Cost of Living in Sweden - Updated Prices & Insights

Name: Sweden
Address: SE

Monthly Cost of Living

A single person spends around $1,823 per month with rent on average in Sweden.

A couple spends around $2,827 per month with rent on average in Sweden.

A family of three spends around $3,831 per month with rent on average in Sweden.

Across 73 cities in Sweden, monthly living costs range from $1,437 to $2,631 – a $1,194 difference that makes location a key factor.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.88 SEK 146

$11.14 SEK 109

$20.24 SEK 199

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.7 SEK 793

$60.5 SEK 595

$141 SEK 1,387

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.18 SEK 110

$10.16 SEK 99.9

$12.60 SEK 124

Cappuccino

$4.70 SEK 46.15

$3.04 SEK 29.86

$6.97 SEK 68.6

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

$2.86 SEK 28.10

$1.68 SEK 16.52

$4.20 SEK 41.30

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 SEK 23.11

$1.58 SEK 15.54

$3.69 SEK 36.23

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.98 SEK 78.4

$4.99 SEK 49.06

$9.97 SEK 98.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.65 SEK 75.2

$6.12 SEK 60.1

$10.19 SEK 100

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 SEK 16.23

$1.22 SEK 11.96

$2.33 SEK 22.94

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 SEK 28.89

$1.76 SEK 17.30

$5.04 SEK 49.57

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.56 SEK 34.97

$2.00 SEK 19.70

$5.01 SEK 49.29

Eggs

$4.24 SEK 41.68

$2.85 SEK 28.01

$5.99 SEK 58.9

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.81 SEK 116

$8.10 SEK 79.6

$20.25 SEK 199

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.05 SEK 118

$7.08 SEK 69.6

$16.43 SEK 161

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.34 SEK 190

$11.22 SEK 110

$30.59 SEK 301

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 SEK 31.03

$1.86 SEK 18.28

$4.12 SEK 40.52

Banana (1kg)

$2.60 SEK 25.58

$2.02 SEK 19.87

$3.54 SEK 34.79

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 SEK 30.31

$2.05 SEK 20.14

$4.84 SEK 47.59

Tomato (1kg)

$4.54 SEK 44.64

$2.11 SEK 20.71

$6.74 SEK 66.3

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 SEK 17.64

$1.06 SEK 10.38

$2.63 SEK 25.80

Onion (1kg)

$1.63 SEK 16.02

$1.11 SEK 10.90

$2.32 SEK 22.77

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 SEK 23.01

$1.50 SEK 14.77

$4.00 SEK 39.32

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 SEK 13.92

$0.89 SEK 8.77

$2.48 SEK 24.41

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.89 SEK 77.6

$7.09 SEK 69.6

$9.00 SEK 88.5

Wine (Bottle)

$11.26 SEK 111

$8.19 SEK 80.5

$19.45 SEK 191

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 SEK 20.00

$1.57 SEK 15.40

$3.13 SEK 30.80

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 SEK 21.52

$1.57 SEK 15.41

$3.14 SEK 30.83

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.68 SEK 36.18

$2.99 SEK 29.40

$4.28 SEK 42.10

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.7 SEK 882

$65.7 SEK 646

$111 SEK 1,087

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.12 SEK 60.2

$5.02 SEK 49.37

$10.04 SEK 98.7

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 SEK 19.40

$1.55 SEK 15.22

$3.12 SEK 30.65

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$61.8 SEK 607

$48.64 SEK 478

$82.8 SEK 814

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.89 SEK 18.59

$1.70 SEK 16.67

$2.11 SEK 20.71

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

$33.5K SEK 329.6K

$32.8K SEK 322.6K

$33.5K SEK 329.7K

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

$34.2K SEK 336.6K

$33.6K SEK 329.8K

$34.9K SEK 343.0K

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

$131 SEK 1,292

$70.6 SEK 694

$260 SEK 2,554

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

$27.19 SEK 267

$13.38 SEK 132

$41.16 SEK 405

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.82 SEK 382

$29.43 SEK 289

$50.9 SEK 500

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.38 SEK 397

$25.55 SEK 251

$61.3 SEK 603

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.49 SEK 270

$20.44 SEK 201

$39.32 SEK 386

Cinema Ticket

$16.32 SEK 160

$13.86 SEK 136

$22.58 SEK 222

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

$155 SEK 1,527

$123 SEK 1,213

$190 SEK 1,866

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,705 SEK 46.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.6 SEK 930

$51.1 SEK 502

$125 SEK 1,229

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.36 SEK 416

$20.23 SEK 199

$75.9 SEK 746

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 SEK 1,002

$61.1 SEK 601

$153 SEK 1,502

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 SEK 1,443

$80.4 SEK 790

$201 SEK 1,976

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$863 SEK 8,487

$605 SEK 5,945

$1,714 SEK 16.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$694 SEK 6,825

$457 SEK 4,488

$1,079 SEK 10.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,434 SEK 14.1K

$1,012 SEK 9,948

$3,176 SEK 31.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 SEK 11.4K

$825 SEK 8,110

$1,845 SEK 18.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,217 SEK 51.3K

$3,072 SEK 30.2K

$11.8K SEK 116.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,320 SEK 32.6K

$2,160 SEK 21.2K

$7,057 SEK 69.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,033 SEK 29.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.67

2.8

4.8

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

Last update: September 15, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom averages $841 nationally. In Stockholm, expect around $1,771, while Gavle – the country's most affordable city overall – comes in at $580.

The average net salary in Sweden is $2,985 – comfortably above average monthly costs of $1,823. Most full-time workers can cover expenses and save.

Groceries average around $366 per month nationally. A mid-range dinner for two costs about $79.0.

