Cost of living comparison
Iowa is 2.0 times more expensive than Sweden.
If you lived in Iowa instead of Sweden, you would:
pay 7.0% more for restaurants
|
Sweden
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$11.92
SEK130.84
|
$15.50
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.45
SEK103.79
|
$9.86
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.04
SEK22.41
|
$2.25
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.93
SEK21.17
|
$1.61
|
|
pay 27.7% more for groceries
|
Sweden
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.49
SEK27.30
|
$2.75
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.18
SEK56.92
|
$5.26
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.43
SEK59.66
|
$3.55
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.74
SEK41.06
|
$2.97
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.68
SEK51.34
|
$4.90
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.19
SEK13.08
|
$2.27
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.06
SEK11.60
|
$0.66
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.13
SEK12.46
|
$2.31
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.73
SEK18.99
|
$2.19
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.67
SEK7.40
|
$1.17
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.70
SEK7.70
|
$1.32
|
|
pay 28.1% less for transportation
|
Sweden
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.64
SEK72.85
|
$3.26
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$68.10
SEK747.68
|
$41.60
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$26,850.74
SEK294,783.50
|
$28,209.92
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$21.47
SEK235.66
|
$15.53
|
|
pay 67.7% more for housing
|
Sweden
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$30.29
SEK332.51
|
$68.83
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$821.73
SEK9,021.41
|
$1,149.79
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$641.62
SEK7,044.10
|
$848.38
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$77.37
SEK849.44
|
$132.52
|
|
pay 7.3 times more for childcare
|
Sweden
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$122.27
SEK1,342.41
|
$1,043.98
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$3,135.75
SEK34,426.13
|
$19,039.50
|
|
pay 18.8% more for entertainment and sports
|
Sweden
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.64
SEK72.92
|
$4.95
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.78
SEK41.55
|
$5.14
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$6.41
SEK70.35
|
$8.68
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$38.70
SEK424.86
|
$61.12
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.24
SEK156.30
|
$12.83
|
|
pay 10.6% less for clothing
|
Sweden
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$79.10
SEK868.37
|
$50.44
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$35.56
SEK390.40
|
$39.50
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$84.42
SEK926.84
|
$83.35
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$125.14
SEK1,373.86
|
$105.02
|
|
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