5 Things That Are Extremely Expensive In Sweden
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These five things are shockingly expensive in Sweden, especially when comparing their prices side by side to what people pay for them in America. I always thought Sweden was a country with a high cost of living and after doing a comparison like this it definitely confirmed this for me!
Do you qualify for socialized medicine services? If so, what is your experience? If now, what is your impression of medical care in Sweden?
In some grocery stores (natural food grocery here in Ann Arbor, MI) you cannot receive any plastic bags, and you are charged $.05 per paper bags. When I lived in Sweden, you had to bring your own cloth/string bags - no plastic bags existed. I wish they would go away...
Everything is so expensive because we think about the environment
Reminder that 1 USD is about 7 SEK
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If I remember correctly, it's only the cheap liquor that's more expensive at Systembolaget. For instance, if you look at a single malt whiskey (10yo+) then I think Systembolaget is reasonably priced compared to other countries. I think the idea is to bring up the price on the cheap stuff to prevent mass consumption.
Regarding the restaurant prices. 300$ is 50% more than 200$ i believe, not a third more :-)
Reusable Bags. Smart for environment
I'm not very bothered by the new plastic bag price becuase we're making an effort to better the climate by using less plastic so I bring my own bag now which is an inconvenience to carry but it's only there when I need to shop so it's ok. But yeah it's damn expensive for most things in comparision as we pay so much in taxes and our good quality food control makes it more expensive to buy meat.
Median pay in the us and sweden is about the same (ofc us little better), its a better measurment then average.
so you mean that public transport is good in sweden? go outside stockholm. where I live there is a bus a day. in Småland
As a swede i thought eating out in america was quite expensive. The normal prices at restaurants felt kinda similar to sweden but then you have tax added later plus 15-20% gratuity to add. so i ended up spending quite a lot of money on food.
In San Francisco, 20% tips is expected. San Francisco is a little bit more expensive than here if you include tips and taxes.
Bring your own bag in the future!
please if you say A you must say B , that is explaining WHY plastic bags , alkohol, meat , fuel etc is taxed or more expensive in Sweden . You have to make a new video on that theme to be fair
In Sweden is really hard to get ahead financially...but no one is going bankrupt due to medical debt or being college loan burdened due to American greedy companies.
Bring your own bags from home so the turles in sweden doesnt sufficate on them!!!!!
You should read a bit more regarding the alcohol taxes in Sweden to learn why they are high! What are these taxes used for?
Som i många andra länder är priser väldigt lokala. Vill jag äta och bo billigt är Stockholm eller någon annan av de största städerna i Sverige INTE alternativet. Hur har sedan maten tillverkats och vilken djurhållning har man? Jag bor i en villa i ett mindre samhälle och jag har erfarenhet av båda boendena. I princip allt är dyrare i städerna, även ölen på krogen. Boendet är 70-75 % billigare 45 minuter pendling från Stockholm. Mycket mer livskvalitet. 💯❤️.
5:50 Swedish inflection lol
Alcohol use should not be taxed so much simply to discourage its use. That should just be common sense to not drink so much.
Tbh public transportation is only good in bigger citys, on the country side its quite bad
1kg of chicken breast can be found for 4-5 dollars if you buy eldorado trash.
Stefan : Did you tip on really bad service in the U.S. I wouldn't when I lived there and would constantly get in trouble! 😅
Meat is cheaper in Denmark but we pay more than twice for a car than the swedes..! (Sigh) 🙄
Petrol is, still extremely cheap, when you consider how tough it is to get..! Even in Scandinavia..!
The lastic bag situation is the same in Denmark. (4 Dkr) All supermarkets have a multiusable biodegradable alternative made bags made from hemp and other nature friendly products. These bags that you can use 100's of times, usually cos around a 10'er.
Similar in the UK btw with the anti-plastics drive. I know a lot of people have a snobby thing against the UK, but their standards are fairly high and improving all the time. They don't have the hemp bags yet though, so that's interesting. Are they strong enough to hold heavy goods? Any issues with them? I'm sure I've used one here in Sweden at some point but I can't remember which store I picked it up from.
