5 Things That Are SURPRISINGLY CHEAP in SWEDEN - Just a Brit Abroad

We've all heard the rumours. Sweden is a really expensive country to live and work in. But what if I was to tell you that there are lots of things that are surprisingly cheap in Sweden? In today's videos, we'll be digging into the rumours that Scandinavia is expensive and breaking down some of the many ways that Sweden might actually shock you with how cheap it can be! So is Sweden really an expensive place to live? And what are some of the ways that its not as expensive as you've heard? Watch on to find out!
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[@josefinelagerstrom2643]

Something very positive about the child care is that you pay for your child's place, not the hours. It's another way to make sure that parents having to work long days with a smaller salary still will be able to afford it. And of course, we cannot forget that from the autumn of the year your child turns 3, and until they start school, you will get 15 hours free child care a week. This is typically during specific hours and days decided by the preschool in question. The idea is that even the kids that has stay at home parents will get the chance to meet other kids and interact. I think it's really nice.

[@JustaBritAbroad]

thanks for the insights Josefine, I didn't realise that was how it worked, so interesting!! and you're so right, that's a lot of value, so that everyone can benefit fom the same opportunitiies - really nice!!

[@JohanHultin]

Free? I'm in Halland and for my eldest who's 4, we pay not a thing. For my middle child, who's closing in on 2, we do pay. These rules are regionally set and vary. But each child is guaranteed to atleast have a set price for their 15hour weeks. I believe we pay around 1,100sek for my middle childs daycare.

[@josefinelagerstrom2643]

@@JohanHultin Your child is 2 you say? It's when they are 3. If you only use the 15 hours (in some cities 20h) of "allmän förskola", you don't have to pay. If you need more hours, of different hours, you'll have to pay.

[@michaelmay5453]

@@JohanHultin Yeah, none of that contradicts what she said. She is correct except that it's 20h in some places.

[@vaazig]

Kebabs, pizzas, gyros etc are all very affordable. I also had cheaper and faster broadband in Sweden back in 2003 than I have now in London. Gym memberships were so cheap as well. Healthcare. I tore my ACL and was operated on by the same surgeon that patched up Henrik Larsson. For free.🤯

[@SweSuf]

At my workplace, in a Stockholm suburb, the lunch in our company canteen (good, perhaps not great) is subsidised by the company, and I pay around SEK 85 per lunch.

[@thesnesgeek]

Hey Britt, in case you didn't know, a swedish tv show knows as Bingolotto which is one of the iconic shows on tv4. You're playing bingo and several other games at home or on the spot which can win you lots of great stuff like a new car, money and and such. Every penny that's being spent on buy a bingolott will be sent to orginised sports here in Sweden.

[@Jony5173]

When you said Stockholm you sounded soo Swedish! :D I think you are due for a new All Swedish video!

[@JustaBritAbroad]

aww really? you thought so😅 perhaps its time!!

[@Jony5173]

@@JustaBritAbroad it’s the ”Stockholm” at 7:57! Your cadence is on point!

[@anarchclown]

I thought the same thing.

[@carriesaundersson]

I actually thought he sounded like he was saying it in a geordie accent 😂

[@SUSSDUE]

I am very very grateful for all the years of inexpensive and very good childcare we had for our two kids! As our salaries/ student loans were very low then, there was no way we could have afforded any kind of child care without the Swedish system based on income. One of us would have had to stay at home and , yes there are those who love and thrive being at home parents, but that is not for many of us Swedes. We have sort of moved forward from "the stay at home mum-age ". Growing up in Sweden also installs the ethic of educating yourself and getting your potential out there in society, being a stay at home parent would have done my brains and self esteem such damage there would have been no way I could have been a good parent. Now we knew our kids were in safe and well educated hands. There were days I came to work and kissed the computer just for sheer happiness of being among adults- and yes,I love my kids to bits but toddlers can for sure strech ones patience....not to talk about what teenagers can do, but that is another topic ;-)). And free universities- thank God for those!!! I am constantly scared for politicians who want to install tuition fees. That would instantly curb the social diversity of students ( there are fewer from non academic homes that attend university as it is, despite of them getting good grades from "gymnasiet") and it would also be devastating for what is seen as " no-profit" subjects, like all humanities and languages, subjects that are struggling even as it is today to get enough funding from university boards. I for sure swear every month as I pay of my student loan, but at least I know it was only for paying my living expenses during those years and if I had been a bit more industrious I could have worked a bit at weekends and such and could then have taken less loans. I am constantly telling my kids ( now 20 and 17) togo to university as quickly as they can and when they know what they want to study as I am really worried free education is soon something of the past... Am I correct in understanding Scottish universities are free for those born in Scotland, but not for those from the rest of the UK? I was really surprised when I took a train in England some years ago, the price was horrendous for that short distance ( Northampton to Birmingham) but then a friend gave me a tip just to buy many tickets , one between each station on my route- and suddenly a ticket that cost over 70 pounds cost just six! Very odd system! But even if prices here are lower as you say, I am quite annoyed here as SJ raises the price of tickets the nearer departure day- it used to be fixed rates so one could either buy a ticket a month in advance or an hour in advance and the price would be the same, but that was before neo-liberalism, about thirty years ago.... So that would be a tip for those of your friends going to Sweden, buy their train tickets early.

