Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Umea and Stockholm

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.

80

Cost of Living Index in Umea
Learn more

Umea Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Stockholm
Learn more

Stockholm Living Index

Jump to prices

Umea

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,633

/mo nomad

Stockholm

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,574

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Umea and in Stockholm

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

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

Umea $1,633
Stockholm $2,574

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

Umea $2,596
Stockholm $3,871

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

Umea $3,558
Stockholm $5,167

Umea is about 37% cheaper than Stockholm, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.23 SEK 151

$18.12 SEK 179

-15.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.0 SEK 782

$99.6 SEK 985

-20.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 SEK 117

$11.76 SEK 116

0.17%

Cappuccino

$4.02 SEK 39.79

$4.95 SEK 48.97

-18.79%

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

$3.12 SEK 30.86

$3.68 SEK 36.42

-15.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 SEK 23.31

$3.16 SEK 31.24

-25.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.71 SEK 86.2

$8.05 SEK 79.7

8.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.33 SEK 72.6

$8.82 SEK 87.3

-16.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 SEK 16.16

$1.80 SEK 17.78

-9.44%

White Bread (500g)

$3.30 SEK 32.61

$3.88 SEK 38.38

-14.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.00 SEK 39.60

$3.83 SEK 37.95

4.44%

Eggs

$3.86 SEK 38.17

$5.14 SEK 50.9

-24.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.16 SEK 110

$12.45 SEK 123

-10.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.65 SEK 105

$12.63 SEK 125

-15.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.95 SEK 168

$21.90 SEK 217

-22.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.54 SEK 25.09

$3.47 SEK 34.37

-26.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 SEK 21.42

$2.74 SEK 27.11

-21.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 SEK 27.93

$3.08 SEK 30.51

-8.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 SEK 41.06

$4.48 SEK 44.36

-7.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 SEK 15.92

$1.77 SEK 17.52

-9.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 SEK 16.46

$1.79 SEK 17.68

-7.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 SEK 24.53

$2.40 SEK 23.73

3.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 SEK 12.44

$2.37 SEK 23.48

-46.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.02 SEK 69.5

$8.72 SEK 86.3

-19.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.76 SEK 96.6

$11.99 SEK 119

-18.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 SEK 22.61

$2.11 SEK 20.87

8.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 SEK 23.10

$2.56 SEK 25.31

-8.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.98 SEK 29.45

$4.34 SEK 42.91

-31.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.0 SEK 555

$107 SEK 1,061

-47.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.80 SEK 67.3

$5.74 SEK 56.8

18.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.86 SEK 48.11

$1.47 SEK 14.56

230.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.1 SEK 566

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.66 SEK 16.42

$1.80 SEK 17.84

-7.78%

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

$33.1K SEK 327.8K

$32.4K SEK 320.8K

2.19%

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

$33.6K SEK 332.1K

$33.6K SEK 332.4K

-0.10%

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

$83.2 SEK 823

$249 SEK 2,466

-66.62%

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

$32.84 SEK 325

$21.60 SEK 214

52.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.82 SEK 265

$40.18 SEK 398

-33.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.77 SEK 483

$46.98 SEK 465

3.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.57 SEK 342

$38.15 SEK 378

-9.38%

Cinema Ticket

$16.39 SEK 162

$19.09 SEK 189

-14.14%

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

$137 SEK 1,354

$158 SEK 1,568

-13.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K SEK 161.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$100 SEK 992

$111 SEK 1,102

-9.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.16 SEK 358

$59.0 SEK 583

-38.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 SEK 1,166

$138 SEK 1,363

-14.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 SEK 1,393

$186 SEK 1,845

-24.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$758 SEK 7,503

$1,658 SEK 16.4K

-54.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$502 SEK 4,968

$1,079 SEK 10.7K

-53.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,107 SEK 11.0K

$2,982 SEK 29.5K

-62.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$834 SEK 8,255

$1,746 SEK 17.3K

-52.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,556 SEK 45.1K

$11.3K SEK 111.7K

-59.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,965 SEK 29.3K

$6,332 SEK 62.7K

-53.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,654 SEK 26.3K

$3,583 SEK 35.5K

-25.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.65

3.37

8.31%

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

Last update for Umea: October 10, 2026

Last update for Stockholm: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Umea

$502 30.7%

Stockholm

$1.1K 41.9% 115% $577

Groceries & Markets

Umea

$345 21.1%

Stockholm

$414 16.1% 20.1% $69

Eating Out

Umea

$286 17.5%

Stockholm

$325 12.6% 13.8% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Umea

$178 10.9%

Stockholm

$222 8.6% 25.2% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Umea

$143 8.8%

Stockholm

$311 12.1% 118% $168

Getting Around

Umea

$99 6.1%

Stockholm

$138 5.4% 39% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Umea

$82 5%

Stockholm

$85 3.3% 4.4% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

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

Good to know

🇸🇪 Umea

🇸🇪 Stockholm

🕒 Local time

14:34 2:34 PM

Same time as Umea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,594

984,748 Capital

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Umea Stockholm 510 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Umea
Stockholm

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

Umea vs Stockholm: 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 $2,450 per month in Umea and $3,861 in Stockholm. 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 $137 per month in Umea and $158 in Stockholm. 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.