Cost of Living · DE vs SE
🇩🇪 Berlin vs 🇸🇪 Stockholm: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,714 in Germany vs $1,862 in Sweden — 8.68% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Sweden
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: 2.35%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 2.72%
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): 2.74%
Closest to Germany prices
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +9.91%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +9.91%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +9.91%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Germany | Sweden | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $1,190 | $1,307 (12,840 SEK) | +9.91% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $952 | $1,046 (10,272 SEK) | +9.91% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $2,175 | $2,391 (23,479 SEK) | +9.91% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $13.29 | $14.31 (141 SEK) | +7.67% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $55.38 | $59.64 (586 SEK) | +7.69% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $8.35 | $8.93 (88 SEK) | +6.95% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.88 | $0.93 (9 SEK) | +5.68% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $2.57 | $2.71 (27 SEK) | +5.45% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $2.73 | $2.88 (28 SEK) | +5.49% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $8.02 | $8.47 (83 SEK) | +5.61% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $3.21 | $3.39 (33 SEK) | +5.61% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $3.85 | $4.06 (40 SEK) | +5.45% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $9.62 | $10.16 (100 SEK) | +5.61% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.60 | $1.69 (17 SEK) | +5.62% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $4.43 | $4.77 (47 SEK) | +7.67% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $7.16 | $7.36 (72 SEK) | +2.79% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $3.69 | $3.98 (39 SEK) | +7.86% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.84 | $1.95 (19 SEK) | +5.98% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $49.34 | $52.78 (518 SEK) | +6.97% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $2.09 | $2.23 (22 SEK) | +6.7% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $2.95 | $3.18 (31 SEK) | +7.8% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $1.33 | $1.43 (14 SEK) | +7.52% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.85 | $0.87 (9 SEK) | +2.35% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $152 | $162 (1,595 SEK) | +6.98% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $53.13 | $56.84 (558 SEK) | +6.98% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $34.16 | $36.54 (359 SEK) | +6.97% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $36.92 | $39.76 (390 SEK) | +7.69% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $10.34 | $11.13 (109 SEK) | +7.64% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $22.15 | $23.86 (234 SEK) | +7.72% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $49.26 | $50.60 (497 SEK) | +2.72% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $80.60 | $82.81 (813 SEK) | +2.74% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $185 | $199 (1,953 SEK) | +7.71% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- How much more expensive is Sweden than Germany?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,862 in Sweden versus $1,714 in Germany — 8.68% more. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Sweden?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $4.77 in Sweden (≈ 46.85 SEK), versus about $4.43 in Germany.
- How much is rent in Sweden compared to Germany?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $1,307/month in Sweden versus $1,190/month in Germany (+9.91%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.