[@Medietos]

Those food stamps from your work sounds fantastic, what did you work doing?

[@marieandersson5730]

Nota bene: 110 - 120 skr for a lunch (buffé) is true for cities in south and middle Sweden. Up north we pay 75 - 95 skr for a lunch buffé 😉

[@carriesaundersson]

Changed into pounds, 110 skr is very cheap and yours is ridiculously cheap

[@marianneeckertjensen4723]

Nice! Hopefully you are aware of that the monkey behind you is Danish (by the artist Bo Bojesen). :D

[@andreajansen1988]

Ah yes, usually when I have friends from abroad visiting, they are surprised by our lunch prices. Even more so when they see a slice of pie.. only to realize you get a huge salad and bread as well. Also, healthcare but yeah :P That tends to end with loads of discussions. Studying I think is the best though, compared to the US where people pay off their loans, but the interest just makes the loans go up. Compared to the loans I took when I studied and the interest is currently at 0,005%. I think it's amazing and it's a big reason why I returned to school when I was over 30 and chose to change careers.

[@JustaBritAbroad]

haha such a good point Andrea! the extras that come with a good Västerbottensöstpaj mmm now you got me really hungry haha! yeah, I thoought about healthcare too actually, but since ours is free in England too, I didn't really have any experiences or observations to draw on to be honest!

[@andreajansen1988]

My French friend was pretty much "Wait... the salad is included? And the bread? And the coffee? And the cookies?" Local restaurant where I work has an epic salad bar that even includes garlic bread ;D

[@shinsuit]

I agree lunch is cheap in Sweden. I visited Stockholm a couple of weeks ago and enjoyed lunch at a buffet restaurant in Södelmalm(City centre). It's 109kr per person, which is as cheap as my hometown, Tokyo. Like you said, coffee is all you can drink too👍

[@JustaBritAbroad]

you're fom Tokyo? I loved it there when I got to visit a few years ago - and Kyoto was amazing too! Do you live in Sweden or were you just visiting? interesting to get a perspective from another person with international upbringing. Thanks for sharing!!

[@shinsuit]

@@JustaBritAbroad I'm originally from Tokyo and traveling in Europe for three months. I thought Sweden was a super expensive country, but actually it's not. I think groceries are cheap in Sweden. My favorite supermarket is Willy's. It would be great if you made a video to compare Sweden to UK in terms of groceries.

[@JustaBritAbroad]

@@shinsuit oh cool! welcome to Europe, I hope you're enjoying you visit! where else will you be stopping during your time here? I've actually already done that video😅 youtube wont let me type in links here but if you search "is Sweden REALLY so expensive - just a brit abroad" you'll find exactly what you're looking for :) enjoy Sweden!

[@beero213]

Bro I am thinking to go there for two weeks and party, food, transport, visiting places, do you think 300 usd is enough for all that

[@marcusgustafsson9558]

In some areas public transport is almost free for pensioners. The rules here in Gothenburg is that you do not have to pay if you travel between 9-15 or after 18. A single trip costs 34 SEK, so it quickly adds up. A card for a month costs 795, so the city gives the pensioners somewhere between 0 to 795 every month. Looking at my mum, I think she travels for about 500 every month, but pays nothing.

[@JustaBritAbroad]

oh really Marcus? how interesting! that's a good way to make sure the older residents stay mobile though!

[@SinaFarhat]

Trevlig video! Ha en trevlig vecka!

