How much does it really cost to have kids in Sweden?
Recently, Swedish media reported that the cost of raising a child until age 18 has reached 2.2 million SEK (~ 203 000 EUR) in 2026.
A price tag of 2 million SEK can make it sound like raising kids in Sweden is wildly expensive.
However, based on my own experience, I still think it’s cheaper than in many other Western countries.
For example, here is what my family spent:
Giving birth: 1,200 SEK (~ 100 EUR)
That covered two nights (one in the hospital and one in the postpartum hotel), plus my husband’s stay and all meals (his too). It still amazes me how affordable this part is.
Initial necessities for the baby: 25,000 SEK (~ 2,200 EUR)
Alongside new, we bought a lot of things second-hand — stroller, clothes, some furniture. Sweden has a great second‑hand culture, so it was easy to find good-quality items.
Doctor check‑ups: 0 SEK
We’ve never paid for a doctor’s appointment for our daughter — not even dental visits — and any medicines prescribed to her have also been free.
Bonus: all midwife visits for me during pregnancy, as well as prescribed ultrasound checks were free of charge as well.
Kindergarten/month: 1,300 SEK (~ 120 EUR)
My daughter has been going to the preschool five days a week, 8:15–16:30, since she was 1.5 years old. The fee includes three meals a day, diapers, and all the arts‑and‑crafts supplies they use, we never had to pay anything above the standart fee. Please notice, that the fee differs depending on the income and the municipality you are registered in, but in general, it is between 100-200 EUR.
Food costs: difficult to calculate
My daughter didn’t like formula, and once she started solids she mostly ate what we did. Our grocery bill didn’t noticeably change, so I never felt like her food added a big extra cost.
Clothes/year: 4,000 SEK (~ 380 EUR)
We get a lot of clothes as gifts or hand‑me‑downs from older kids, which keeps our spendings rather low. Again, shopping kids clothes second hand online is very widespread in Sweden.
Toys & books /year: 3,000 SEK (~ 280 EUR)
We usually gift her new things only for special occasions (birthday, Christmas, Easter), and she also gets plenty of gifts from friends and family.
Entertainment /month: 400 SEK (~ 38 EUR)
Many museums are free for kids up to 18 (some up to the age of 7), and we try to do at least one outing a month — cinema, theatre, or a concert. Tickets usually range from 100 to 450 SEK (10-40 EUR).
Extracurricular activities/year: 10,000 SEK (~ 950 EUR)
This is one of our biggest recurring expenses, but it’s because we chose to sign her up for two activities a week. Most activities cost around 2,500–3,500 SEK per half‑year, though there are also some free options.
Conclusions:
This is an estimation for my family & lifestyle, so naturally cost varies a lot between families.
As an expat, I compare these costs to my friends’ spending in other Western countries, and Sweden seems rather modest—especially when you consider kindergarten and healthcare expenses elsewhere.
Would you say the costs are higher in your country, or does Sweden still feel expensive when it comes to raising kids?
Hi! My name is Anastasia and I'm the founder of BAC Agency Sweden, mom to a 4-year old and expat. living in Sweden for over 10 years.
We founded BAC Agency Sweden after experiencing the challenges of moving to Sweden ourselves — navigating bureaucracy, decoding local systems, and searching endlessly for trustworthy information.
Other expats kept asking us for help, and we realized these struggles were universal. So we turned our own journey and knowledge into clear guides and one-on-one support, making relocation easier and more enjoyable for others.
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