Is Stockholm Expensive to Visit in 2024? - A Backpacker's World (2024)

When planning a trip to Stockholm, one of the most common questions is “Is Stockholm expensive?“

It’s an important question to ask because the answer could affect your entire budget for your trip. It could change where you stay, or if you even visit the city altogether.

But I know how hard it can be to get a good judgement of whether somewhere is expensive without visiting it for yourself, and by that point, it’s a bit late to be Googling this question.

Luckily for you, I’ve visited Stockholm, and I travel full-time all around the world, so I think I have a fair gauge of whether somewhere is expensive or not.

So I created this guide and complete analysis of whether Stockholm is expensive or not.

Without further ado, let’s start talking money 🤑.

Is Stockholm Expensive?

If you’re looking for a quick one-word answer to the question “Is Stockholm expensive?”, the answer is yes, Stockholm is expensive.

Stockholm is in Scandinavia, which is a part of Europe notorious for its high prices. To make matters worse, Stockholm is the largest city in Scandinavia.

Don’t worry though- that doesn’t mean it’s the most expensive. That title belongs to Copenhagen.

Stockholm is ranked as the 63rd most expensive city in the world as of August 2023. This places it around cities like Hamburg, Edinburgh and Brussels. Note that this is for locals.

For tourists, I personally find Stockholm is more expensive than the 63rd most expensive city in the world. As the things that are expensive in Stockholm, are things which tourists need, or cannot avoid.

That being said, as a budget travelling expert, I can assure you that Stockholm can be done on a smaller budget, and there are many things on which you can save money during a trip to the city.

But to answer yes or no, the answer is yes, Stockholm is expensive.

How Expensive Is Stockholm?

Now that you know the answer to “Is Stockholm expensive?“, you might be wondering just how expensive Stockholm is.

Obviously, a daily budget depends on what you plan to do, and how you like to travel, and I will break this down further into accommodation, attractions, food and transport later in the post, but an average daily budget in Stockholm would be around 900 SEK, which is equivalent to £65 / $82 / €75.

As a random example, a bottle of water was costing me around 25-30 SEK. This is £1.80-£2.16. At home, in the UK, it would cost around £1.50 max.

So while it’s not the most expensive city in the whole world, it’s still a fair bit more expensive than home, for me. And I find the price of a bottle of water is a good reflection of the price of anything.

But naturally, how expensive you find Stockholm will depend on where you come from. If you come from a city like NYC, you might actually find Stockholm cheaper than home, whereas if you come from Bangkok, you will find Stockholm incredibly expensive.

It’s all relative to your home country at the end of the day. But speaking generally, Stockholm is pretty expensive, but by no means the most expensive place you will ever visit.

I would just recommend bringing an extra hundred or two dollars/pounds/euros than you were planning to. Better to have it than not need it than to need it than not have it.

How Much Is Accommodation In Stockholm?

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Accommodation in Stockholm is pretty standard pricing, to be fair. You can expect a decent hotel room to cost 2,000 SEK per night, which is roughly £150/€170/$180.

Of course, there are many hotels and hostels cheaper than this, and on the other end, there are plenty of options much more expensive than this. There are many luxurious hotels in Stockholm.

I recommend the Radisson Collection Strand Hotel which is a really beautiful hotel on the waterfront, which offers an amazing stay without breaking the bank. It’s also right in the heart of Stockholm, meaning you won’t need to splash out on taxis to go everywhere.

Note that the price will vary throughout the year depending on tourism levels, but it’s usually pretty good value for money.

It’s the building on the left of this picture with the green roof, just look how pretty the area the hotel is in is. I can’t recommend the Radisson Collection Strand Hotel enough if you are visiting Stockholm.

How Much Are The Tourist Attractions In Stockholm?

Tourist attractions are one of the things that can ramp up your Stockholm budget extremely quickly.

Many of the things that make Stockholm worth visiting cost money. For example, the ABBA Museum, the Vasa Museum, the Nobel Prize Museum, the City Hall Tower, the Royal Palace, the Nordic Museum, Skansen, and so many more.

All of these things have entry fees, and on average, it’s around 300 SEK per attraction. Obviously, some are cheaper and some are more expensive. This works out at £20/€25/$27 per attraction.

As you can see, when you start to make a list of the things you want to do, it can get pretty pricey.

You can have an amazing time in Stockholm without spending tons on attractions as there are plenty of great free things to do in Stockholm. For example, you can just visit the City Hall without going up the tower, and walk around the Royal Palace without going inside.

It only becomes expensive if you want to go to the museums etc.

How Expensive Is Food In Stockholm?

Food in Stockholm is pretty expensive. The main reason is because there aren’t many traditional Swedish foods. My free walking tour guide himself said that there are only really Swedish Meatballs and that’s it.

So because Sweden doesn’t have its own foods, many of the best restaurants belong to other cuisines, and therefore cost more than usual as they have to import things etc.

You can expect a meal in Stockholm to cost between 100-300 SEK for a main course. This could be anything like a pasta dish, fish and chips, a pizza, an Asian fusion dish, or anything really.

Drinks, starters and desserts aren’t included in that price range, just a main course. In terms of alcohol, I don’t drink personally, but my parents said that it was a few extra pounds (£) than at home per drink, so I imagine that’s probably the same in euros and dollars too.

But even though the food in Stockholm is expensive, I have to stay, it’s delicious! The restaurants in Gamla Stan in particular are incredible.

How Much Is Public Transport In Stockholm?

Public transport in Stockholm isn’t too bad in terms of pricing, except for certain ferries.

The Stockholm Public Transport, SL, to quote their website “is responsible for buses, underground trains, commuter trains, trams, and certain ferry lines in Greater Stockholm.”

A 75-minute ticket costs 39 SEK which is £2.80/€3.30/$3.55 which I think is quite reasonable. It’s valid across all the different modes of transport.

When it becomes expensive, you have to get ferry lines that aren’t operated by SL, as they get pretty pricey.

For example, a ferry from Emelie to Djurgården cost me 70 SEK for a one-way journey which took 20 minutes. So that’s almost double the price of a normal public transport ticket for a journey that lasts a third of the time of the validity.

If you stick to the SL routes, you won’t find getting around Stockholm too bad price-wise, but you won’t even need to use it if you stay in the centre of Stockholm as I recommend.

Taxis and Uber in Stockholm are also pretty expensive and aren’t really worth your while unless you are going somewhere very specific that isn’t reachable by public transport.

Is Stockholm Expensive: FAQ

Below are some questions about “Is Stockholm expensive?” along with my answers.

Final Thoughts: Is Stockholm Expensive

And there you have it, a complete guide to “Is Stockholm expensive?“

Remember, the answer is yes, Stockholm is expensive. Not the most expensive city ever, but still, expensive.

Although there are ways you can save money on a trip to the Swedish capital.

Hopefully, you can enjoy your trip to Stockholm without worrying about your bank account, it’s an amazing city.