• Sweden edition
Business & Money

Sweden's average home price at 'record high'

Published: 7 Feb 13 15:13 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/46066/20130207/

New housing figures reveal that would-be homeowners will be set back back 1 million kronor ($157,634) on average when buying a house anywhere in Sweden.

"All 21 counties now have an average price over 1 million kronor and that's the first time this has happened, I believe," Martin Verhage at Statistics Sweden's (SCB) told The Local.

Verhage said the developments were a surprise to the researchers, but pointed out that over the past two years, house prises in Sweden have crept up 2 percent nationwide.

SEE ALSO: Sweden's most expensive addresses

House prices increased in 17 out of 21 counties when compared to 2011. The counties that saw the biggest growth included Blekinge, Norrbotten and Uppsala - all of which shot up by 6 percent in 2012.

Decreasing house prices, meanwhile, were reported in three counties. The largest being in Gotland by 4 percent, followed by Kalmar at 2 percent.

As for the nation's most populated counties, prices in Greater Gothenburg and Greater Stockholm increased by 4 and 3 percent respectively, while prices decreased in Greater Malmö by 1 percent.

Sweden's highest average home price was in Stockholm, at just over 3.7 million kronor, with Västernorrland the lowest at just over 1 million kronor.

SEE ALSO: Check out the latest home listings in The Local’s Property Section

SEE ALSO: Find your next home with The Local’s Rentals Section

The Local/og
Follow The Local on Twitter

What do you think? Leave your comment below.

Your comments about this article:

The comments below have not been moderated in advance and are not produced by The Local unless clearly stated. Readers are responsible for the content of their own comments. Comments that breach our terms and conditions will be removed.

19:15 February 7, 2013 by rohermoker
1 Millino Kr ($160,000) that is called AFORDABLE here in Minnesota. Prior to the price colapse it was not uncommon to see the "low" cost homes going for $250,000.
19:40 February 7, 2013 by bjorkon
Sadly in Sweden it will cost you more than that to build the average home due to massive labour costs. So in real terms a bargain!
20:43 February 7, 2013 by Beavis
1 million kr is still a bargain. compare it to Dublin where the average is still 3 million even after 60% has been knocked off due to a crash in Dublin Ireland, and those houses are made of cardboard
04:20 February 8, 2013 by AndrewDoyle
That is extremely cheap. Here in Perth, Australia you will not find a house near civilization under $300,000 and even then, you are going to be in a somewhat undesirable area or in a house that needs some serious renovations. Sweden truly has it good.
07:19 February 8, 2013 by just a question
This is the new slavery. Pay for the rest of your life a house that doesn't cost not even half of its price. It is happening everywhere. It could be worse, for example in Norway or Denmark houses are more expensive. The human being has been and will always be a stupid creature.
07:33 February 8, 2013 by karex
If it were just the housing prices increasing a bit it wouldn't really be a big problem. But taken into context, the situation takes on a different light. Fuel for instance, is not subsidized here as it is in the US. The labor costs are very high so are energy and worst of all food. Never mind the high taxes, all of which increase disproportionately with regards to wages. Sweden has never been known for being a country which is attractive wage-wise, and top that with salaries not keeping pace with the rise in the cost of living in recent years, the entire picture paints a difficult scenario.
10:04 February 8, 2013 by FlidmcFlid
Karrex (#6): I think you'd be surprised actually if you read the latest UBS report on wages in Sweden (specifically Stockholm) vs. take home wages and prices of goods and services within a country.

In the latest comparison of purchasing power around the world, UBS found that Stockholm (where New York was set at 100) had prices 91.9 of New York and if including rent 81.9 showing that prices are actually lower than New York. When take home wages are taken into account, Stockholm is 78.1 to New York (100). So in reality, Stockholm is slightly cheaper and people get paid slightly less than New York making it overall only slightly more expensive to the average family - and this is before social welfare supplements and other such indices are considered. The full report is listed on the UBS website. It also lists average salaries of various workplaces - which I think you'll find rather enlightening.
10:08 February 8, 2013 by ShaunD
Here in rural Dalarna the average price in the village where I live is around 380,000kr or $59,300 !!! Great if you purchasing a house but bad news if you are trying to sell one !
13:22 February 8, 2013 by karex
#7 Sounds interesting, but picking out large cities is not representative of the country. Stockholm and New York are cities where a large number of high wage earners concentrate. The rest of the country sees lower wages with equivalent costs. Fuel, energy, food and taxes are not lower in other places, but wages are. Plus social benefits are largely funneled to parts of society and in general terms not evenly spread. If you're not on temporary or permanent disability, unemployed, or bearing children you don't see much in terms of social benefits.
15:59 February 8, 2013 by Rishonim
The reality is that in the rest of the world when you buy a home you pay the loan premium while in Sweden you only pay the interest. In conclusion owning a home in Sweden is no big deal as it is affordable to anyone with a proper credit score.
16:08 February 8, 2013 by FlidmcFlid
#9. Of course it isn't totally representative, however, if you look at the matrix that UBS used to calculate their wages/costs you'll see they mostly calculated from low level white collar and blue collar jobs such as mechanics, factory workers and desk workers using their net salaries to judge whether prices vs. wages were unbalanced. Unless there is a massive difference between factory workers and teachers across the country (given that house prices and rent tend to be peoples largest outgoings along with transport and food) I find it hard to believe that the average person wouldn't be better off outside big cities than in them, hence why they focus on the most expensive parts of the country. I know that in my line of work I'd be paid the same or more outside Stockholm and my outgoings for transport and accommodation would be less.

