Moving to Sweden from the US

Beautiful, peaceful, fantastic benefits, and full of sweet lingonberry jelly – it’s clear that when looking for a great place to move to, Sweden is up there. If you’re thinking of moving to Sweden from the US, it offers expats a high quality of life, a robust economy, and one of the best educational systems. It’s a country praised around the world for its egalitarian, progressive society. And let’s not forget that 89% of Swedes speak English, so you’ll find it easy to get around while you are still learning the language.

The Swedish life expectancy ranks among the highest in the world, which comes as no surprise. Your stress levels will start to fall immediately when you start getting used to better pay, more vacation time, and having enormous tracts of unspoiled wilderness to explore and unwind in.

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How much does it cost to ship your belongings from the US to Sweden?

You might be moving to Sweden to explore the architecture, museums and waterways of Stockholm. Or for the breathtaking countryside, forests (around 70% of Sweden is covered with trees), and lakes (there are over 100,000 lakes to explore, so you won’t run out any time soon).

Either way, you’ll need to ship your belongings from the US to Sweden.

We’ll help outline what to expect when moving your furniture abroad, including information on sea and air freight costs. Let’s start with sea freight.

Sea freight costs from the US to Sweden

We’ve calculated the average sea shipping rates from the US to Sweden, and how long you can expect your beloved goods to make their way to your new Swedish home.

The rates below are sourced from Freightos.com and are up to date as of December 2024. Based on the port-to-port transportation of a 20ft container of household goods worth $53,620, the typical value of the contents of a three-bedroom house (according to Admiral Insurance) can be found below.

Please note: these container shipping costs exclude typical add-ons such as door-to-door delivery, professional packing and unpacking, as well as basic insurance cover. Shipping suppliers normally incorporate these services into their prices, so expect some discrepancy between the rates given here and the quotes you receive. These estimates should be used as an indication only.

Air freight costs from the US to Sweden

The downsides are that air freight costs can be up to 18 times more expensive than sea freight costs — but it is a price worth paying if you have a need for speed. Below we’ll go over the average costs to send your items via air travel.

We sourced these rates from iContainers.com and we did an average 100 kg container of household goods. These prices were last updated in December 2024:

As you can see, it’s much more expensive per kilogram to ship via air freight. Unless timing is of the essence, we’d always recommend ocean freight to save money.

US cities compared to Swedish cities

The people of Stockholm enjoy hot summers and very cold winters averaging around 24℉, so if you’ve spent time in Alaska or Northeastern US, you’ll feel right at home! Winters can reach lows of -22℉ in the North too, so you’ll still need to take care to keep warm! Some say that Stockholm feels like Seattle with slightly colder weather.

The Swedes have been early adopters of American products and trends in Stockholm, creating a strong presence of American culture – making moving to Sweden from the US even easier.

Becoming a Swedish citizen

After five years living in Sweden you might decide to become a Swedish citizen – leaving the Twinkies and sloppy joes behind in favor of pickled herring and pea soup with pancakes (ärtsoppa och pannkakor). Let’s explore how you can get a permanent residency and citizenship.

Applying for permanent residency in Sweden

To apply for a permanent residency, you’ll need to have had a resident permit in Sweden, proof that you have the funds to live there, health insurance, or a legal reason for moving to Sweden. You’ll need to stay in Sweden for over 90 days to obtain a residence permit.

The residence permit is for a period of between 90 days and 365 days. Sweden offers residence permits to entrepreneurs, students, people with local relatives, interns, volunteers, and refugees.

Swedish citizenship application

To become a Swedish citizen, you must be at least 18 years old, have permanent residence in Sweden, have lived in Sweden for at least five years, and have no criminal record. If you have been living in Sweden but you have been abroad for more than six weeks in a year, the entire period you were outside Sweden will be deducted from your total period of residence.

You can fill out your application for Swedish citizenship online via the Swedish Migration Agency website, and then you must print it and send it to them by post. You will need to submit your documents as well, including your passport and a criminal record check.

Job market

Sweden is known throughout the world for its excellent working conditions and high standard of living.

It has the 24th strongest economy in the world and the industries that are currently offering jobs include healthcare, information technology, science, pharmaceuticals, teaching, education, property, construction, engineering, manufacturing, and business management.

Although English is widely spoken, you will find it more difficult to find a job if you cannot write and speak in Swedish. A great way to get your foot in the door in the Swedish workforce is to take part in work experience or an internship, which will give you a head start when applying for a job.

