Sweden

Living in Sweden: the short version

Sweden offers high trust, excellent work–life balance and generous parental leave, and many tech and engineering companies work in English. Taxes are high and housing queues in Stockholm can take years, so most newcomers start with sublets.

Best for: Tech and engineering professionals, and families who value parental benefits and public services.

How to move to Sweden: main visa and residency routes

Summaries only — requirements and income thresholds change. Always check the official sources below.

Work permit

Requires a job offer meeting a minimum salary threshold and Swedish collective-agreement terms.

EU Blue Card

For highly qualified workers with a high salary offer.

Self-employment permit

For people starting or buying a business in Sweden.

Healthcare for newcomers

Residents registered in Sweden use the regional public system with low patient fees; private options are limited but growing.

How Sweden compares

Calculated from our data for all 55 countries. How we calculate this

Cost of living rank

11th most expensive of 55

Single person, core costs

$1,520/mo

Family of four, core costs

$2,811/mo

Take-home on $60,000

$41,401/yr

• Renting a one-bedroom home takes about 23% of the average local salary in Sweden, less than the median of 36% across the countries we cover.
• Core monthly costs for one person (rent, groceries, transport, utilities, internet and eating out) come to about $1,520, or 38% of the average local monthly salary.
• On a gross salary of $60,000 taxed locally, our estimate leaves $41,401 a year after income tax and employee social security (an effective rate of 31%), the 43rd highest take-home pay of 55 countries. After single-person core costs, that leaves roughly $23,161 a year to save or spend.
• Countries with a similar overall cost of living: Canada, Japan, France.
• Cheaper options in Europe: Netherlands, Austria, Germany.

Estimates for planning, using simplified national tax brackets in US dollars; local taxes, deductions and your own spending will differ. Try your own numbers in the tax calculator or budget planner.

Sources and methodology

Figures on this page are estimates in US dollars, compiled from the international datasets below and converted at recent exchange rates. The cost of living index uses New York City as 100. Guidance was last reviewed on September 30, 2026. Found something out of date? Tell us.