Most affordable: Gavle at $1,437 per month. The capital, Stockholm, sits at $2,631. Across the country, monthly costs span roughly $1,194 between the cheapest and priciest cities.

Cost Highlights

Overall living costs ($1,823) is 33% above the global median of $1,368.

Average rent ($841) is 26% above the global median of $667.

Dining out ($79.0) is 65% above the global median of $48.00.

Public transport ($80.0) is 135% above the global median of $34.00.

By City in Sweden

Lowest

Highest

Rank	City	Population	Living Index	Solo costs (no rent) / month	Solo costs (with rent) / month	Family of 3 costs (no rent) / month	Family of 3 costs (with rent) / month	Mobile download speed (Mbps)	Internet download speed (Mbps)
51	Skelleftea	32775	96	$1,133	$2,059	$2,793	$4,155	58.02	114.26
52	Skovde	34466	83	$1,225	$1,793	$2,680	$3,770	101.24	196.04
53	Sodertalje	64619	106	$1,110	$2,303	$2,463	$4,669	157.6	232.26
54	Sollefteå	18673	83	$1,051	$1,751	$2,689	$3,808	172.76	176.65
55	Sollentuna	76131	111	$1,182	$2,407	$2,956	$4,539	24.64	233.57
56	Solna	85540	84	$1,092	$1,826	$2,700	$3,871	126.5	282.3
57	Staffanstorp	26652	82	$1,031	$1,753	$2,579	$3,756	118.93	234.44
58	Stenungsund	27842	90	$1,140	$1,936	$2,726	$4,027	109.56	212.4
59	Stockholm	984748	122	$1,292	$2,631	$3,224	$5,486	264.91	270.93
60	Sundbyberg	54120	85	$1,107	$1,836	$2,678	$3,809	212.89	279.27
61	Sundsvall	57606	81	$959	$1,727	$2,934	$3,548	58.54	165.4
62	Taby	-	100	$1,223	$2,143	$2,573	$4,035	151.32	254.58
63	Trollhattan	44498	74	$830	$1,608	$2,503	$3,246	57.34	197.93
64	Tumba	42344	91	$1,141	$1,935	$2,801	$4,078	100.28	272.27
65	Uddevalla	31212	85	$1,014	$1,813	$2,546	$3,856	53.56	212.25
66	Umea	79594	78	$936	$1,644	$2,557	$3,680	57.57	157.62
67	Uppsala	166698	94	$1,187	$1,989	$2,869	$4,167	53.16	245.25
68	Varberg	27602	78	$1,103	$1,699	$2,528	$3,675	176.03	113.82
69	Varnamo	19778	83	$1,081	$1,788	$2,800	$3,910	121.73	166.08
70	Vasteras	110877	87	$911	$1,847	$2,580	$3,834	155.7	196.8
71	Vaxjo	55600	79	$834	$1,695	$2,547	$3,457	37.24	164.61
72	Visby	22593	83	$1,000	$1,809	$2,608	$3,771	94.98	207.09
73	Ystad	18350	78	$971	$1,692	$2,498	$3,740	69.02	151.56

Sweden Median Internet Speeds (Updated April 2026)

Mobile

Mbps

Fixed Broadband

Mbps

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Cost of Living in Sweden - Frequently Asked Questions

Sweden offers high-quality public services and safety, which can balance higher costs with reliable infrastructure. In general terms, Cost of Living in Sweden tends to reward you if you plan for longer stays and can share housing or opt for longer-term rentals. Cities like Stockholm and Gothenburg offer vibrant work cultures and excellent transit, while smaller towns provide quieter options with lower price pressure. Budget-minded travelers can still stretch a budget by leveraging libraries, free museum days, and seasonal discounts. Tip: Look for neighborhoods near transit hubs or universities to optimize access and price while maintaining life quality.

Daily life blends efficiency with a respect for privacy and nature. Your housing search will involve balancing size, location, and rental terms; outside major cities you may find more space for similar budgets. Food options range from seasonal markets to reliable supermarkets; cooking at home helps you manage costs, while occasional dining out supports local cafes. Transport is straightforward: robust public transit, bike-friendly streets, and commuter trains connect regions. Run errands by clustering trips to save time and travel costs. Sweden living cost varies by city, season, and neighborhood, so tailor routines to your location. Tip: Use seasonality to buy produce when it’s best value and plan ahead for housing and transit needs.

Quality of life hinges on balance: you can enjoy clean systems, safety, and nature by budgeting around core costs. Use a simple framework: fixed costs (housing, utilities) versus flexible spending (eating out, entertainment). In winter, heating needs can reshape monthly plans, so seek well-insulated homes and efficient heat sources. Neighborhood fit matters: central districts offer culture and quick transit but higher rents, while suburbs or university towns often provide more space and value with reliable services. Seasonal activities and markets can keep life affordable and engaging. Tip: track your essential expenses for a few months to spot savings and refine your location choice.

Sweden falls in the middle globally – not a bargain destination, not an expensive one. Costs vary a lot by region, which means it works for a wide range of incomes and lifestyles depending on where you settle.

In 2026, monthly costs in Sweden range from $1,437 in smaller cities to $2,631 in major hubs. Where you choose to live makes a dramatic difference – the gap between cheapest and most expensive cities is huge.

Rent in Sweden varies a lot – Stockholm has the highest prices, and the gap between capital and provincial rents can be 50% or more. Choosing which city to live in is one of the biggest financial decisions you'll make.

In regional cities, $2,000 is plenty. In Stockholm? You'll need to plan carefully, especially around housing. Shared apartments or outer neighborhoods are the usual workarounds.

Sweden is mid-range globally, with more affordable cities starting around $1,437 per month. Not the cheapest option out there, but far from the most expensive – a reasonable balance of cost and quality of life.