Hate to break it to you but plastic OR paper grocery bags are $0.25 each. Ground beef is US$4.99/lb. or $11.00/kg. As for restaurants, san Francisco kicks Sweden's rear end for overpriced meals.
So Sweden is greener and healthier?! 😂
The petrol prices are much the same in the rest of Europe, and not just Sweden. It’s the same in the U.K. The US has always had low fuel prices, unlike most of the rest of the world (most, but probably not all)
The reason that gasoline and plastic bags are expensive is the climate. I feel like they don’t do really much I’m America. The reason that meat is expensive is because we treat the animals good.
Can confirm, Switzerland broke my wallet haha. A pastry and a few coffees cost us near 25$, and a "burger and fries" was near 40$. Hotels were affordable though, and Diesel was alright. But man, food was nuts.
Go vegan
Alkohol och bensin är billigt i förhållande till de norska priserna.
You have to be crazy! I am not paying almost a dollar for a plastic bag, thank God! I don't drink, thinking about going vegan, this is getting better and . I don't like eating out and if. I do and the man pays! Hummm, might have to check Sweden out and stay blessed! 😆😆😆😆😆😆
So- taxes make plastic bags expensive. Solution: buy a cheap paper bag or get a free one for "matåtervinning"/food waste recycling.
Like many here have stated, it is only good that meat is expensive - not only because it should be consumed much less for our climate's sake. Besides, vegetarian and vegan food is often just as expensive as meat, depending partly on if you buy processed/partly processed food or fresh ingredients. And the tax collected comes back to the society in the form of social welfare. Think, American, think! *grin* ;-)
The plastic bag tax are officially of environmental reasons but in reality it is just a tax cash grab. It failed miserably thou since swedes pretty much instantly turned to reusable bags and as such the tax have only brought in a trickle of what they calculated that is would.
Regarding public transport, your view, I suspect, is very miscoloured by living in the urbanized south. Up here in the north, in the town where I live, there's a 2 hour wait for each bus ride - going from inside the town to another place inside the same town - and between 8 hours and a full 24 hours wait time for each bus leaving the town in any direction. And due to the decentralization up here, you need a car to get around at all. The nearest grocery store will usually be around 20-50 minutes away by car unless you live inside the town, and it's not too uncommon that roads will be blocked, nearly doubling that travel time.
Let's get a video comparison of income for some typical jobs in Sweden
Taxes, taxes taxes! And there are black holes that suck in tax money on stupid things. Born free and taxed to death!
I guess the animals in the US pay an even higher price than those in Sweden #govegan
Nu får man ju också komma ihåg att det är Stockholm vi pratar om...det är ju en helt annan värld när det gäller ekonomi jämfört resten av landet...
omg that plastic bag thing, i havent lived in Sweden for 8 years now and i just read about it, it is a recent thing, they used to be only 2kr... they raised the price on all plastic bags within last year or months
Chicken breasts are quite expensive for the chickens, too.
Plastic bags - same as in the UK (and probably most of EU) as we are thinking of Global Warming and trying to achieve a more carbon neutral goals and think of the next generation. Meat and fish prices are actually cheap vs NYC or London farmer raised standard (default in Sweden vs commercial hormone boosted caged animals meat comes to the US supermarket shelves). Universal law: if it is cheap then someone is paying for it (supply chain or quality it shall be)
So, us swedes earn smaller sallaries, we pay more tax and everything is more expensive. How is that fair?
Remember you can't compare average monthly net salary between USA and the Scandinavian countries. A lot of services that you have to pay a premium for in the US are tax payed in Scandinavia, like healthcare, school, college and childcare. So deduct those expenses from the US net salary you come to at least the same available amount. If not higher.
U know there is a reason why the plasticbags are so expensive.. We want pepole to stop using uunnecessary plastic for the planet, have u seen the sea? Have u heard about the climate? We are trying to do something. Btw love ur videos
When You think about the fact that most Norwegians living near Sweden take daytrips to buy meat, tobacco, sweets, softdrinks and alcohol because its so much cheaper there, then You might reconsider your trip to Norway.
