What's a good daily budget for Sweden?

We’ve all heard that Sweden is a relatively expensive place to be a tourist (more on that subject here). But before you give up on your travel plans completely, remember that it’s very possible to visit Sweden – and have fun – on a surprisingly small budget. To a large extent, the amount you spend each day will depend on where you choose to eat and sleep.

If you’re backpacking, camping wild (which is really only an option during the summer) and buying food from supermarkets like Hemköp and ICA, it’s possible to get by on around 250 SEK per day – that’s around $30 or £20. Keep in mind that when coffee costs around 35 SEK a cup, and a beer around 40–60 SEK, sticking to this kind of budget takes willpower. This guide has more penny-pinching tips.

Stepping up a notch, a daily budget of around 400 SEK will bag you a bunk in hostel, plus a couple of basic gatukök meals (like pizza or falafel, for example) and some money left over for sightseeing.

If you want to stay in a decent three- or four-star hotel, with meals at mid-range Swedish restaurants, you can kiss goodbye to around 800 SEK per person per day – more if you go for drinks after dinner.

Really top-end trips involving guided tours, luxury hotels and gourmet restaurants will set you back between 2000–3000 SEK per person.

Prices are fairly standard across Sweden, but generally speaking, you’ll need more money for trips to big cities than destinations in rural Sweden. To help you out, we’ve created created guides to free things to do in both Stockholm and Gothenburg.

 


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