Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United Kingdom and Sweden

Name: Sweden
Address: SE

For one person, living is cheaper in Sweden: $1,917 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in the United Kingdom outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Sweden
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Sweden Living Index

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🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,917

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the United Kingdom and in Sweden

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

A single person spends $2,462 per month in the United Kingdom vs $1,917 in Sweden, rent included.

United Kingdom $2,462
Sweden $1,917

A couple spends around $3,600 per month in the United Kingdom vs $2,943 in Sweden, rent included.

United Kingdom $3,600
Sweden $2,943

A family of three spends $4,738 per month in the United Kingdom vs $3,968 in Sweden, rent included.

United Kingdom $4,738
Sweden $3,968

The regional cost range is wider in the United Kingdom ($1,126–$4,646) than in Sweden ($1,436–$2,531), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in the United Kingdom is about 28% higher than in Sweden on average.

Both the United Kingdom and Sweden are pricier than the global median – the United Kingdom by 81%, Sweden by 41%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.48 £16.04

$14.63 SEK 144

46.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.7 £64.0

$80.6 SEK 791

6.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 £7.92

$10.98 SEK 108

-3.37%

Cappuccino

$4.91 £3.67

$4.66 SEK 45.69

5.36%

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

$2.66 £1.99

$2.72 SEK 26.65

-2.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.39

$2.31 SEK 22.71

-19.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.63 £4.95

$8.02 SEK 78.7

-17.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 £5.11

$7.41 SEK 72.8

-7.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.25

$1.66 SEK 16.31

1.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 £1.28

$3.02 SEK 29.68

-43.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 £1.62

$3.61 SEK 35.46

-39.89%

Eggs

$4.00 £2.99

$4.27 SEK 41.89

-6.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 £7.03

$11.73 SEK 115

-19.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 £6.86

$11.54 SEK 113

-20.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 £11.03

$18.86 SEK 185

-21.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 £2.21

$2.99 SEK 29.38

-0.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 £1.21

$2.55 SEK 25.06

-36.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 £2.13

$2.97 SEK 29.10

-4.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 £2.63

$4.34 SEK 42.59

-18.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 £1.37

$1.71 SEK 16.75

7.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 £1.20

$1.58 SEK 15.54

1.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.93

$2.41 SEK 23.67

-48.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.24

$1.40 SEK 13.77

18.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.65 £17.66

$7.92 SEK 77.7

198.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 £7.84

$10.97 SEK 108

-4.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 £2.23

$1.99 SEK 19.49

49.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 £2.62

$2.05 SEK 20.13

71.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 £2.97

$3.75 SEK 36.76

6.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 £80.2

$82.6 SEK 810

30.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 £3.87

$6.16 SEK 60.5

-15.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 £1.75

$1.95 SEK 19.10

20.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.84 £20.04

$59.1 SEK 580

-54.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.48

$1.80 SEK 17.67

10.56%

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

$39.4K £29.5K

$32.9K SEK 323.1K

19.80%

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

$40.5K £30.2K

$33.9K SEK 332.9K

19.33%

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

$327 £244

$131 SEK 1,285

149.93%

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

$18.21 £13.60

$26.75 SEK 263

-31.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.60 £32.56

$38.08 SEK 374

14.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.36 £31.63

$39.21 SEK 385

8.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.22 £13.60

$27.16 SEK 267

-32.92%

Cinema Ticket

$13.85 £10.34

$14.88 SEK 146

-6.92%

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

$1,868 £1,395

$151 SEK 1,482

1137.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K £16.9K

$4,223 SEK 41.4K

435.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 £69.4

$93.6 SEK 919

-0.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.92 £34.29

$42.42 SEK 416

8.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £75.9

$99.0 SEK 971

2.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 £76.3

$145 SEK 1,421

-29.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 £1,002

$898 SEK 8,815

49.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,073 £801

$725 SEK 7,110

48.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,231 £1,666

$1,464 SEK 14.4K

52.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,742 £1,301

$1,168 SEK 11.5K

49.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,601 £4,182

$5,168 SEK 50.7K

8.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,265 £3,185

$3,366 SEK 33.0K

26.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,349 £2,501

$3,056 SEK 30.0K

9.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

3.66

45.36%

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

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sweden: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6%

Sweden

$725 37.8% 32.5% $349

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United Kingdom

$389 15.8%

Sweden

$196 10.2% 49.7% $193

Eating Out

United Kingdom

$328 13.3%

Sweden

$281 14.7% 14.3% $47

Groceries & Markets

United Kingdom

$307 12.5%

Sweden

$363 18.9% 18% $55

Clothing & Footwear

United Kingdom

$154 6.3%

Sweden

$171 8.9% 10.8% $17

Getting Around

United Kingdom

$140 5.7%

Sweden

$113 5.9% 19.1% $27

Sport & Entertainment

United Kingdom

$70 2.9%

Sweden

$69 3.6% 1.5% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,287 in the United Kingdom vs $830 in Sweden. For reference, capital cities sit at $2,811 in London and $1,614 in Stockholm.

Average salary: $3,251 in the United Kingdom vs $2,910 in Sweden. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 55% higher in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 29% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are 12% higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Sweden.

Good to know

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇸🇪 Sweden

🕒 Local time

12:55 12:55 PM

13:55 1:55 PM

1 h ahead of the United Kingdom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,326,569

10,587,710

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

100 SEK = 10.19 USD

100 SEK = 9.13 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

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).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

United Kingdom Sweden 1,430 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

United Kingdom
Sweden

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

United Kingdom vs Sweden: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sweden is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 22% lower on average.

Housing costs more in the United Kingdom: a central one-bedroom averages $1,287 versus $830 in Sweden.

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.