October 28, 2022
Is Sweden really that expensive? Myth vs. reality
When I decided to study in Sweden one question was always in my mind: How am I going to afford it all? Personally, I always associated the scandinavian countries with expensive prices and a high cost of living and many of my friends back home warned me of that before my move.
Now that I’ve been living in Sweden for 2 months, I want to provide my thoughts about the actual level of the prices and give you a few tips to help you budget. Keep in mind that my frame of reference are the prices in central and western Europe. Your experience may differ depending on your origin.
Cost of Living (groceries and rent)
How much you spend on food in Sweden is up to your lifestyle and discipline. On one hand, grocery shopping can be done surprisingly cheap. Some products are more expensive (meat for example) while others are even cheaper than at home. It is very useful to join memberships of the supermarket chains and stock up on food when there are promotions going on, this can save a lot of money! Altogether I think that you should not be worried about the prices for groceries! For reference, I spent about 1800SEK for groceries in the month of september.
On the other hand there are restaurants, bars and fast food. This area I found significantly more expensive than at home. Even fast food can cost you, for example a simple kebab sandwich goes for 80-100SEK in Linköping. This is why you can find a lot of microwaves everywhere on campus! Swedish students usually prepare lunch at home in bulk, which I found great to save on both money and time.
You can find microwaves everywhere at Liu.
Rent is another big area of expenses for students. As Linköping is a smaller city, the housing market is not as competitive as in Stockholm or Göteborg for example. You can expect to pay 3500 – 4000 SEK for a standard corridor room. The great thing about renting a corridor room is that usually the months of June and July are rent free and that all the utilities (heating, electricity, internet) are included and you don’t have to worry about other bills. I think renting a corridor room is great value.
Cost of Fun
Going out for a night of fun in the city can get expensive very quickly in Linköping! Alcohol is one area where the myths were true and Sweden really is more expensive. Luckily there are plenty of opportunities to party in student parties or in one of the student pubs, where you can find beers and other drinks for very fair prices. The swedish student tradition of brewing fulvin/ugly wine for events also helps in this regard 😉
When you’re new to Sweden, I’m sure you want to explore your new home and see more of the country! Don’t let your budget hold you back, as travelling around Sweden can be done pretty cheaply. The train and bus companies have great discounts for students and very affordable tickets if you book ahead.
The Mecenat app provides a lot of discounts, especially for travelling!
All in all I think that Sweden is definitely not as expensive as I expected. While some things are indeed more costly when compared to home, others are cheaper. The most important thing is to stay aware of your budget and don’t overspend, but still allow yourself to have some fun!
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