Cost of Living · SE vs ES
🇸🇪 Stockholm vs 🇪🇸 Barcelona: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,862 in Sweden vs $1,382 in Spain — 25.8% cheaper.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Spain
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: -28.81%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: -28.81%
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: -28.81%
Closest to Sweden prices
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: -9.2%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: -9.24%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): -9.25%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Sweden | Spain | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $1,307 | $931 (860 EUR) | -28.81% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $1,046 | $745 (688 EUR) | -28.81% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $2,391 | $1,702 (1,573 EUR) | -28.81% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $14.31 | $10.96 (10 EUR) | -23.41% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $59.64 | $45.67 (42 EUR) | -23.42% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $8.93 | $7.01 (6 EUR) | -21.5% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.93 | $0.77 (1 EUR) | -17.2% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $2.71 | $2.23 (2 EUR) | -17.71% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $2.88 | $2.37 (2 EUR) | -17.71% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $8.47 | $6.97 (6 EUR) | -17.71% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $3.39 | $2.79 (3 EUR) | -17.7% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $4.06 | $3.35 (3 EUR) | -17.49% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $10.16 | $8.37 (8 EUR) | -17.62% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.69 | $1.39 (1 EUR) | -17.75% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $4.77 | $3.65 (3 EUR) | -23.48% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $7.36 | $6.68 (6 EUR) | -9.24% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $3.98 | $3.04 (3 EUR) | -23.62% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.95 | $1.60 (1 EUR) | -17.95% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $52.78 | $41.41 (38 EUR) | -21.54% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $2.23 | $1.75 (2 EUR) | -21.52% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $3.18 | $2.44 (2 EUR) | -23.27% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $1.43 | $1.10 (1 EUR) | -23.08% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.87 | $0.79 (1 EUR) | -9.2% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $162 | $127 (118 EUR) | -21.55% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $56.84 | $44.59 (41 EUR) | -21.55% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $36.54 | $28.67 (26 EUR) | -21.54% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $39.76 | $30.45 (28 EUR) | -23.42% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $11.13 | $8.52 (8 EUR) | -23.45% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $23.86 | $18.27 (17 EUR) | -23.43% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $50.60 | $45.92 (42 EUR) | -9.25% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $82.81 | $75.14 (69 EUR) | -9.26% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $199 | $152 (141 EUR) | -23.43% |
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 cheaper is Spain than Sweden?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,382 in Spain versus $1,862 in Sweden — 25.8% less. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Spain?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $3.65 in Spain (≈ 3.37 EUR), versus about $4.77 in Sweden.
- How much is rent in Spain compared to Sweden?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $931/month in Spain versus $1,307/month in Sweden (-28.81%). 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.