Cost of Living · KR vs SE
🇰🇷 Seoul vs 🇸🇪 Stockholm: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,390 in South Korea vs $1,862 in Sweden — 33.98% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Sweden
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 9.98%
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): 9.99%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: 10.01%
Closest to South Korea prices
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +39.55%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +39.55%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +39.55%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | South Korea | Sweden | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $937 | $1,307 (12,840 SEK) | +39.55% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $750 | $1,046 (10,272 SEK) | +39.55% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $1,713 | $2,391 (23,479 SEK) | +39.55% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $11.02 | $14.31 (141 SEK) | +29.85% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $45.90 | $59.64 (586 SEK) | +29.93% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $7.04 | $8.93 (88 SEK) | +26.85% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.77 | $0.93 (9 SEK) | +20.78% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $2.24 | $2.71 (27 SEK) | +20.98% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $2.38 | $2.88 (28 SEK) | +21.01% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $7.00 | $8.47 (83 SEK) | +21% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.80 | $3.39 (33 SEK) | +21.07% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $3.36 | $4.06 (40 SEK) | +20.83% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $8.40 | $10.16 (100 SEK) | +20.95% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.40 | $1.69 (17 SEK) | +20.71% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $3.67 | $4.77 (47 SEK) | +29.97% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $6.69 | $7.36 (72 SEK) | +10.01% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $3.06 | $3.98 (39 SEK) | +30.07% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.61 | $1.95 (19 SEK) | +21.12% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $41.60 | $52.78 (518 SEK) | +26.88% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.76 | $2.23 (22 SEK) | +26.7% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $2.45 | $3.18 (31 SEK) | +29.8% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $1.10 | $1.43 (14 SEK) | +30% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.79 | $0.87 (9 SEK) | +10.13% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $128 | $162 (1,595 SEK) | +26.88% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $44.80 | $56.84 (558 SEK) | +26.88% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $28.80 | $36.54 (359 SEK) | +26.87% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $30.60 | $39.76 (390 SEK) | +29.93% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $8.57 | $11.13 (109 SEK) | +29.87% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $18.36 | $23.86 (234 SEK) | +29.96% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $46.01 | $50.60 (497 SEK) | +9.98% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $75.29 | $82.81 (813 SEK) | +9.99% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $153 | $199 (1,953 SEK) | +29.93% |
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 South Korea?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,862 in Sweden versus $1,390 in South Korea — 33.98% 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 $3.67 in South Korea.
- How much is rent in Sweden compared to South Korea?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $1,307/month in Sweden versus $937/month in South Korea (+39.55%). 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.