

Spain

$51 2.9% 54.8% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Sweden

$69 3.6%

Spain

$64 3.6% 7.8% $5.4

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $830 in Sweden, $920 in Spain. Capital cities: $1,614 in Stockholm vs $1,508 in Madrid.

National salary averages: $2,910 in Sweden, $1,972 in Spain. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 11% higher in Spain.

Dining out costs 35% more in Sweden.

Public transport is 152% more expensive in Sweden.

Salaries are 48% higher in Sweden, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Sweden.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Sweden

🇪🇸 Spain

🕒 Local time

06:40 6:40 AM

Same time as Sweden

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,587,710

47,415,750

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.18 USD

100 SEK = 9.12 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.82 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 SEK (100 SEK = 9.12 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sweden Spain 2,590 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sweden
Spain

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 Spain: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,775 per month in Spain and $1,917 in Sweden, Spain comes out about 7% 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 Spain: 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.

It depends on what you’re after: Spain wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.