Cost of living comparison

 Sweden
compared to
 Pennsylvania, USA
Pennsylvania vs. Sweden Cost of Living Summary

Pennsylvania is 2.7 times more expensive than Sweden overall.

Restaurants
pay 16.2% more in Pennsylvania
Groceries
pay 42.9% more in Pennsylvania
Transportation
pay 8.4% less in Pennsylvania
Housing
pay 82.8% more in Pennsylvania
Childcare
pay 11.7 times more in Pennsylvania
Entertainment and Sports
pay 15.4% more in Pennsylvania
Clothing
pay 10.2% less in Pennsylvania

The cost of childcare, housing, groceries, restaurants, and entertainment and sports in Pennsylvania are more expensive than in Sweden. Expenses including clothing and transportation are lower in Pennsylvania. Notably, childcare and housing are significantly more expensive in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania vs. Sweden Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Pennsylvania instead of Sweden, you would:

pay 16.2% more for restaurants

 
Sweden
Pennsylvania
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $11.92
SEK119.19
$19.53
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$9.45
SEK94.55
$9.30
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.04
SEK20.42
$2.27
 

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pay 42.9% more for groceries

 
Sweden
Pennsylvania
Bread
1 loaf
$2.49
SEK24.86
$3.25
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $5.18
SEK51.85
$7.37
 
Milk (1 gallon) $5.43
SEK54.35
$4.35
 

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pay 8.4% less for transportation

 
Sweden
Pennsylvania
Gasoline (1 gallon) $6.64
SEK66.36
$3.58
 
Monthly public transit pass $68.10
SEK681.10
$66.58
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $26,850.74
SEK268,531.53
$31,817.25
 

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pay 82.8% more for housing

 
Sweden
Pennsylvania
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$30.29
SEK302.90
$62.16
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $821.73
SEK8,218.01
$1,357.77
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $641.62
SEK6,416.79
$1,179.21
 

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pay 11.7 times more for childcare

 
Sweden
Pennsylvania
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $122.27
SEK1,222.86
$1,481.93
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $3,135.75
SEK31,360.30
$35,614.17
 

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pay 15.4% more for entertainment and sports

 
Sweden
Pennsylvania
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $6.64
SEK66.43
$5.58
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.78
SEK37.85
$5.03
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$6.41
SEK64.09
$11.13
 

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pay 10.2% less for clothing

 
Sweden
Pennsylvania
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$79.10
SEK791.04
$53.27
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$35.56
SEK355.63
$39.31
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$84.42
SEK844.30
$83.69
 

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: April 2025
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