Hey everyone! As a student living in Stockholm with a tight budget, I think it’s important I share my monthly expenditures with you. As Lorenzo mentioned in his last post, we all tried to “wrap our heads” around the living costs in Stockholm before deciding to study here!
Essentials
Since I live in a corridor apartment in Lappis, the monthly rent is 3911 KR (approximately 350€). The area is 30min away (by metro) from the city center and 20min from KTH. All the utility bills are included, such as electricity, water, and heating, so there is nothing to worry about! SSSB takes care of the surroundings, the buildings, etc., and helps you out in case you are in trouble! There is also a yearly fee of 360KR (32€) to stay in the queue for accommodation at SSSB and collect days! But this includes two free tickets to the biggest parties at KTH per year!
In winter, I use public transportation, which adds up to 650KR (around 60€) per month, around 4 months per year. At other times of the year, I bike everywhere and enjoy add-free commuting! Then, phone services cost 100 KR (around 9€) per month. To sum up, I spend 420€ per month in winter and in summer 360€!
Food
Thankfully, in Stockholm, there is a culture among students to cook their own meal for lunch and warm it up! Almost every building at KTH has microwaves. The architecture campus is designed not only as a school but also as an office, so we have kitchens on every floor! It really makes you enjoy your own cooked lunch with your friends and saves you lots of money! We have many coffee machines in our kitchen, and we calculated that when we make coffee here and do not buy it at a “7-Eleven” supermarket, we save around 300 KR per month (drinking americano). If you drink a latte, you will save up more!
I shop at cheaper supermarkets that save you a lot of money, and you really feel the difference. Okay, I buy nice bread at a more expensive supermarket because of the taste…but that is pretty much it! So on food, I spend 2000-2500KR (180-230€ max) per month!
Beauty products
I probably eat less than Lorenzo, but I spend more on skin and hair care products…! I usually order my beauty products, medicine, and vitamins from pharmacies online because they do free delivery! Prices for shampoos and skin care products really vary depending on how much you would like to spend. Normal shampoo prices go from 50 KR (around 5€) and up! Personally, I spend about for one shampoo and one conditioner around 300 KR (less than 30€) and that lasts more than a month.
Clothes
Second-hand shopping is super trendy here. I feel that second-hand shops and “fast fashion” stores have more or less equal prices now. If you buy discounted clothes, sometimes I think new clothes cost less. But you could find a pair of jeans at the second-hand shop for 50KR (less than 5€); you need to know where to look! I bought a pair of winter shoes in a typical shoe store and paid around 800 KR (around 72€), which is a great price for Stockholm. If you are really on a tight budget, there are cheaper clothes stores further away from the city center or even outside the city. Right now, I buy clothes only when necessary, so I spend around 300-500KR (25-50€) per month.
Hobbies
I play badminton in a club close to Lappis. There is a huge sports facility, and you get great student prices! I pay for membership around 30€ per month. It includes four times a month (2h one badminton session with a coach). Indeed, this is a brilliant deal for students. There are more options to choose from: a gym, a tennis court, table tennis, floor hockey, and so on!
Going out
Occasionally, I go to a nice restaurant or bar with my friends. Some apps give 30, sometimes even 50 percent discounts! This is a great way to have a cozy dinner with your friends and not spend a fortune…You just book a table through the app, wait for the approval, and you are good to go! If a burger costs 140KR, with the discount, you pay 98KR.
All in all
To live in Stockholm as a student is definitely not as expensive as I imagined! I used to spend much more when I used to live in London (in comparison the monthly card for transportation cost more than 100€ zones 1-2). I remember paying almost 600€ for rent in a much smaller place in London…So all in all, I spend more or less 8000KR per month here in Stockholm, which is a bit more than 700€!
Getting a part-time job is easier financially, and you can also enjoy going out! You could read Lorenzo’s costs of living post more in-depth about food costs and other hobbies! If you are wondering what the options are for part-time jobs, check my last post on this topic!
Hopefully, this helps you to plan your expenditures in Stockholm better! If you have any questions, drop a comment below, and I will be happy to respond to you!
//Martyna
Hi Martyna, thank you for your blog, I’m going to binge read all of it and save it for future use.
I wanted to ask if you could list out the names of the apps, cheap supermarkets and student cards that can be used to gain discounts as a student
Hey Raunit, thanks for the comment! As a student, we get a digital student card “Mecenat”, which is an app providing you with many discounts for various things from haircut to shopping! In terms of supermarkets, I think Willys and Lidl are the cheapest.I use an app “Fork” to get 30-50% when eating in a restaurant! Hopefully this was useful!