Cost of living in Stockholm

Is Stockholm expensive?

Yes — Stockholm is Sweden's most expensive city, and almost the whole difference from the rest of the country is housing. Rents, eating out and property prices are higher here than in Gothenburg, Malmö or elsewhere. The rest — food, transport, healthcare — costs much as it does in other cities. A single person can get by on around 13,000 kr a month frugally, but needs closer to 24,000 kr for a comfortable life with a central flat of their own.

• Single person: ~13,000–24,000 kr/month including rent
• Family of four: ~35,000–42,000 kr/month including rent
• Average net salary in Stockholm: around 35,000 kr/month
• The big question is always rent and the queue for a first-hand contract

Costs at a glance

Rent and housing

A first-hand contract has a regulated rent and is the cheapest, but Stockholm's queue is the longest in the country — around nine years on average, and 15–25 years for the most central districts. Most newcomers therefore live second-hand, where the rent is set by the market and can be 40–100% higher. Join the housing queue (Bostadsförmedlingen) straight away all the same; it costs almost nothing and queue time is the only thing that counts.

• First-hand: studio ~4,500–6,000 kr, one-bed ~7,000–9,500 kr, two-bed ~9,000–12,000 kr
• Second-hand: studio ~7,000–13,000 kr, one-bed ~9,000–17,000 kr, two-bed ~13,000–30,000 kr
• The queue: ~9 years on average, 15–25 years in the inner city, ~4.5 years for student housing
• Buying a co-op flat: ~40,000–70,000 kr/m² in the suburbs, 119,000–125,000 kr/m² in the centre, plus a monthly fee of ~3,000–6,000 kr

Electricity, insurance and internet

Heating and water are nearly always included in the rent (warm rent). What you pay on top of the rent is household electricity, home insurance, broadband and mobile. Stockholm is in electricity zone SE3, where power is cheaper than in southern Sweden but dearest in winter.

• Household electricity: ~500–1,200 kr/month, mostly in winter
• Home insurance: ~150–250 kr/month (effectively essential)
• Broadband: ~300–500 kr/month
• Mobile plan: ~150–300 kr/month

Food and eating out

Shop at Lidl or Willys and food is cheapest; ICA and Coop are the dearest. A single person spends about 3,000–4,000 kr a month on food cooking at home, a family of four 8,000–11,000 kr. Eating out is expensive, but the weekday set lunch (dagens lunch) is a relatively cheap meal.

• Grocery budget: single ~3,000–4,000 kr/month, family ~8,000–11,000 kr/month
• Set weekday lunch: ~120–170 kr
• Three-course dinner for two: ~800–1,200 kr
• Fika (coffee + bun): ~70–100 kr, a beer at a bar ~70–85 kr

Getting around

SL runs the metro, buses, commuter trains and trams across the whole Stockholm area. A monthly pass covers all of it. In central Stockholm most people need no car — the congestion tax, expensive parking and traffic make a car costly. In the second half of 2026 the monthly pass is temporarily halved in price.

• SL monthly pass: 970 kr (temporarily ~485 kr from July–December 2026)
• Single ticket: 42 kr (youth, student, senior 28 kr)
• Petrol: ~18 kr/litre
• Congestion tax: 11–45 kr per passage into the inner city, capped at 135 kr/day

Healthcare and preschool

Healthcare and preschool are capped and cannot spiral. A care visit in Region Stockholm costs 275 kr, but after 1,450 kr in a year the rest is free. Children under 20 have free care. Preschool is charged by income under a maximum-fee system.

• Care visit: 275 kr, free after 1,450 kr per 12 months
• Prescription medicine: its own ceiling ~2,950–3,800 kr per 12 months
• Preschool: at most ~1,547 kr/month for the first child, less on a low income
• Under 20: free care; 15 hours a week of free preschool for ages 3–5

An example monthly budget

Here is roughly what a month can look like. Most of it is decided by the rent.

• Single, frugal: rent 6,500 + food 3,200 + transport 485–970 + bills 1,100 + other 1,100 ≈ 13,000 kr
• Single, comfortable: rent 12,000 + food 4,500 + transport 970 + bills 1,300 + other 4,500 ≈ 23,500 kr
• Family of four: rent 15,000–20,000 + food 9,000–10,000 + transport 2,000 + preschool 2,500 + bills 2,200 + other 5,000 ≈ 35,000–42,000 kr

Neighbourhoods and good to know

The more affordable areas with established immigrant communities and lower rents are mainly the Million-Programme suburbs, well connected by metro and commuter train: Rinkeby, Tensta, Husby and Kista in the north-west, Skärholmen, Vårberg and Bredäng in the south-west, and Botkyrka (Alby, Fittja, Hallunda) south of the city. Commuter towns such as Jakobsberg, Märsta and Södertälje also have lower housing costs.

Be careful on the second-hand market: dishonest landlords and overpricing do occur. A reasonable rent is based on the flat's regulated benchmark value (bruksvärde). SVI Fokus is not an authority — always check current fees and rules against the sources below and the responsible authority.

Compare with Södertälje and Uppsala, both cheaper and within commuting distance, or go back to the overview of the cost of living in Sweden.