[@JustaBritAbroad]

tack för att du tittade på det Sina! jag hoppas att allt är bra med dig🤗

[@SinaFarhat]

@@JustaBritAbroad Ja, det är bra tack! Hoppas att du har det bra!

[@danielpersson7483]

Overall when it comes to pure shopping then yes we aint the cheapest but our tax system and the benefits that provides makes it all worth it.

[@vaazig]

I moved the other way and I can say that you're absolutely right. Here in the UK we pay less tax, but everything drains your money. Public transport, rent, mortgages, travel cards, eating out, food in general, education, broadband, TV, childcare etc. Also, the UK has some serious poverty which is quite depressing to see.

[@danosverige]

Going off your shirt, the most expensive items in Sweden appear to be irons and ironing boards! 😂 (yeah, I don't own them either lol).

[@JustaBritAbroad]

😱😅 I feel so called out Dano hahaha

[@michaelmay5453]

I love that golden plate behind you, it's so VERY Swedish, we all have them. Also I agree, this is my experience in both Glasgow and London compared to Sweden.

[@Jonsson474]

The string shelf too. Laugh.

[@ShadowScoutSwede]

Thanks for sharing well some things are cheaper here and i agree with you and i guess UK are pretty expensive.

[@JustaBritAbroad]

Thanks! I hope you found it interesting! but you're right, things are fairly comparable between the UK and Sweden, from my experience at least! thanks for watching!

[@Swedbander]

A year pass on the local public transport costs 600 kr... very expensive, as it used to be 100 kr. 😃 And that's covering an area equal to half of Switzerland! (Kiruna)

[@anders630]

600kr, you're kidding? A year pass with Stockholm public transport is 9980kr (979 eur).

[@Swedbander]

@@anders630 someone claimed that was the reason for raising the cost to 600:- - if it had been kept at 100 kr/yr, then everyone from Stockholm would have come up to Kiruna to do their commuting 😁

[@JustaBritAbroad]

that used to be 100kr?! oh my gosh that's insane!

[@Swedbander]

@@JustaBritAbroad Kiruna is insane in many ways. You should definitely come visit!

[@andersmalmgren6528]

I think eating out in Sweden is cheap if we look at the prices for food only not looking at drinks. Even fine dining is pretty affordable in Sweden. The problem are the prices for wine. :)

[@JustaBritAbroad]

yeah good point actually Anders! like anywhere, there's expensive options, but for the most part I've found it to be fairly comparable to England in price terms!

[@Bumbledora]

Sweden can be expensive, sure. I use to shop all my clothes in the U.S. in their outlets. Lunch is pretty ok here in Sweden depending of what you're after. :) Sports, especially football/soccer is popular. I did put my sons in football but that just wasn't for them lol! My daughter got to do ballet and gymnastics. Both worked. Gymnastics worked for my sons too. I wanted them to be active and not just on the playground. Funny enough, neither of my kids are doing ANY kind of sports. They do take long walks though. Yes, childcare is pretty good here in Sweden. However, it's crowded to get your kid into kindergarten. At least it was for me and my husband. We did get a place of course, but not in the place we wanted. Shouldn't complain. It worked out just fine :) Public transport... I have conflicting emotions on that topic. I think it's too expensive and if you live outside Stockholm (out in the bush) the time table is completely off. And during winter time, it can actually happen that there will be no bus to pick you up. But otherwise, sure, it works okay. :) Thanks for another very interesting video! :)

[@JustaBritAbroad]

haha interesting to hear about your experience with your children and sports. I think the same thing happened to me and my brother funnily enough - we did so many sports as a kid that we eventually drifted away from them. but now I'm starting to get back into it again! I didn't realise it was so hard to get your kids a place at kindergarten though, wow!

[@Bumbledora]

@@JustaBritAbroad Well, that was a while ago. With my first kid born 1994. But once you got the first one in the kindergarten of your choice, the other ones followed. It may not be like that anymore. No idea. 🙂

[@Stetch42]

I eat 2 eggs for lunch. I dont need to be stuffed. Just "filled" until dinner. So lunch for me cost 80/100kr/MONTH

[@JustaBritAbroad]

wow, you've really found a way to keep it cheap and effective😅

[@ReaI.jake102]

In sweden we say 100kr for example 100kr is 10 dollars so stuff can be cheap

[@herkcollins4263]

All you can eat buffet is around $12 a person here in the US, but as for Sweden, Söderhamn isn't nearly as expensive as a big city like Stockholm. Per has become accustomed to doing prices in his head in US currency and everyone can go out to dinner for around $10 to $15 a person, which is around the same as we pay here. Health care and child care is where the US gets you, extremely expensive.

