Your living cost mainly depends on your lifestyle and can, therefore, vary quite much from student to student. Sweden may not be the cheapest country to live in, but if you plan ahead and make a monthly budget there is no reason to feel your money will not last. Also, make sure to look for student discounts as many stores and restaurants have great deals for students.
Living costs as a student in Sweden
Students applying for a residence permit are required to demonstrate funds of at least SEK 10314 per month. You will get by on this amount, but it can be a good idea to calculate for a little more. This to make sure you have some money left for leisure, travel, hobbies etc. (and of course fika!). A calculation of approximate monthly expenses can be found below.
Estimation of living expenses
As a student you will have additional costs (apart from tuition fees, when applicable) related to living expenses. These include food, accommodation, transport, course literature, study material and other living expenses.
Total per month: SEK 10845 - 13145
Approximate monthly expenses for a student in Gothenburg:
- Accommodation SEK 3500 – 7000
- Food SEK 2500
- Course literature SEK 750 (SEK 3000 per semester)
- Telephone/internet SEK 400
- Local travel (30-day period ticket) SEK 815*
- Clothing, hobby/leisure SEK 1400
- Insurance, hygiene, other SEK 1000
* Within Gothenburg Zone A, without student discount (students get 25% discount on period tickets)
Blog - Living costs as Chalmers students
Our student ambassadors Bidita and Maria go over their monthly expenses and share their best financial tips and tricks.
Financial requirements for your residence permit
Read more about the financial requirements needed for applying for a residence permit.
