Cost of living comparison
compared to
Sweden vs. United Kingdom Cost of Living Summary
Sweden is 10.8% cheaper than United Kingdom overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 6.9% more in Sweden
- Groceries
-
pay 27.3% more in Sweden
- Transportation
-
pay 4.3% less in Sweden
- Housing
-
pay 32.0% less in Sweden
- Childcare
-
pay 84.3% less in Sweden
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 5.9% less in Sweden
- Clothing
-
pay 17.0% more in Sweden
The cost of groceries, clothing, and restaurants in Sweden are more expensive than in United Kingdom. Expenses including childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, and transportation are lower in Sweden.
Sweden vs. United Kingdom Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Sweden instead of United Kingdom, you would:
pay 6.9% more for restaurants
|
United Kingdom
|
Sweden
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.41
£15.30
|
$14.38
SEK135.13
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.94
£7.45
|
$11.04
SEK103.80
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.32
£1.74
|
$2.58
SEK24.30
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.65
£1.23
|
$2.22
SEK20.85
|
|
United Kingdom vs. Sweden - Cost of restaurants
pay 27.3% more for groceries
|
United Kingdom
|
Sweden
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.59
£1.20
|
$2.88
SEK27.05
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.71
£3.53
|
$6.00
SEK56.41
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.20
£4.65
|
$6.33
SEK59.53
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.87
£2.90
|
$4.34
SEK40.79
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.87
£2.90
|
$5.57
SEK52.34
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.32
£0.99
|
$1.41
SEK13.27
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.73
£0.55
|
$1.21
SEK11.37
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.28
£0.96
|
$1.36
SEK12.78
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.49
£1.12
|
$1.97
SEK18.56
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.72
£0.54
|
$0.80
SEK7.51
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.71
£0.53
|
$0.79
SEK7.45
|
|
United Kingdom vs. Sweden - Cost of groceries
pay 4.3% less for transportation
|
United Kingdom
|
Sweden
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$7.22
£5.41
|
$7.32
SEK68.82
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$99.05
£74.25
|
$81.92
SEK770.06
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,224.29
£27,154.63
|
$31,594.19
SEK297,001.19
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$22.08
£16.55
|
$24.67
SEK231.92
|
|
United Kingdom vs. Sweden - Cost of transportation
pay 32.0% less for housing
|
United Kingdom
|
Sweden
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$41.90
£31.41
|
$37.43
SEK351.83
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,285.79
£963.86
|
$936.32
SEK8,801.88
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,062.09
£796.17
|
$720.46
SEK6,772.72
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$233.57
£175.09
|
$97.92
SEK920.46
|
|
United Kingdom vs. Sweden - Cost of housing
pay 84.3% less for childcare
|
United Kingdom
|
Sweden
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,530.71
£1,147.46
|
$155.59
SEK1,462.61
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$19,375.12
£14,524.07
|
$4,116.05
SEK38,692.91
|
|
United Kingdom vs. Sweden - Cost of childcare
pay 5.9% less for entertainment and sports
|
United Kingdom
|
Sweden
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.35
£4.76
|
$7.74
SEK72.78
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.54
£3.40
|
$4.56
SEK42.87
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$19.18
£14.38
|
$7.64
SEK71.85
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$49.26
£36.92
|
$44.09
SEK414.45
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.88
£10.41
|
$16.46
SEK154.71
|
|
United Kingdom vs. Sweden - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 17.0% more for clothing
|
United Kingdom
|
Sweden
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$86.00
£64.47
|
$94.86
SEK891.76
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$44.20
£33.13
|
$42.53
SEK399.76
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$95.21
£71.37
|
$106.79
SEK1,003.91
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$101.36
£75.98
|
$151.29
SEK1,422.20
|
|
United Kingdom vs. Sweden - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
Change currency:
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Sweden or United Kingdom. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.