[@JustaBritAbroad]

yeah I've heard health care can be a real pain in the US. you just wait until you're here and experiencing the way us Europeans handle it😅

[@herkcollins4263]

@@JustaBritAbroad Not to mention being glad to be away from here and happy with my Per.

[@zpitzer]

omg, here in Luleå the lunch is about 85

[@Stetch42]

A sallad here is at least 90 ..... (Slightly outside Gothenburg)

[@JustaBritAbroad]

wow, Luleå is where its at then! I've made it to Umeå, but sadly not Luleå... yet!!

[@JustaBritAbroad]

@@Stetch42 how much would a lunch menu be out of interest?

[@BerishStarr]

I can get a lunch buffé at the local hotel (Säffle) for 100kr, really nice food. If I want cheap, I can go to the local pizzeria and get a lunch (food+drink+coffee) for the price of the food, cheapest being a pizza for 70kr.

[@JustaBritAbroad]

@@BerishStarr sounds like you've got it worked out! are you in Luleå too?

[@charlieswede3829]

You talked about lunch buffés. But you should know that if the restaurant states that the lunch is "Dagens" you are entitled to a free refill of your food. Otherwise, it ain´t "Dagens". In Swedish, this is called "Backa". Yepp reverse ;-)

[@bosse1998]

Compare with Oslo. Even worse compared to Stockholm. Norway is as a whole very expensive. Thank you for sharing!

[@JustaBritAbroad]

yeah I've heard that Oslo is super expensive! yet to experience it for myself yet, but I'd like to visit!

[@bosse1998]

@@JustaBritAbroad Oslo is great! You can actually see the mountains from the city.

[@broderperdurabo]

I do not have a train or buss/subway, i live in the south of sweden >(where we grow wine an chillis) So it's costing me a furtune just to drive to work.

[@carriesaundersson]

Northern Ireland is extremely expensive. I’m actually so shocked at how much cheaper it is than what I thought

[@christopherreid1202]

Yes. I am the treasurer of our kids nursery. They get 385,000kr in local govt funding per child. As a parent I pay only 13,000kr. The Quality is great. Of course they pay lots of payroll taxes back to Skatteverket so the money goes round the govt again.

[@JustaBritAbroad]

interesting to get a perspective from someone that knows a lot more about this than me Christopher! thanks for sharing :)

[@jayamilapersson4030]

I have about 600kr or about 51,64 GBP or 70usd after the bills are payed that is what I get to spend on food, clothes, TP, and hobbies each month.

[@Chisszaru]

Sweden can be cheap. It's not the cheapest country in the world, but we Swedes get many benefits. I'm actually going to learn German and Spanish. I might also learn Ukrainian as i want to travel there sometime in the future. Next year. I'm traveling to Scotland. Always think about the benefits.

[@JustaBritAbroad]

I completely agree with you! you get a lot here for your tax money, in my experience at least. Wow Ukrainian? how exciting!!

[@Chisszaru]

@@JustaBritAbroad i guess i wanted something that's a bit harder than what i'm used to. I just think Ukranian sounds better than Russian

[@JustaBritAbroad]

@@Chisszaru really impressive! I can't wait to hear how you get on!

[@danosverige]

I'd learn Scottish too if I were you! lol

[@Chisszaru]

@@danosverige they do understand English, so i shouldn't have too much problem speaking with them

[@danielteame4020]

I live in stockholm !!!

[@tonyfriden8278]

We in the rest of sweden thinks Stockholm is expensiv to. Lunch as you say is normaly 90 sek.

[@JustaBritAbroad]

yeah Tony, I bet! I don't actually live in or anywhere near to Stockholm, but I can imagine its even more expensive there!!

[@jari2018]

the quality in us are questionble so its not that expensive in sweden when buying food - UK is a another matter

[@JustaBritAbroad]

haha now I'm interested in your thoughts on the UK!

[@RKMa64]

You är right as usual. About lunch that is but lunch At say Mickey DS Will only Costa round 85 kronor. Mickey DS? Is of course McDonalds 😁

[@JustaBritAbroad]

hahaha I figured you might be talking about Donkans haha but I don't count that as "regular" food here in Sweden, since the price of that is fairly uniform around the world!