I LOVE THIS VIDEO. you say things every sweede think but doesnt complain about. i hate this expensive things too
Nu vill man typ flytta till USA haha
I spent 7 years living in a couple of different states, back in Sweden again since a few back and man life here is CHEAP! a hundred bucks a year on plastic bags is a lot yes, but like hey that’s not something you must buy. And yes alcohol is expensive here because of taxes, BUT we’re not paying hundred of dollars is health insurance every month 😂 I was barley getting by in the US and I live a great life here and never worry about money (with similar salaries)
I actually found eating in the US expensive - though the costs of drinks is definitely lower - but I think that depends on what places you go to. Last time was six years ago and a decent steak in New York was 50$ minimum (excluding tips) and at some places (like Smith & Wollensky) it was around the 100$ mark for a steak, but the big chains, or local restaurants are probably very different but I don't usually go to them when vacationing.
Stefan, please think twice and think about what you get in Sweden compared to America, esp. when environment protection is considered. I think you made a low mark here. Sorry.
I'd rather have restaurant workers actually being able to live off of their salary than me being able to go out for a cheap steak.
Atleast sweden free healthcare and education! But damn I miss the coupons and buy one get 1 discounts and tjmaxx
5:56 Sweden is more than Stockholm... You need a car if you don't live in a City.
The only one that seems more expensive in Sweden than Australia is fuel/gas; I pay AUD $1.38 per/L for fuel - where the equivalent is AUD$2.26 per/L in Sweden; the rest seems comparable.
6:57 are you forgetting that you get almost everything for free? healthcare, education...
We treat our aninals a lot better than the US do, of course the mest is more expensive!
These Swedish prices are mostly the same as Australia and the UK (I live between the two). The USA sounds DIRT CHEAP!!
The plastic bags, are not the bags in the US pretty low quality?
I Los Angeles där jag bor kostar plast kassar 10 cents per påse, lite billigare men det kostar iaf
Yeah, we are probably gonna see the same situation as in SF, where mostly tech people are in stockholm
tell them that in sweden we pay like 33% in taxes and we pay tax on tax when we shop.
Plastpåsarna fick en skatt för staten ville ha mer pengar, förväntade sig en hel del men fick inte i närheten av så mycket men om vi ser det från ett miljöperspektiv så är det bättre då det förhindrar folk att vilja köpa en ny påse varje gång dem handlar och istället återanvända dem påsar dem har, köpa påsar i plast när dem har eller så bara köp en påse i tyg eller en ryggsäck istället. Min Ryggsäck jag fick för fem och ett halvt år sedan när jag börja 7an använder jag fortfarande. Den har några små hål på kanterna, kan inte dra åt dragkedjan helt men den funkar perfekt efter fem och ett halv år.
Well, healthcare in the US is VERY expensive compared to Sweden.
The total cost behind cheap plastic items, fossil energy and farms that are run like factories is much higher than the price we pay even in Sweden. What is left when the climate change is a fact and the environment is so polluted that we cannot no longer grow our food, fish our fish, have clean water and the wild animals are extinct?
I do not agree with you in this video Stefan. The higher price of certain things here is to some extent to make people aware, and to think a little for themselves. If people understand the meaning of paying a little more for chicken, for example, that it means that the demand for cheap meat and poor animal care decreases. (At least that's the idea). It is a bit the same thinking as in that many do not mind paying taxes if it means that everyone in the country also gets a better, safer life, plus that you yourself also get help if / when you need it. And you will need "help" through life, whether you are poor or rich. The same thinking also includes gasoline, alcohol, plastic etc. It's about what's good for the planet and the well - being of the individual. To think one step extra 🙂
The plastic bag tax is so stupid considering the aim was that it would be more environmentally friendly. The reality is that the grocery plastic bags were green bags, made of recycled plastic. They were also like said in the video reused as thrash bags. The tax however has lead to people buying cheap plastic bags sold in bulk. These bags are made with oil and way worse for the environment. Also the cloth bags that are sold to be reused have to be used 1000:s of times before their climate footprint becomes worthwhile compared using grocery plastic bags. People will not reuse a bag 1000:s of times. Finally (:D long rant!) the income from the plastic bag tax has been less than 200 million sek so far. They had calculated the income would be 10 times that number. Naively they assumed people wouldn't switch over to other alternatives like the oil bags sold in bulk. All in all it's a complet fiasco. Both environmentally and economically. It never was that big of a problem with people throwing plastic bags in nature here in Sweden. It's something more common in other parts of the world. The big recycling habits among the population we have going here made it so almost all of them ended up being used as thrash bags.
