Welcome to Stockholm, the beautiful capital of Sweden. The city was founded in the 13th century and is situated on the east coast of Sweden. With 2.1 million inhabitants, it is the heart of Swedish trade and business life and is known for its rich cultural history and closeness to nature.
Housing
All universities in Stockholm offer accommodations for upcoming students in different parts of Stockholm. However, if you want to change your accommodation or you have to stay in Stockholm more than the time of the university housing contract, Stockholms Studentbostäder is the main student housing landlord. It has 8000 apartments for those who are members of Student Unions.
There are three main types of student accommodations: student rooms; one-room student apartments; multi-room apartments.
Student room
In a corridor room, a room with its own toilet and shower is included, but you share a kitchen and dining area with other students. If you rent a student room in a collective apartment or double apartment, you also have a shared toilet and shower. Only one person is allowed to live in student rooms.
Good to know before you book this type of accommodation is that there is a shared responsibility to keep clean and tidy in all common areas. You are expected to clean the kitchen after you have cooked, recycle and take care of your waste. You are responsible for keeping your shelf clean in the fridge and kitchen cabinets. You also need to be willing to cooperate with the others living in the same corridor/apartment. To make everything work as smoothly as possible, we ask everyone to follow the cleaning schedule that is available.
One-room student apartment
When you rent a one-room student apartment, you have a room of approximately 20 – 30 square meters with a private kitchenette or kitchen. You also have your own toilet and shower. Only one person can be written on the contract for one-room student apartments. However, it’s allowed to have a person as a roommate.
Multi-room student apartment
When you rent a multi-room student apartment you have an apartment with two to four rooms as well as your own kitchenette or kitchen. Our multi-room student apartments are only rented to students with fellow tenants or students with children. This means that you can’t rent a multi-room student apartment alone. However, your fellow tenant does not have to be a student.
Student Unions
The student unions are membership organizations with the purpose to represent the common interests of students.
Their important assignment is to guarantee that students are able to influence their education, but they also have a major role in the social aspects of university life: from parliamentary decisions to course planning, to housing and coffee prices.
Stockholm University has two student unions, one large and one departmental, alongside Faculty Clubs and Student Union Associations. You visit this website in order to get more information about Student Unions at Stockholm University, membership requirements and other possibilities.
THS is one of Sweden’s oldest student unions and has over 112 years of experience in working for students’ rights at KTH. THS offers career opportunities and activities which offer skill development and networking, THS also host one of the biggest career fairs in Sweden – THS Armada.
In order to become a student member of THS, you need to have an active course registration at KTH. If you are only admitted to a course/program, but not registered, then it is not sufficient. You get more information about the Student Union via this website.
There are opportunities to join Student Unions in all universities, so you can check your University’s webpage to get more information about Student Unions.
Transportation
Stockholm Public Transport, SL is responsible for buses, underground trains, commuter trains, trams, and certain ferry lines in Stockholm.
The underground is the easiest way to get around town. Tickets can be purchased at SL Centers, underground ticket booths, newsagent kiosks, via SMS, or via the SL app. It’s not possible to pay cash for tickets on board buses in Stockholm. Failure to show on-demand a valid ticket during a control will result in a penalty fee of 1200 SEK.
A single ticket is valid for 75 minutes, costs 38 SEK (25 SEK for students), and can be purchased at SL’s ticket machines, through their app, or directly at the turnstiles using a credit card. It’s also possible to buy 24 hours, 72 hours, and 30-day tickets. A parent with a stroller gets to ride for free on any of Stockholm’s buses.
A trip on the number 69 bus or number 7 tram that goes out to Djurgården is a superb way to discover Stockholm. The tram connects you with major attractions like Skansen and the Vasa Museum.
Stockholmers are always heedful of their beautiful surroundings, and this has led to many inner-city buses running on eco-friendly fuels such as ethanol. The Stockholm underground is also known as the world’s longest art gallery as so many of its stations are adorned with the works of different artists.
Stockholm’s public transport system also has an accessibility guarantee to ensure that travellers with disabilities reach their destination.
Shopping
Clothes and Shoes
Stockholm Quality Outlet- Barkarby. This is a huge outlet zone, where you have all the best brands like Timberland, Skopunkten, Levis etc. You get unbelievably amazing deals on the latest trends and brands here.
Electronics
Use the Mecenat discount, you can also use the ‘LETGO’ application for second-hand deals or visit the TRADERA website.
