Europe

Sweden Cost of Living in 2024 (Stockholm, Gothenburg etc.)

Living in Sweden is expensive if we are to compare the cost of living here with that in other countries.

The monthly cost of living in Sweden for a single person is around €2,200. The cost of living for a couple is around €3,800 per month, while a family of four’s living expenses in Sweden are €4,500 per month.

My estimations above include rent and all potential expenses each person has on a monthly basis. Depending on lifestyle, though, these can easily go up. A lot!

Now, let’s get a bit more in-depth and see how this monthly budget will be spread across the various areas throughout the month.

Monthly cost of living in Sweden – detailed breakdown

My estimates below are for somebody living a normal life – not one of luxury, but not on the lower end either.

Please note: although Sweden’s currency is the SEK (Swedish Krona), I will list all the prices below in Euros, since it will be easier to relate to that.

Rental prices in Sweden

cosy Swedish apartment

Out of all your monthly expenses, accommodation will probably be the biggest one. Renting is not cheap in Sweden and prices for buying property are even higher. But we’ll stick to rentals for now.

Here is what you should expect to pay as monthly rent in Sweden, depending on your choice:

  • shared room in an apartment: around 600 Euros/month
  • 1-bedroom apartment (live alone): €1,000 – €1,300 per month (depending on location)
  • 2-bedroom apartment: around €1,800 /month

Generally, prices are higher in the largest cities in the country (Stockholm, Gothenborg and Malmo), but the differences are not huge. So the prices above can be considered averages throughout the country.

Costs for Utilities

Unlike in most other countries out there, utilities are usually included in the rent in Sweden.

Make sure to clear this out before renting: even though this is the golden rule of thumb, sometimes just some of the utilities and sometimes none are included in the rent.

If you have to pay utilities, you would have to budget something similar to what I’m suggesting below:

  • For electricity, heating, water and gas: around €155 per month, depending on consumption (usually higher during the winter)
  • Internet & TV: 50 Euros per month
  • Mobile: around 35 Euros for unlimited local calls and 10GB of Internet

The cost of utilities are lower in Sweden than they are in other countries in Scandinavia, such as Norway.

They can still skyrocket if you are not careful, especially during the winter month: if you want to stay in shorts and t-shirt inside when there’s -20 degrees Celsius outside, expect to pay a lot more!

Food Costs in Sweden

Swedish meatballs

After rent, food costs usually represent the second largest expense on your monthly budget and things won’t be made easy for you in Sweden, where food costs are pretty high, even when cooking at home.

The monthly costs in this category here are always very difficult to estimate, because they can vary a lot from person to person, based on their eating habits.

All in all, with eating out once a week included in the costs, I estimate that a single person will spend at least €600 per month on food, while a couple will spend around €1,000.

Let’s look at some actual prices for some things you can buy in supermarkets in Sweden:

  • 1 Liter of milk – €1.40
  • 1 Loaf of bread – €2.40
  • 12 eggs – €3.5
  • Local Cheese (1kg) – €13 (although prices vary a lot)
  • Chicken breasts (1kg) – €15
  • Potatoes (1kg): €1.5
  • Tomatoes (1kg): €5.00
  • Apples (1kg): €3.1
  • Bananas (1kg): €2.50
  • Oranges (1kg): €2.50
  • Bottled water (1.5 liters): €1.8
  • Beer (store-brought): €1.9
  • Wine (store-brought): €15 (prices vary a lot here as well, consider the listed one as the average)

Seasonality comes into play here, with prices going up during the winter and down during the summer and especially autumn, at least when it comes to vegetables.

Costs of eating out in Sweden

Here is what to expect to pay when eating out:

  • Meal for 2 in regular restaurant, with a drink included: 40 – 50 Euros
  • Meal for 2 in a better restaurant, with drinks included: 80 Euros
  • Beer in a restaurant: 8 Euros
  • Bottle of juice: 2.0 Euros
  • Cappuccino or Latte: 3.5 Euros
  • Falafel wrap (to go): 6 Euros

If you’re curious to see how Sweden compares to other countries in the area, check out the cost of living in Denmark, but also the cost of living in Finland.

Other Expenses

There are many other expenses that you will have each month, and these are pretty difficult to anticipate.

Buying new clothes, buying consumables, maybe going to the gym or a theater or cinema, plus transportation-related costs are some of these expenses.

I will list below some of the prices you should expect to be paying in Sweden for various things and services:

  • 1 ticket for public transportation: 3.00 Euros
  • Monthly public transport pass: 85 Euros
  • Gasoline: €1.75/liter
  • Movie ticket: €15.00
  • Gym Membership (1 month): 40 Euros

Any unexpected expenses can also bring the monthly costs up, so try to have an emergency fund for these.

Total Monthly Expenses in Sweden

Cost of Living in Sweden Pinterest Pin

After looking at all the estimated expenses for each of the categories above, it’s time to add them together to see what’s the cost of living in Sweden this year.

The numbers I am using below are for a single person’s monthly expenses, but I’ll go a bit more in-depth with couples and families afterward.

Rent & Utilities (internet & TV included): 1,150 Euros / month
Food, Eating out & Entertainment: 700 Euros / month
Other expenses: 350 Euros / month
____________________
TOTAL: 2,200 Euros / month

These costs are for a pretty basic lifestyle and they can go up a lot, and fast, if you want to live a more luxurious lifestyle or party/eat out often.

Things are getting a bit cheaper if you are living with your partner: the cost of living for two won’t double, fortunately, as rental costs and utilities are split in half.

Therefore, a couple will live a similar life on just €3,800 per month, while a family of four will only need to spend €4,500 each month.

So, if you really needed a solid reason to meet that dream Swedish woman (or the perfect Swedish man), now you have one extra: it’s cheaper when you share the costs!

Why is Sweden so expensive to live in?

living in Sweden is expensive

While living in Sweden is expensive compared to other countries in Europe, we have to note that the salaries are also generally higher.

Combine that with the high standard of living, free education and healthcare and all the other benefits one gets when living in Sweden, and you understand why you end up spending more than you would in Belgrade, for example – or Cebu, in the Philippines.

The point is that even though the cost of living is higher when comparing actual numbers, the salaries are created to match that cost of living and so are the living conditions.

Wrapping up

Now you have a much clearer view of the estimated cost of living in Sweden, no matter if you’re living alone, are part of a couple or bring your family over.

I would say that the numbers above are pretty much average: one might be able to live on less, but also end up spending a lot more if he or she doesn’t pay attention to those additional costs like entertainment, shopping and such.

Are you living in Sweden already? If so, what do your monthly costs look like? The more people we have sharing their costs of living, the clearer the picture we can paint.

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Calin Ciabai

Living a location-independent lifestyle since 2008, I love to create content and manage websites. I write mainly about travel, video games, and health, but also other passions of mine. On Nomad Not Mad, I'm sharing all the knowledge I have gathered over all these years of traveling the world, the highs and lows, the beautiful places I visited, and all the disappointing ones as well.

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4 Comments

  1. The price examples for Sweden is very misleading. This must be based on very old information.

    1. Sven, it would be really helpful if you could share some numbers to compare and maybe help us update to current numbers. With the growing inflation, it is a bit of challenge indeed to keep up with the current prices 🙂

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