How high are prices in Stockholm, Sweden?

Not long ago, I was fortunate enough to be invited to go to Sweden with two musicians. This was undoubtedly exciting and exciting for me who had never been abroad. Recently, domestic prices are rising. We feel that our wallets are shrinking every day, and things are getting more and more expensive. I have heard that Nordic countries have high taxes, high incomes, high prices, and high welfare. So, are the prices in Sweden expensive? Expensive? You will know after seeing the photos I took.

It takes about 10 hours to fly from Beijing to Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, with a transfer in Copenhagen. Don’t worry even if your English is not good. We found that the Chinese signs here are very clear. Follow them You can enter and transfer just by walking.

This was taken at a vending machine at Copenhagen Airport in Denmark. A bottle of Coke costs 20 kronor, which is about 24 yuan. It seems that prices in Europe are indeed not cheap. By the way, several Nordic countries such as Denmark and Sweden are not members of the euro area. In the referendum held in Sweden in 2003, the majority of citizens opposed joining the euro area. So in Sweden, people use krona. Although many guides say that euros can also be used, actual observation shows that almost no one uses euros, and the price tags in stores are also in krona.

Fortunately, the exchange ratio between Swedish krona and RMB is almost 1:1, so you don’t have to calculate silently in your mind when purchasing. The price you see is equivalent to the selling price in RMB. It was already 10:30 in the evening when we arrived in Stockholm. We got off the plane and rushed to the city. We first found a restaurant to soothe our stomachs. This was an ordinary fast food restaurant. The owner was said to be a Kuwaiti. It served a plate of beef and vegetables. Fried rice, 59 yuan, feels a little expensive, but it is indeed a big plate, and I didn’t finish it all anyway.

This is the hotel we stayed in during our stay in Stockholm, called Scandic. Later, when we went out and went out, we often saw hotels with the same name, and then we found out that they are a large hotel in Sweden, and the brand is well-known. The price is not cheap either. A regular room costs an average of 1,600 yuan per night, which is enough to stay in a five-star hotel in China.

This is the inside of the guest room. Although it is not big, it is very clean and comfortable. The bed is moderately soft and hard, the floor is wooden, and the window is a square with a pleasant scenery. The hotel's waiters are all handsome guys with shiny hair, but they only serve at the front desk. The elevator leading to the guest room can only be opened by guests holding the room card. Isn't it a lot less disturbing?

I was surprised to find Chinese characters on the wall of the guest room. I wonder if it was specially arranged for us three Chinese guests, haha.

The taxis in Sweden are all good cars. Volkswagens are very average. VOLVO and Mercedes-Benz taxis can be seen everywhere, and the prices are the same. Did you see the 520 on the rear window? This is not a unit price. According to local friends, this is a unified price for taking a taxi from the city to the airport. 520 yuan, although a bit expensive, but compared to the 149 yuan/person when we got off the plane and took the bus, it seemed acceptable. But it turns out we made a big mistake.

This is our treasure bag in Sweden, the most important of which are the key-shaped card on the left and the magnetic card with a blue photo and a white background strip above, both of which are must-haves for tourists. The former provides access to almost all museums and tourist attractions in Stockholm, including the City Hall, the Royal Palace and the famous VASA shipwreck museum. The latter allows you to take unlimited buses, subways and light rails, which is a treasure for your smooth travel. A one-day bus ticket is 100 yuan, and a three-day ticket is 200 yuan. You must know that buying a ticket to take the subway costs 15 yuan, so buying a card is very cost-effective.

Swedish buses do not sell tickets. According to local friends, this is because the driver was robbed in the past, so now if you take the bus, you have to buy tickets at the automatic ticket vending machine at the station. Credit cards are also accepted here.

Continuing to talk about prices, what is Sweden’s most famous tourist souvenir? This kind of small wooden horse is said to be a symbol of wealth and happiness. Authentic wooden horses are hand-carved and carefully painted, so each one is unique.

Of course, the price is not cheap. I originally wanted to bring one back, but have you seen the price? The lower row of wooden horses, about 10 centimeters high, sells for 305 yuan each, the upper row of white ones cost 405 yuan each, and the slightly larger black ones cost 1,305 yuan each.

Stockholm has a small population, so there are basically empty seats on both buses, subways and light rails. Moreover, the subways open until around 2 o'clock in the middle of the night, and many buses operate 24 hours a day. The people here are very kind, and the crime rate is also very low. The above-mentioned robbery of drivers and other incidents have not happened for many years. A few of us often hang out until midnight and have never been in trouble. There are almost no homeless people on the streets.

The biggest problem when going out may be that you are not used to eating, but when you see such delicious food, are you worried that your Chinese stomach will not be able to bear it? Anyway, I have never been hungry for Chinese food in Sweden. The food here is very fresh. Although the price is high, it is worth the money. You don't have to worry about eating substances on the plate that are only found in chemical laboratories.

