Budget · Stockholm · Sweden
Stockholm on a budget
What a trip to Stockholm really costs, and where the savings are.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Holger Ellgaard, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
Stockholm is expensive for most international visitors. Budget roughly $80–$130 per person per day on a tight budget, $180–$320 mid-range and $400–$900 for luxury, excluding flights. Hotel prices are usually lowest in January–March.
Key facts
- Budget traveller
- $80–$130 a day
- Mid-range
- $180–$320 a day
- Luxury
- $400–$900 a day
- Local currency
- SEK
- Free sights
- 6
Daily budget and trip cost
AMZBooking estimates per person in US dollars, excluding flights, reviewed October 2026. Accommodation is the biggest variable; prices rise in peak months.
| Style | Per day | 3 days | 5 days | 7 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | $80–$130 | $240–$390 | $400–$650 | $560–$910 |
| Mid-range | $180–$320 | $540–$960 | $900–$1,600 | $1,260–$2,240 |
| Luxury | $400–$900 | $1,200–$2,700 | $2,000–$4,500 | $2,800–$6,300 |
Typical prices
Approximate prices in Stockholm, October 2026. They change; use them for planning, not as quotes.
| Item | Typical price |
|---|---|
| SL single ticket | about SEK 40–45 |
| Coffee and a cinnamon bun (fika) | about SEK 60–90 |
| Weekday lunch special (dagens lunch) | about SEK 130–170 |
| Beer (0.4 l) in a bar | about SEK 75–95 |
| Major museum ticket | about SEK 150–250 |
| Mid-range restaurant dinner | about SEK 350–600 per person |
| Arlanda Express single | about SEK 300–350 |
Money-saving tips
- Eat your main meal at lunch: a weekday dagens lunch includes salad, bread and coffee for far less than dinner.
- Buy a 72-hour SL ticket; it covers the metro, trams, buses and the Djurgården ferry.
- Commuter trains and airport coaches from Arlanda cost much less than the Arlanda Express, especially for one or two people.
- Gamla Stan, Monteliusvägen, Djurgården's parkland, the Public Library and Skogskyrkogården are free.
- Buy wine and beer for picnics at Systembolaget rather than drinking in bars, where alcohol is expensive.
- Business hotels often discount at weekends and in July, when many Swedes are on holiday.
Free things to do
- Gamla Stan and Stortorget — Stockholm grew from this island in the 13th century.
- Djurgården and Rosendals Trädgård — Away from its museums, most of Djurgården is royal parkland with oak meadows, waterside paths and the Rosendal Palace.
- Monteliusvägen and Skinnarviksberget — A cliff-top footpath of about 500 metres on northern Södermalm looks over Riddarfjärden to the City Hall and Gamla Stan.
- Stockholm Public Library — Gunnar Asplund's 1928 library is a cylinder rising from a block, and inside a circular hall lined floor to ceiling with books wraps around the visitor.
- Skogskyrkogården — The Woodland Cemetery, designed by Gunnar Asplund and Sigurd Lewerentz from 1917, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site where graves lie among pine forest and a meandering path leads to a granite cross and chapels.
- Östermalms Saluhall — The red-brick market hall, opened in 1888 and restored in recent years, has fishmongers, butchers, cheese counters and small restaurants serving herring, shrimp sandwiches and Swedish classics.
Where to stay on a budget
$$$ · Best for first-timers, shopping and budget
Norrmalm
The modern centre: Central Station, department stores and Kungsträdgården
$$ · Best for quiet stays, families and budget
Kungsholmen
Residential island west of the centre with the City Hall and lakeside promenades
Eating well for less
- Cinnamon bun — Bakeries and cafés everywhere; independent bakeries in Södermalm and Vasastan are especially good.
- Fried Baltic herring — Street-food stands and traditional lunch restaurants on Södermalm, and food halls in the centre.
- Shrimp sandwich — Cafés, food halls and harbourside restaurants, especially in summer.
Getting around for less
SL travel cards
24-hour, 72-hour and 7-day tickets cover unlimited metro, trams, buses, commuter trains and SL ferries within the region.
Waxholmsbolaget island hopping card
A multi-day pass for unlimited travel on Waxholmsbolaget's archipelago boats, useful for exploring several islands.
Questions travellers ask
+How much does a trip to Stockholm cost?
About $900–$1,600 per person for five days mid-range, excluding flights (estimate), or $400–$650 on a tight budget.
+Is Stockholm expensive?
It is expensive for international visitors. Eat your main meal at lunch: a weekday dagens lunch includes salad, bread and coffee for far less than dinner.
+How much money do I need per day in Stockholm?
Roughly $80–$130 on a budget and $180–$320 mid-range (estimates).
+When are hotel prices lowest in Stockholm?
Usually in January–March.