As for social welfare, medical care falls under that umbrella too, don't forget. That is a massive outgoing for many households without socialised medicine.
15:52 April 13, 2013 by zcotty
These are riduculous prices when compared to Sweden's neighbor Finland. You have to go out pretty far into nowhere to get a crappy house for 120 000 €.
ADD YOUR COMMENT   (YOU MUST LOG IN OR REGISTER TO MAKE A COMMENT)
Business & Money headlines
Riksbank unveils new board members

Riksbank unveils new board members

Sweden's central bank has appointed two new board members plucked from banking and academia to replace two outgoing members, one of whom was an outspoken critic of the Riksbank's commitment to the government's inflation goal. READ () »

350 jobs lost as Ericsson shuts Swedish factory

350 jobs lost as Ericsson shuts Swedish factory

Swedish telecom giant Ericsson has buckled under the pressure of European competition and will turn off the switch on a cable production plant in Sweden, leaving 350 employees without jobs. READ () »

Sweden has 'lower tax burden' than Senegal

Sweden has 'lower tax burden' than Senegal

While Sweden has a reputation for having one of the most painful tax bills in the world, a new report ranks Sweden 20th when comparing the tax burden on salaries when social security payments and salary brackets are taken into account. READ () »

Ericsson probed over suspected bribes

Ericsson probed over suspected bribes

Swedish telecom equipment maker Ericsson is suspected of having bribed ministers in Romania in connection with being awarded a contract for the country's emergency number and is now under investigation in the United States. READ () »

Warning over 'long-term' Swedish export slump

Warning over 'long-term' Swedish export slump

Sweden's largest business confederation has gone out guns blazing, criticizing politicians for not facing up to the challenges of "a lost year for Swedish exports" in 2012. READ () »

'Lean hospital a sign of Swedish welfare reform'

'Lean hospital a sign of Swedish welfare reform'

A Stockholm hospital saved from closure by private health care providers has been hailed by the Economist as one of modern's Sweden public-private success stories. READ () »

H&M mulls production in South America and Africa

H&M mulls production in South America and Africa

Swedish clothing giant H&M is looking into the possibility of sourcing its production to South America, Central America, and even Africa, chief executive Karl-Johan Persson said on Monday. READ () »

Nord Stream plans new gas pipelines

Nord Stream plans new gas pipelines

Gas pipeline firm Nord Stream will hold an information meeting on the Baltic island of Gotland on Monday to introduce a proposal to extend its controversial gas pipeline project. READ () »

'Sweden next in line for housing market crash'

'Sweden next in line for housing market crash'

Sweden tops a list of countries that risk suffering a housing market crash, Germany's Commerzbank has warned, citing the slackening off of Swedish property prices as a harbinger of a potential downswing. READ () »

Solna voted best place to live in Sweden

Solna voted best place to live in Sweden

Solna, a suburb just north of Stockholm, is the best place to live in Sweden, according to a new ranking published on Friday by Swedish news magazine Fokus. READ () »

More Business & Money

Find a new job in Sweden now
22/05 Accountant to Bank of China
Sjr Ab
Stockholm
22/05 Accountant to Bank of China
SJR AB
Stockholm, STHM
22/05 Accounting Manager
Michael Page
Göteborg
22/05 Accounting Manager
Michael Page
Göteborg, VTG
22/05 Architectural Engineer #8409
Aker Advantage
Stockholm
22/05 Business Developer/Account Manager
TransPerfect Translations
Stockholm, STHM
22/05 CAD/PDM Support Engineer
European Spallation Source ESS AB
SKÅ
22/05 Controller Tele2 Group Product
Tele2
Kista
22/05 Driven och social nätverkstekniker till ett av världens mest kaenda foeretag
Academic Work
Stockholm, STHM
22/05 Head of Product Control - If Industrial
IF skadeförsäkring
Stockholm, Nordic

ALL JOBS »


 
Latest Business & Money news from Germany
The Local's new Marketplace
Find products and services that are specifically focused on English speakers living in Sweden!
FULL DETAILS
Counseling in English
Individuals & Couples - Stockholm Beth Rogerson PhD - Clinical, Marriage & Family Therapist
Click or call 08-5580 1266 now
Trade binary options
Create an account with Banc De Binary, the world’s most reputable binary options firm, and start cashing in today! You can start by practicing with our free $50,000 demo account.
www.bbinary.com
Therapy in English
Expat counsellor & talk therapist offers counselling for stress, relationship issues, sexuality, culture adjustment & life coaching. Private & confidential. Stockholm or Skype. Contact me today! 08-559 22 636 or
CLICK HERE
Holiday Luxury Villa in Portugal
Casa Birgitta in Algarve, Portugal. Reduced price in best location. Private estate on white sand beach. All amenities included. Book here today! edward_george1@hotmail.com