Grocery
For buying the weekly mandatory stuff, accessing the closest LIDL or Willy’s is the way to go. But for those bulk, monthly purchases, or if you’re planning to throw a party and need to buy a lot of things at one go, Kista Grossen is the place to go.
Bikes
If you want to buy second-hand bicycles, you can find them in the Facebook marketplace where people are selling their belongings at lower prices or join the Facebook group “Lappis market“, there are always graduating students selling their own bicycles at low prices
To have more options: visit the local website blocket.se and search for “cyklar” you will find numerous advertisements from locals selling their bikes, at all prices
The most convenient: go to any of the bicycle shops in the town and pick one. The price is usually a little bit higher compared to the two alternatives above, but you can adjust it until it fits and in this way, you will never get a malfunctioning one.
Life in Stockholm
Outdoor activities are very important to Stockholmers, whether it’s skiing, iceskating and sledging in the winter or barbecues, watersports and nature walk in the summer. Public access to the countryside is protected by law, so you can make the most of the beautiful forests, islands and rivers. Despite its high latitude, the weather is fairly sunny – Stockholm has more hours of sunshine in an average year than London or Paris.
Take advantage of allemannsrätten
Stockholm sits on 14 islands connected by 57 bridges, giving you sea views at almost every street corner. The city is full of parks and forests areas to explore, and allemannsrätten is your free ticket to enjoy all of it. Allemannsrätten, the right of public access, allows everyone to roam freely in the countryside, pick mushrooms and berries in the forest, and swim or go kayaking in any of the rivers and lakes.
If you want to go hiking or camping, but you do not have equipment for these activities, do not worry there is an app that you can rent everything you need. Download Hygglo to your phone and search for the device you need. Please note that sometimes you can’t rent two things at the same time, therefore try to find a package, instead of looking for everything one by one.
Grab a bite of Sweden
Sweden is known for its meatballs, but there are plenty of other flavors to experience. Stockholm offers restaurants for all budgets, often with discounts for students. Some of the must-tries are traditional dishes such as pickled herring, crayfish and smörgåstårta. In this multicultural city, you will also find food from all corners of the world. Dinner parties with fellow students or enjoying a Swedish fika together are great ways to make new friends.
Explore this modern and tech-friendly city
Living in Stockholm, a vast selection of cultural and historical experiences will be available right on your doorstep. Founded in the 13th century, the city is full of historical sights waiting to be explored. Royal landmarks and beautiful buildings aside, Stockholm is also filled with museums covering everything from ABBA and architecture to modern art and technology. Many museums in Stockholm are free, making culture and history accessible to all.
The Stockholm underground is known as the world’s longest art gallery (110km long) since most stations are adorned with sculptures, mosaics, paintings, installations, engravings or reliefs – the work of 150 different artists. Sweden is of course also known for textile and interior design, combining function with aesthetics.
The Swedish capital is also a world-leading city when it comes to music and technical innovations – being the home to acts like Avicii and Robyn, as well as Spotify and Soundcloud. You will be able to listen to music in any genre and form, from big arena concerts and city festivals to intimate club performances.
Go shopping on a budget, or work extra
Living in Stockholm will allow you to experience Swedish fashion first-hand with brands such as H&M, Acne Studios and Tiger of Sweden having stores in many of the city’s malls and shopping areas. But life as a student in Stockholm can be quite expensive, so it is essential to learn how to spend wisely. The most significant expense and the hardest one to control is accommodation. However, there are budget alternatives for most things required by over 80’000 students living in the city. Student discounts are available on everything from grocery stores and restaurants to sports facilities and public transportation.
A student budget for one month in Stockholm is around SEK 8,568. This sum includes accommodation, food, local travel, telephone, internet, hobbies and leisure. Exactly how much you’ll need each month will depend on your lifestyle, habits and where you live.
International students are allowed to work in Sweden, and there is no legal limit to the number of hours allowed to work while studying full time. Of course, your studies should always be your top priority. Bear in mind that if you want to work in Sweden, learning some Swedish is vital since it is often a requirement for jobs.
Cost of living
Accommodation SEK 4,600-7,500
Food 2,000 SEK
Unlimited travel across Stockholm 640 SEK
Phone and internet 100-300 SEK
Clothing, hobbies and leisure 1,500 SEK
Total SEK 9,040-11,940
