Cost of Living · HU vs SE
🇭🇺 Budapest vs 🇸🇪 Stockholm: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,074 in Hungary vs $1,862 in Sweden — 73.42% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Sweden
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: 19.18%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: 19.67%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 19.68%
Closest to Hungary prices
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +87.64%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +87.64%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +87.63%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Hungary | Sweden | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $697 | $1,307 (12,840 SEK) | +87.63% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $557 | $1,046 (10,272 SEK) | +87.64% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $1,274 | $2,391 (23,479 SEK) | +87.64% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $8.73 | $14.31 (141 SEK) | +63.92% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $36.38 | $59.64 (586 SEK) | +63.94% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $5.70 | $8.93 (88 SEK) | +56.67% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.65 | $0.93 (9 SEK) | +43.08% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $1.89 | $2.71 (27 SEK) | +43.39% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $2.01 | $2.88 (28 SEK) | +43.28% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $5.91 | $8.47 (83 SEK) | +43.32% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.36 | $3.39 (33 SEK) | +43.64% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $2.84 | $4.06 (40 SEK) | +42.96% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $7.09 | $10.16 (100 SEK) | +43.3% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.18 | $1.69 (17 SEK) | +43.22% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $2.91 | $4.77 (47 SEK) | +63.92% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $6.15 | $7.36 (72 SEK) | +19.67% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $2.43 | $3.98 (39 SEK) | +63.79% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.36 | $1.95 (19 SEK) | +43.38% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $33.67 | $52.78 (518 SEK) | +56.76% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.42 | $2.23 (22 SEK) | +57.04% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $1.94 | $3.18 (31 SEK) | +63.92% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $0.87 | $1.43 (14 SEK) | +64.37% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.73 | $0.87 (9 SEK) | +19.18% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $104 | $162 (1,595 SEK) | +56.76% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $36.26 | $56.84 (558 SEK) | +56.76% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $23.31 | $36.54 (359 SEK) | +56.76% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $24.25 | $39.76 (390 SEK) | +63.96% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $6.79 | $11.13 (109 SEK) | +63.92% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $14.55 | $23.86 (234 SEK) | +63.99% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $42.28 | $50.60 (497 SEK) | +19.68% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $69.18 | $82.81 (813 SEK) | +19.7% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $121 | $199 (1,953 SEK) | +63.96% |
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 Hungary?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,862 in Sweden versus $1,074 in Hungary — 73.42% 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 $2.91 in Hungary.
- How much is rent in Sweden compared to Hungary?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $1,307/month in Sweden versus $697/month in Hungary (+87.63%). 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.