This is the price of vegetables taken in a Swedish supermarket. Domestic fruits and vegetables have risen sharply recently. What about the Nordic countries? The price tags are all in kilograms. Just do the math: tomatoes are 15 yuan/jin, cucumbers are 20 yuan/jin, bell peppers are 20 yuan/jin, cauliflower is 13 yuan/jin, and various leafy vegetables are 8 yuan/jin. Compared with other products, is it reasonable? You should know that although the Swedish krona is basically the same as the RMB, Swedes earn more. Since income is private, we didn’t ask much. We just learned that the first-year salary of local university graduates is around 20,000 kronor per month. Although you have to pay about 5,000 in taxes, your disposable income is still relatively large, almost 10 times that of domestic graduates.

China has a "garlic you are ruthless" brand, and the price of garlic in Sweden is also very good, 40 yuan/jin, how about it? Not cheap. My buddy and I did some calculations and found that local prices are about four times those in China. Even so, garlic is not cheap. It may be difficult for tourists to measure prices with the mentality of locals, because no matter how much locals earn, tourists still spend RMB. Compared with garlic, many other products are not much higher than those in China. For example, the 16G bare metal iPhone 4 sells for 5,999 yuan, which is only slightly more expensive than in China. A 2L large ice cream package in the supermarket only costs 10 yuan. There is also a 5-seater car seat cover priced at 149 yuan, which is similar to or even cheaper than in China. In comparison, does the price of garlic seem a bit "outrageous"?

This cabinet contains crystal utensils specially used by the royal family. A goblet costs 460 yuan and a water bottle costs 1,190 yuan. I think ordinary people cannot afford it.

Having mentioned so many prices before, there is one price that cannot be ignored, and that is housing prices. Local housing prices have become one of the three must-ask questions for Chinese tourists, and we are certainly not immune to this. Although everything in Sweden is expensive, and the price of any item is 4-6 times that of China, the housing prices are almost the same as those in China. Take a look at the house above. It was shot in a small town called Sigtuna in northern Sweden. The 43-square-meter house is priced at 1.57 million yuan and the monthly rent is 2,041 yuan. It is close to the airport and has very beautiful scenery. There is also one of the few five-star hotels in Sweden in the town. The town is about half an hour's drive from Stockholm, and there is no toll on the highway. This price should also include decoration, which is very reasonable.

Not interested in housing in a small town? Let’s take a look at downtown Stockholm. The image is a bit small after compression, so let me explain it to you. The yellow house in the upper left corner has a total area of ??310 square meters, of which the room area is 121 square meters. It was built between 1971 and 1984. It has freehold rights including the atrium garden. It has 5 rooms and a large fireplace. Three or four How much does it cost for a bedroom, renovated kitchen and two bathrooms? 2.59 million. This should be considered a villa.

The apartment with a round table under the yellow house is an apartment with two rooms of 60 square meters and two balconies. It was built in 1980 and is priced at 995,000 yuan with a monthly rent of 2,439 yuan. The average price per square meter of this house is only 16,666 yuan/square meter. Houses in Sweden are all about usable area. If we use the calculation of building area like China, the average price will be cheaper.

The median house price in Sweden does not list the address of the house, but the location I took the photo is on a commercial street in the city center. 500 meters next to it is SLUSEEN, a major station where three subways intersect. The geographical location is equivalent to Beijing. Dongdan, I believe the location of the house is not too far away.

This is the night view of Stockholm. The urban area of ??Stockholm is distributed on 14 islands and a peninsula, so it enjoys the reputation of "Venice of the North". Fortunately, we live not far from the seaside, so we can often go out and enjoy this beautiful city at night. Do you still remember the steak dinner we had above? Three dishes cost 666 yuan per pound, which is also a very lucky number.

After an unforgettable five days and four nights, we reluctantly left Sweden and returned to Beijing. This was the first time I took a big plane with four engines. SAS planes may be for Europe. Due to the human design, the seat spacing is relatively large. I am 180cm tall and can’t push my legs in the economy class. More than 10 hours is not difficult. The price of air tickets to Sweden varies greatly. When we went back and forth, the difference was only one day, which was more than 13,000 yuan and less than 3,000 yuan. So if you are not pressed for time, you can find a discount opportunity.

Finally, back to the taxi. As mentioned earlier, the 520 on the back of the car refers to the price from the city to the airport. Later, when we returned from Stockholm, we had to take a taxi in a hurry because we misremembered the time. Go to the airport. The taxi meter in Stockholm jumped very fast, almost every second. It had jumped to more than 200 yuan as soon as we left the city, and it had jumped to 500 when we were halfway there. The three of us were a little panicked and asked the driver what to press. Which price to pay? The driver said, of course, according to the meter. I was so sweaty at the time, but it was useless to say anything in order to catch the plane, so just run away. When we arrived at the airport, it was only 25 minutes before departure, and the fare meter also jumped to 1,100 yuan. Without any time to waste words, I swiped my card to pay and ran to the airport. Fortunately, I didn't miss the plane. After I came back, I asked some experts, and they said that 520 yuan may indeed be the price to the airport, but you have to book it in advance. If you take a taxi at short notice, it is based on the meter. Friends who go to Stockholm again, please remember our lesson.