Cost of living · Stockholm · Sweden · 2023

🇸🇪 Cost of living in Stockholm

What it costs to live in Stockholm — rent, groceries, utilities and getting around — in local euros, plus how the city compares with Sweden and the rest of Europe.

City price index
118
Rent, 1-bed centre
€1,450
Monthly essentials
€1,585
Transit pass
€85
Rent (1-bed, outside)
€1,100
per month
Groceries
€295
per month
Utilities
€105
per month
Transit pass
€85
per month

Estimated monthly essentials

€1,585 / month

A single person renting a one-bedroom flat outside the centre: rent + groceries + utilities + a transit pass. This is a core-costs estimate and excludes discretionary spending such as eating out, leisure and travel.

Rent in Stockholm

Stockholm — average monthly rent (EUR)

1-bed, city centre€14501-bed, outside centre€11003-bed, city centre€2800

Source: SCB + Eurostat urban audit As of 2023

Average advertised monthly rents in Stockholm. Living outside the centre typically saves €350 a month on a one-bedroom flat.

Living costs in Stockholm, in context

Stockholm's overall city price level is index 118 on the EU-27 = 100 scale, about 3% above Sweden's national average of 115. As almost everywhere, the capital-or-major-city premium is real: national figures average the whole country, so they understate what you actually pay in a country's largest and most in-demand cities, and Stockholm is no exception. When you compare destinations, the city figure is the one that matches the life you would actually live.

Rent is the line that dominates a city budget. In Stockholm a one-bedroom flat runs €1,450 in the centre and €1,100 outside it — a gap of €350 a month — so where in the city you live can matter as much as which city you choose. A family-sized three-bedroom flat in the centre is around €2,800, a useful benchmark if you are not moving alone.

The steadier costs fill out the rest of the budget. Groceries run about €295 a month for one person and utilities €105, while a monthly public-transit pass at €85 is almost always cheaper than running a car once fuel, parking and insurance are counted. Add those to rent and you have the core of a monthly budget; what you spend beyond it on eating out, leisure and travel is where personal lifestyle, rather than the city, takes over.

Cities with a similar cost of living

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to live in Stockholm?

For a single person renting a one-bedroom flat outside the centre, core monthly essentials in Stockholm — rent (€1,100), groceries (€295), utilities (€105) and a transit pass (€85) — come to about €1,585 a month, before any discretionary spending. On the EU-27 = 100 price scale, Stockholm sits at index 118.

How much is rent in Stockholm?

A one-bedroom flat in the city centre averages €1,450 a month, €1,100 outside the centre. A three-bedroom flat in the centre is around €2,800. Rent is the largest part of any city budget.

Is Stockholm expensive compared to the rest of Sweden?

Stockholm's city price index of 118 is about 3% above Sweden's national average of 115 (EU-27 = 100). Capitals and big cities almost always cost more than the national figure.

Where does this Stockholm data come from?

Figures are drawn from SCB + Eurostat urban audit (2023). The city price index is on the same EU-27 = 100 scale used across the site; rent, grocery, utility and transit figures are local monthly amounts in euros.

Source: SCB + Eurostat urban audit SCB + Eurostat urban audit City cost-of-living figures, 2023. City price index on the EU-27 = 100 scale; rent, grocery, utility and transit figures are local monthly amounts in euros.

Important: these are average figures for general information, not personal financial advice. Real costs depend on your neighbourhood, flat and lifestyle; the monthly-essentials figure is a core-costs estimate, not a full budget. Verify current local prices before any move.