Cost of Living · US vs SE
🇺🇸 New York vs 🇸🇪 Stockholm: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $2,410 in United States vs $1,862 in Sweden — 22.73% cheaper.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Sweden
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: -25.29%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: -25.29%
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: -25.29%
Closest to United States prices
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): -7.99%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): -8%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: -8%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | United States | Sweden | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $1,750 | $1,307 (12,840 SEK) | -25.29% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $1,400 | $1,046 (10,272 SEK) | -25.29% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $3,200 | $2,391 (23,479 SEK) | -25.29% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $18.00 | $14.31 (141 SEK) | -20.5% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $75.00 | $59.64 (586 SEK) | -20.48% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $11.00 | $8.93 (88 SEK) | -18.82% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $1.10 | $0.93 (9 SEK) | -15.45% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $3.20 | $2.71 (27 SEK) | -15.31% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $3.40 | $2.88 (28 SEK) | -15.29% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $10.00 | $8.47 (83 SEK) | -15.3% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $4.00 | $3.39 (33 SEK) | -15.25% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $4.80 | $4.06 (40 SEK) | -15.42% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $12.00 | $10.16 (100 SEK) | -15.33% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $2.00 | $1.69 (17 SEK) | -15.5% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $6.00 | $4.77 (47 SEK) | -20.5% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $8.00 | $7.36 (72 SEK) | -8% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $5.00 | $3.98 (39 SEK) | -20.4% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $2.30 | $1.95 (19 SEK) | -15.22% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $65.00 | $52.78 (518 SEK) | -18.8% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $2.75 | $2.23 (22 SEK) | -18.91% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $4.00 | $3.18 (31 SEK) | -20.5% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $1.80 | $1.43 (14 SEK) | -20.56% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.95 | $0.87 (9 SEK) | -8.42% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $200 | $162 (1,595 SEK) | -18.8% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $70.00 | $56.84 (558 SEK) | -18.8% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $45.00 | $36.54 (359 SEK) | -18.8% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $50.00 | $39.76 (390 SEK) | -20.48% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $14.00 | $11.13 (109 SEK) | -20.5% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $30.00 | $23.86 (234 SEK) | -20.47% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $55.00 | $50.60 (497 SEK) | -8% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $90.00 | $82.81 (813 SEK) | -7.99% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $250 | $199 (1,953 SEK) | -20.47% |
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 Sweden than United States?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,862 in Sweden versus $2,410 in United States — 22.73% less. 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 $6.00 in United States.
- How much is rent in Sweden compared to United States?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $1,307/month in Sweden versus $1,750/month in United States (-25.29%). 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.