If you tip in Sweden you disrespect the server IMO and I say that as a server.. I can make my own fucking money. And about the meat cost it really has to do with how we treat animals compared to Amerika, now the meat is bad to eat as a whole but the costs are higher since there are regulations, for example, corn fed cows don't exist really since it's mostly grass-fed which is better for the environment and the animals but the cost is higher to ensure the regulations stay intact top protect the animals (yes might sound weird) and also to protect the industry. Also that comment about it being "hard to get ahead" was so Amerikan with all of the competing and shit. Why do you need to win versus someone you in life when it comes to money and such. You are not meant to get ahead you are meant to work together and not see everything as a competition. That's my take but w/e a bunch of people probably disagree.
Everything you mentioned is cheaper because it is bad plastic bags are bad for the enviroment so if youhave to pay for them you Will use less btw everything is cheaper in america because you make Alot and export alot from there and generally some IT-medborgare are made cheaper
If you eat pizza for example, it is cheaper in the small communities than in the big cities.
4. Well how is the treatment for the animal in sweden vs USA. We have much better mest here and the animal is treated better. 5. If you compare the wages of a restaurant worker in the US vs Sweden you will know why its more expensive here in sweden. We pay the workers wages they can live on.
now I need 5 things that are extremely CHEAP!
One kilo of organic chicken breast and ground beef at Costco is almost twice as expensive as chicken in Sweden (keep in mind how much better the quality of food is in general in Sweden. America's organic meat is our NORMAL meat in Sweden). I was surprised at how EXPENSIVE meat and other groceriues are in AMERICA.
And you're also wrong about the average cost of a meal at a restaurant. In Sweden, you can get an 18 inch pizza for less than 10 dollars. In the US, you will pay 18-30 dollars depending on where you buy one. Eating a burger with fries at a restaurant averages 12-20 dollars per plate depending on the restaurant in America, compared to probably 6-10 dollars in Sweden. A meal at a thai restaurant averages 14-20 dollars per plate in the US, compared about 8-10 dollars in Sweden. Stefan, I enjoy your videos. But don't spread fake information about my home country, if you don't know what you are talking about.
And also, alcohol is a lot more expensive at bars in America compared to bars in Sweden.
hats wy we in South Sweden go to Denmark to byr alcohol, and have ddone since i was little, but before we had boats to Denmark, a shrimp sandwish on the boat and beer,
You said about the fact that you pay less taxes, the increased taxes in Sweden helps to maintain a good standard of living compared to most other countries. Look at the amount of people who can´t get the healthcare they need in the US simply cause they can´t afford the expensive healthinsuranses, whereas in Sweden we all contribute to that through our taxes. Also Sweden have a very low homlessness rate compared to many countries - the safety net is in place to catch/help people out of it with governmental fundings. Have a good day! :)
About price of chicken in US, I remember seeing this: svname.info/nick/video/inGwgdyoZ5ymy6o
Man betalar också moms på alkoholskatten så skatt på skatt.
Many of the things that are expensive are also bad for the climate. So if something is expensive, there is a small chance that people will buy them and instead buy something that is better for the climate, that's also cheaper.
Public transportation works well in bigger cities, but if you get to the rural parts, where you really need a car, then no they aren´t good at all, actually it is crap. But some people like myself chose to live rural and getting away from the bigger cities to have a chanse of living more rural.
