🇬🇧 United Kingdom vs 🇸🇪 Sweden
Side by side on the data that actually changes your life: prices, taxes, climate, air, safety. Every number has a source and a date.
Climate (capital)
Open-Meteo historical weather
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Sunny days (capital)
Open-Meteo, days with over 4.5h of sunshine
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Air quality (capital)
WAQI, capital station
AQI 35 · Good
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Big Mac price
The Economist Big Mac index (euro-area countries share one euro-area price)
$7.08
$7.26
Living costs · single, excl. rent (capital)
Reloka cost research, excludes rent
$950–$1,400 / mo
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Living costs · family of four, excl. rent (capital)
Reloka cost research, excludes rent
$3,400–$4,400 / mo
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Employment taxes (not your rate)
OECD tax wedge, single average worker
~32% of what a job costs goes to tax (2025)
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Special tax regimes
Official tax authorities, verified June 2026
4-year FIG regime (ex non-dom)
Expert tax relief (expertskatt)
Inflation
World Bank
3.9% / yr (2025)
0.7% / yr (2025)
Unemployment
World Bank, ILO-modelled estimate
4.8% (2025)
8.7% (2025)
Internet (median fixed)
Ookla Speedtest Global Index
~120 Mbps
~190 Mbps
English proficiency
EF English Proficiency Index
native
very high
Messenger apps
OONI network measurements, last 6 months
No known issues
No known issues
Safety advisory
U.S. State Department travel advisory
Level 2 · Exercise Increased Caution
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Population
World Bank total population
69.5M (2025)
10.6M (2025)
Population density
World Bank, people per km²
283 / km² (2023)
26 / km² (2023)
Foreign-born residents
World Bank migrant stock
17.1% of population (2024)
21.4% of population (2024)
Life expectancy
WHO
80 yrs
83 yrs
Currency
ISO 4217
GBP
SEK
Timezone (capital)
Open-Meteo
UTC+1
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Legal
Legal
Short-term gains
24%
30%
Long-term gains
18%
30%
Long-term holding period
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—
Staking income
45%
30%
Mining income
45%
57.0%
General rates, not personal tax advice.
Climate, inflation and life expectancy verified 12 July 2026. Prices, taxes and air quality verified 7 July 2026. Sources shown per row.
Bottom line: which should you choose?
Pick 🇬🇧 United Kingdom if you want
lower day-to-day costs.
Based only on the sourced metrics above. Visa eligibility and paperwork depend on your passport — build a free plan for the full picture.
Frequently asked questions
Is United Kingdom or Sweden cheaper?
United Kingdom is the cheaper of the two on our comparable cost measure (Big Mac $7.08 vs $7.26). Your real cost depends on the city and lifestyle — see the full table above, then generate a free plan for a budget matched to your exact move.
Should I choose United Kingdom over Sweden?
On the data we track, United Kingdom comes out ahead for lower day-to-day costs. Every figure has a source in the table above.
Special tax regimes, verified
Regimes change often and many sites still advertise closed ones. We link the official source for each.
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Foreign income & gains tax-free for the first 4 years
Verified June 2026 · HMRC
🇸🇪 Sweden
25% of salary tax-exempt · up to 7 years
Verified June 2026 · Skatteverket
Numbers are half the story
Your visa route, paperwork and deadlines depend on where you hold a passport. Get a free checklist personalized to your exact move.