[@angaudlinn]

But... you forgot the most important... LÖSGODIS! ;)

[@ann-christinenilsson4046]

Things are expensive and we have a high standard of living in general so it goes hand in hand.

[@JustaBritAbroad]

yeah of course, good point! I did a separate video about expensive things though, in this video I thought I'd try and highlight some of the things that aren't as expensive as people think!

[@BerishStarr]

If you work in Sweden (high salaries) its not that expensive. And always, the further you get from the big cities, the cheaper it gets.

[@JustaBritAbroad]

good point! the further away from Stockholm you are, the cheaper it tends to get haha

[@joonatanpenttinen9940]

Barnbiljett på buss här i Umeå är för alla under 20, ungdomsbiljett för typ 20-25 åringar. Innan jag viste detta så köpte jag vuxenbiljett. Jag var nitton då så betalade 12kr mer än vad jag skulle ha behövt 😅 men även 28kr är ganska billigt för vuxenbiljett...

[@JustaBritAbroad]

oj oj oj det är ganska mycket mer om man gör det värje gång haha bra jobbat att du upptäckte det till slut😅

[@Dovndyr13]

Sorry to say it and getting political. But how Brexit is done just shows how much the politicians care about the average UK citizen. In that mindset nothing much has changed since Dickens time

[@JustaBritAbroad]

I know what you mean... its a shame that Brexit ever had to happen!

[@ODG7056]

Hej det kostade 1 pund

[@LoweJensen]

You forgot one other thing though. HEALTHCARE xD

[@JustaBritAbroad]

haha good point! I never thought to mention that one since its the same in England, but good point!

[@LoweJensen]

@@JustaBritAbroad happens to the best of us!^^

[@broderperdurabo]

so the "free" lunch, did you pay taxes for that? Everything in sweden taxes you for it.

[@hannayoung9657]

We find rent cheap.... because what you get and the quality is miles apart from UK.

[@JustaBritAbroad]

yeah you're right, you get a lot more for your money here than in England! then again, I guess its not so surprising because there's so much more space here to build🤗

[@hannayoung9657]

@@JustaBritAbroad Well the quality of what you get when renting is luxury compared to UK. My oldest kid in the UK had a glass door as front door, no way of heating the apartment because no one knew where the turn on for the radiators was and also live wires head high when you walked into the door.

[@evak1003]

@@JustaBritAbroad Not just the space dear =) In Sweden we have triple glazed windows that keeps the cold away, why can't you Brits install these? You're country need it as much as we do because of your windy, rainy and harsh autumns such as ours. When I visited my brother in London once I almost freeze to death :)

[@JustaBritAbroad]

@@evak1003 haha you make a good point! when I go back to our family home I'm always freezing haha

[@JustaBritAbroad]

@@hannayoung9657 oh really? that doesn't sound like a good experience at all!!

[@broderperdurabo]

Chilcare = will show your kids grown men dressd as wommen, reading story books

[@mr.sts.p]

Thats is old stereo type saying it make me think They don,t know a thing aboute my country Sweden only that right wing swedish is saying that is selfish thinking!

[@JustaBritAbroad]

interesting! do you mean the people that think iits super expensive?

[@mr.sts.p]

@@JustaBritAbroad Yes some People still make rumors that everything is so expensive in Sweden not True

[@JustaBritAbroad]

@@mr.sts.p ah I see! I did a whole video debunking that rumour and using stats to prove it. not sure if you saw it?

[@mr.sts.p]

@@JustaBritAbroad Oh ok i think i did not i Will check 👍

[@andersmalmgren6528]

I wouldn't say childcare, education and transport is cheap here. We have the highest taxes in the world.

[@Fibonacci64]

No, that's a myth told over and over again. It's not the case.

[@Stetch42]

Yea when we even it out ... its damn expensive xD

[@andersmalmgren6528]

@@Fibonacci64 it's not a myth, we have a marginal tax of 66 percent. Sure if you make below national average and only pay "kommunal"-tax it's not that high. But don't forget social tax at 31,42 percent.

[@JustaBritAbroad]

yep Anders, I mentioned that in the video - that it was taxation that helped to make it more affordable :) the money has to come from somewhere right?

[@JustaBritAbroad]

@@Fibonacci64 oh it isn't? interesting!