1. If he pays what he claims he is for the chicken, he's shopping in the wrong grocery stores. Whole chicken(frozen of fresh), I would expect to pay on average 20-25 SEK per kg(2$/pund). Chicken breast twice as much. 2. Alcohol. Don't shop in Systembolaget if you can avoid it. Drive down to bordershop in Germany once per year and fill your car. There are no limits on how much you can bring in to the country. 3. Gas. He's right. It's expensive. In our family we drive as much as he would in his homeland, but we have more fuel efficient cars. We have one car per family member, which is expected where I live 20 km out of Stockholm. We avoid the crappy buses and the deplorables using them. 4.. Plastic bags. Like others have pointed out earlier. Nowadays, we buy them in packages of 100 imported from China, otherwise we don't have anything to put our trash in. And sales of plastic bags made from recycled stuff in grocery stores have decreased with 90%. 5.. Restaurants. He's right about that. But most of the restaurants are crap anyway, so you get better quality meals making your own food. And it's not vegan, there might be some hipsters like that where Stefan lives, but certainly not in my neighborhood.
Would be interesting to see a comparison of average job salaries between Sweden and the US! Love your vids man, great stuff!
@Stefan Thyron: It doesn’t matter that the US has a higher average income than Sweden does because of the big income gap between the rich and poor in the US. The median income is way more important and Sweden has a higher median income than the US. However, the income and sales taxes and living cost in Sweden are so high that people here are left with so little to spend.
Gasoline prices is higher in all Europe for a purpose, people should go over to electrified cars. Still, there are over 5 millions of cars in Sweden which means 1 car for each 2 persons. It's a big digit compare to many other countries. Regarding the meat and chicken, fish (etc), the prices are higher because the quality is much higher, i've been in the US, i saw variety in quality.. so you pay for something good, that's why it costs more. People are vegan NOT because of meat prices, this is NOT true at all, it's because of two reasons, environment and many people for health reasons chooses to be vegan, additionally, there are also a third reason that some people feels sorry to "kill" animal to eat them.
In the U.S., Hawai'i and California charge for plastic bags. Hawai'i charges about 15 cents while California charges about 10 cents. Trader Joe's in Calif. charges 10 cents for paper bags as well.
We stopped taxing the super rich and top 10% wage earners, and instead we give them tax-subsidized contribute as which we call deductions so do not be so worried when the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise (Svenskt näringsliv) has finished playing with Swedish economy and welfare policy we have no one left for the working class, and nor middle class either for that matter, and it will be just as anti working and human as your home country U.S.A. . But we must take in taxes on something in addition to working class so there will be consumer goods like tobacco alcohol and fuel who bear the tax burden and it affects no rich people.
You can buy textile bags or backpack you lazy fart.
Things might be a bit expensive here, but we have free education and basically free healthcare. And about the alcohol, a lot of people here go to Germany to buy beer
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Paying for plastic grocery bags in Sweden? Welcome to California, where they're 10 cents each! You learn in a hurry to bring your own bags....
Casually sitting here as a norwegian, thinking that swedish alcohol is cheaper. Which it is, but we are more expensive than Sweden.
Perhaps the reason American products are so cheap is because the minimum vague is only 7.25$ and has been so for the last 20 years or so. Adjusted for inflation the minimum vague should be closer to 20$ - wonder what that would do the the prices. America is quite the cynical society where workers are getting shafted and now even the middle class is suffering - just to keep delivering cheap products and enriching the oligarchs.
An interesting note about the alcohol tax: because it's only based on alcohol content, price differences are diminished or sometimes even reversed when you get to the more expensive high quality liquors.
Oh, and the gas prices is one of many things that makes me want to move to the US as a "car enthusiast"
The plastpåseskatten is getting removed if i'm nor remembering wrong!
I very highly doubt that. No idea where you got that from.
plastic bags are so expensive here, they charge because they can and we are stupid and pay and say nothing
Pro Tip; Just use a backpack for your groceries, easier to carry than in your hands, and most people probably already own a backpack