Vad det kostar
The cost of moving to Sweden
Not the rent or the salary — the upfront wall of money it takes just to land and get established. Deposits, the first month before payday, the bureaucracy gap. Here's the real number, built from current figures.
Realistic landing buffer
59,000–79,000 SEK
Excludes international shipping of belongings (often 10,000–40,000 SEK by sea container if you're moving a household) and any pet relocation — both highly variable.
The upfront landing cost
- Rental deposit
- Often 1–3 months' rent for a second-hand flat. Budget the high end; you get it back.
- 24,666
- First month's rent, upfront
- Paid before you've earned anything here.
- 12,333
- Buffer before first payday
- Swedish salaries pay monthly, in arrears — expect 4–8 weeks before money lands. Food, transport, setup.
- 22,000
- Flights & initial logistics
- One-way travel, first nights' accommodation, airport transit.
- 4,000
- Setup & admin
- Phone plan, basic home goods, ID-kort fee, the inevitable miscellany.
- 6,000
- Realistic landing buffer
- ≈ 68,999
A realistic one-off estimate for a single person settling in a mid-tier city, before your first Swedish salary arrives. Housing-dependent and indicative — your situation will vary.
It depends enormously on the city
First month + a 2-month deposit on a 2-room second-hand flat — the housing portion of your landing cost, by city:
| 1-room | 2-room | Move-in (1st month + 2mo deposit) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stockholm | 12,500 | 16,500 | 49,500 |
| Gothenburg | 9,500 | 13,000 | 39,000 |
| Uppsala | 9,000 | 12,500 | 37,500 |
| Malmö | 8,500 | 11,500 | 34,500 |
And on what you'll earn
The buffer you need is really a function of how fast you reach payday and how high your salary is. With the national median around 38,500 SEK/month gross, a typical net paycheck lands in the low-to-mid 20,000s — which is why two months of expenses, not one, is the safe buffer. See the full picture on the salary and cost-of-living pages.
How to shrink the wall
- Negotiate a relocation package
- Many Swedish employers — especially in tech recruiting internationally — offer relocation support, a signing bonus, or temporary housing. Ask before you accept; it's normal and often unadvertised.
- Start with second-hand housing
- First-hand contracts have lower deposits but multi-year queues. Second-hand (Qasa, Blocket) gets you in fast; just verify everything to dodge the deposit scams.
- Bridge the bank gap
- Use a Wise or foreign account for your first salary so a pending personnummer doesn't trap your money — see the personnummer guide.
- Time the move
- Avoid July: the country is on vacation, landlords included, and everything moves slowly. August and January are the active rental months.
Common questions
How much money do I need to move to Sweden?
As a single person landing in a mid-tier city, budget roughly 40,000–70,000 SEK upfront before your first paycheck: a rental deposit (1–3 months), the first month's rent, and a 4–8 week living buffer until Swedish payroll pays in arrears. Stockholm runs higher; shipping a household and relocating pets add more.
Why do I need such a big buffer before my first salary?
Swedish salaries are paid monthly in arrears, so depending on your start date you may wait 4–8 weeks for the first deposit — and a pending personnummer can delay banking on top. Two months of living expenses, not one, is the safe planning figure.
How much is a rental deposit in Sweden?
For second-hand rentals, typically one to three months' rent, held and returned at move-out. First-hand contracts often have lower or no deposit but come with multi-year queues. Never pay a deposit before viewing the flat and verifying the landlord — deposit-up-front is the classic scam.
Does it cost more to move to Stockholm than other cities?
Yes, mostly through housing: Stockholm's rents and therefore deposits are the country's highest, inflating the upfront landing cost. Gothenburg, Malmö and Uppsala are meaningfully cheaper to get established in — see the per-city figures above.
Should I ship my furniture to Sweden?
Often not worth it for a single person — international container shipping runs 10,000–40,000 SEK and takes weeks, and Swedish second-hand (Blocket) plus IKEA furnish a flat cheaply. For a full family household with quality furniture, shipping can pay off; price it both ways.
Built from
Current rent estimates and median salary from this site's own data, kept up to date.