Transferring money to Sweden from the US

Transferring money to Sweden is pretty simple actually — you’ll find loads of convenient money transfer services to choose from which can save you money over relying on banks. Money transfer services are particularly helpful if you’re handling multiple currencies and regularly sending transfers back home to the US.

If you’re thinking of moving to Sweden, you’ll probably need to convert your money into Swedish krona.

That’s why we’ve teamed up with Wise, an easy-to-use international money transfer service which uses the real exchange rate, and charges low fees.

Fill out Wise’s form below to see how they could help.

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Cost of living in Sweden

The cost of living in Sweden is quite high, but the smaller towns are more affordable than Stockholm. The higher cost of living is proportionate to the high income in Sweden.

Renting in Sweden

On average, rent prices are lower in Sweden than in the USA. For example, the average one bedroom apartment in a city centre in the USA would cost $1,762.25, while the average equivalent apartment in Sweden would cost $895.84.

House Prices in Sweden

When it comes to buying property, Sweden is one of the worst countries for first-time buyers as house prices have been increasing in the last few years and demand is falling.

The price per square foot for an apartment in the city centre in Sweden is on average $476.74, compared to the US which is $334.19 per square foot.

Based on statistics from the UBS Global Housing Bubble Index 2024, Stockholm has the world’s 22nd most overvalued property market. It’s decreased in recent years – back in 2016, Stockholm had the third most overvalued property market. Still, being in 22nd place in 2024 means many people will struggle to afford property in Sweden.

Food and shopping prices

To dine out for two at an inexpensive restaurant in Sweden you’re looking at spending around $12.28 (135.00 kr). And for coffee lovers you can expect to pay on average $4.01 (44.13 kr) for a cappuccino.

Going to the grocery store in Sweden, milk, bread, eggs, apples, and potatoes can cost you $13.54, compared to $14.75 in the US, making it slightly more affordable depending on the store and products.

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Education

The education system in Sweden is considered one of the best in the world, and every child has a right to a free education – possible because it is tax-financed.

Children start school at the age of six and they must attend ten mandatory years of schooling. That said, they have förskola (nursery school, or preschool), beginning ages one to six.

The school system is separated into two stages - “Grundskola” which is the primary and lower secondary school and “Gymnasieskola” which is the upper secondary school. When it’s time to go to university, there are 36 to choose from and most of them are publically funded and free to citizens.

Sweden is also fantastic for more individualised learning, bringing neurodiverse teaching methods to the forefront.

Sweden focuses on teaching those with learning differences with dedicated teaching staff, providing visual learning support, creating routines adapted to individual student needs, and even social interaction practice.

Familiarizing yourself with Swedish Culture

The Swedish are generally quiet, reserved and egalitarian. They are very progressive, feminist and tolerant of different races and sexual orientations. You might find that they dislike arguing and find loud boasting to be rude. Usually people will speak calmly and softly, and it’s rare to witness a Swede showing strong emotion in public.

An important part of Swedish culture is Fika, which is an informal coffee break with friends, family or coworkers. Sweets are often included with the coffee, such as a biscuit, cake or cinnamon roll.

Food and drink

Swedish cuisine comprises cold climate food – mostly stodgy meat or fish with potatoes. Meatballs are of course the most famous Swedish dish (served with cream sauce, brown sauce or lingonberry jam). Other Swedish dishes include pea soup, pickled herring, blodpudding (sausage made with flour and pig’s blood) and gravlax (salmon cured in sugar, dill and salt).

One of the hottest restaurants in Stockholm at the moment is Stockholms Gästabud, which serves traditional Swedish cuisine including meatballs, reindeer, and much more, but in a sophisticated fine dining setting. A cheaper option is Kajsas Fisk, a well known stall within the Stockholm fish market which serves delicious shellfish and fish dishes.

Photo by Jessica Guzik on Unsplash

Swedish Nightlife

The most popular and famous Swedish beverage is Absolut Vodka. If you want to have a drink somewhere really “cool” you could check out the Absolut Ice Bar, which is made entirely out of ice and has a below zero temperature inside. Gloves and jackets are available to borrow. Sweden also produces a number of great beers, and there has been a rise in the number of microbreweries.

Stockholm has a vibrant LGBT friendly nightlife scene and Stockholm Pride takes place in the last week of July. There has never been a need to identify a particular “gay district” in Stockholm as LGBT bars are scattered throughout the city and everywhere is friendly and welcoming.

Next steps

Convinced on a move to Sweden? We can help you get your belongings there. Simply fill in our easy-to-understand webform and we'll connect you with our expert suppliers. They'll get in touch with bespoke, obligation-free shipping quotes for you to compare.