Sweden vs. United States Cost of Living Summary

Sweden is 21.2% cheaper than United States overall.

Restaurants
pay 16.4% less in Sweden
Groceries
pay 17.0% less in Sweden
Transportation
pay 23.4% more in Sweden
Housing
pay 52.0% less in Sweden
Childcare
pay 88.5% less in Sweden
Entertainment and Sports
pay 12.1% less in Sweden
Clothing
pay 14.0% more in Sweden

The cost of transportation and clothing in Sweden are more expensive than in United States. Expenses including childcare, housing, groceries, restaurants, and entertainment and sports are lower in Sweden.

Sweden vs. United States Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Sweden instead of United States, you would:

pay 16.4% less for restaurants

 
United States
Sweden
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $18.59
 
$11.92
SEK130.19
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$10.47
 
$9.45
SEK103.28
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.50
 
$2.04
SEK22.30

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pay 17.0% less for groceries

 
United States
Sweden
Bread
1 loaf
$3.49
 
$2.49
SEK27.16
Local cheese (8 oz) $6.33
 
$5.18
SEK56.64
Milk (1 gallon) $3.91
 
$5.43
SEK59.37

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pay 23.4% more for transportation

 
United States
Sweden
Gasoline (1 gallon) $3.61
 
$6.64
SEK72.49
Monthly public transit pass $65.15
 
$68.10
SEK743.99
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $31,583.67
 
$26,850.74
SEK293,328.19

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pay 52.0% less for housing

 
United States
Sweden
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$67.50
 
$30.29
SEK330.87
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,655.99
 
$821.73
SEK8,976.87
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,423.40
 
$641.62
SEK7,009.33

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pay 88.5% less for childcare

 
United States
Sweden
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $1,351.84
 
$122.27
SEK1,335.78
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $22,265.44
 
$3,135.75
SEK34,256.17

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pay 12.1% less for entertainment and sports

 
United States
Sweden
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $5.78
 
$6.64
SEK72.56
Cappuccino in mid-range area $5.04
 
$3.78
SEK41.35
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$9.68
 
$6.41
SEK70.01

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pay 14.0% more for clothing

 
United States
Sweden
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$50.38
 
$79.10
SEK864.08
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$40.66
 
$35.56
SEK388.47
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$85.52
 
$84.42
SEK922.26

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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: February 2025
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