Cost of Living · SE vs US
🇸🇪 Stockholm vs 🇺🇸 New York: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,862 in Sweden vs $2,410 in United States — 29.41% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in United States
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): 8.68%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: 8.7%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 8.7%
Closest to Sweden prices
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +33.85%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +33.85%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +33.85%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Sweden | United States | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $1,307 | $1,750 | +33.85% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $1,046 | $1,400 | +33.85% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $2,391 | $3,200 | +33.85% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $14.31 | $18.00 | +25.79% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $59.64 | $75.00 | +25.75% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $8.93 | $11.00 | +23.18% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.93 | $1.10 | +18.28% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $2.71 | $3.20 | +18.08% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $2.88 | $3.40 | +18.06% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $8.47 | $10.00 | +18.06% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $3.39 | $4.00 | +17.99% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $4.06 | $4.80 | +18.23% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $10.16 | $12.00 | +18.11% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.69 | $2.00 | +18.34% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $4.77 | $6.00 | +25.79% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $7.36 | $8.00 | +8.7% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $3.98 | $5.00 | +25.63% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.95 | $2.30 | +17.95% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $52.78 | $65.00 | +23.15% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $2.23 | $2.75 | +23.32% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $3.18 | $4.00 | +25.79% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $1.43 | $1.80 | +25.87% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.87 | $0.95 | +9.2% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $162 | $200 | +23.15% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $56.84 | $70.00 | +23.15% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $36.54 | $45.00 | +23.15% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $39.76 | $50.00 | +25.75% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $11.13 | $14.00 | +25.79% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $23.86 | $30.00 | +25.73% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $50.60 | $55.00 | +8.7% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $82.81 | $90.00 | +8.68% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $199 | $250 | +25.74% |
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 United States than Sweden?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $2,410 in United States versus $1,862 in Sweden — 29.41% more. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in United States?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $6.00 in United States, versus about $4.77 in Sweden.
- How much is rent in United States compared to Sweden?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $1,750/month in United States versus $1,307/month in Sweden (+33.85%). 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.