Haircuts and beauty treatments
One of the most common answers we received was, perhaps unsurprisingly, haircuts. Respondents from every continent (apart from Antarctica) mentioned haircuts or beauty treatments in their answers.
Amber, based in Stockholm, said that haircuts at home in New Zealand are “at least half the price and often twice as good,” although the distance between the two countries mean that she’s not often home to make the most of the price difference.
“Unfortunately I can only take advantage of this once every two years.”
A reader from the UK, also based in Stockholm, said that she often gets her hair cut in London even though the price is similar.
“Haircuts are about the same cost in London and Stockholm but much better in London,” she said.
“It took six years and many disappointing cuts for me to find a decent hairdresser in Stockholm, but I will still grab the chance to get a cut when back in London. One Stockholm hairdresser told me that there was more demand for skills in dyeing and highlighting hair (usually blonde!) than for technical cutting skill.”
Renata, from Croatia living in Malmö also schedules haircuts for trips home.
“I pay around 300 kronor,” she said. “In Malmö some average hair salon took 2,800 kronor for dyeing and haircut!”
A Russian PhD student based in Stockholm said that she likes to get “all kinds of beauty treatments” on trips home, including visiting a hairdresser but also getting her nails done or getting laser treatments.
Julie-Ann Stone, from South Africa, echoed her statements.
“I buy clothes, get my hair done and have beauty treatments – in fact everything is cheaper!”
She did add, however, that cars and healthcare are much cheaper in Sweden than in South Africa.
Another respondent, a sustainability specialist from the Maldives, said that she tries to get “massages or spa treatments” on trips back home.
Dental and healthcare
Despite the fact that healthcare in Sweden can be cheaper than elsewhere, there were also a lot of readers who said they make sure to book medical or dental appointments when they’re back in their home countries.
Many respondents booking healthcare services abroad do so because they want preventative care, like routine checkups, or tests which Swedish doctors may only offer if they suspect something is wrong with you.
“Russia has more understanding free doctors who allow you to do tests or MRI scans,” a PhD student in Stockholm wrote, while Arun, an Indian automotive system design engineer in Gothenburg said that he likes to get a full body medical checkup when he’s back home.
“Sweden doesn’t do preventative healthcare so I go to the gynecologist,” Renata from Croatia said. “It’s important for me as a woman to go every year and a half.”
“I visit the dentist for a routine check up and fillings when I’m in Pakistan,” wrote Nahal, who said she considers Pakistan and Canada her home countries. “It’s cheaper and better quality,” she added.
Kristina, based in Lund, said that you can get “every exam privately” back in Serbia, while an Egyptian systems manager living in Stockholm praised his country’s “specialised medical doctors”.
“For less than 1,000 kronor you can get an appointment the next day,” he said.
“Long term medical treatment for serious diseases is cheaper in Sweden, but everything else is more expensive,” an engineer from India wrote.
Respondents from Russia, India and the UK said that they also pick up medicine on trips back home, especially over the counter medicines like paracetamol and ibuprofen.
Tailoring and repairs
Ali from Pakistan and Sachin Sharma from India, as well as an anonymous respondent from Serbia, all said that they get their clothes tailored when they’re back home.
An American retiree in Dalarna said she buys car parts for the Subaru and Toyota cars they took with them when they moved to Sweden.
The sustainability specialist from the Maldives quoted above said that “fixing and repairing clothes” is much cheaper there than in Sweden, while Ranjit from India praised his home country’s cheap electrical repairs.
“I do car repairs in Latvia and got a fresh set of tyres there this summer,” one respondent wrote.
Tech
A number of respondents, particularly people from India, said that tech prices are much better in their home countries.
Virginia, from France, said that she updates her electronic devices back home, while Ian from the US said that iPhone upgrades are much cheaper.
An anonymous man from India said that home and kitchen gadgets are cheaper there than in Sweden.
A different man from India said that he used to get electronics on trips back home, but that has changed.
“I get electronics in Sweden now, as compared to the opposite previously, due to better possibility of complaint redressals,” he said. “Otherwise I’d have to wait until my next trip back home.”
“I am from the US and quite literally the only thing I have found to be cheaper or better there are the televisions,” wrote Tori based in Stockholm. “Not so easy to bring back to Sweden however!”
Things which just aren’t available in Sweden
Sometimes when you move abroad you find yourself missing something that simply isn’t available in Sweden, so it’s no surprise that a lot of our readers said they make sure to stock up on country-specific items when they’re back home.
A couple of Indian readers said they always make sure to get street food when in India, as it’s not so common in Sweden.
Rahul Arora, a data and AI manager based in Stockholm, said whole spices are cheaper in India.
“We always bring back some bulk items which are non-existent or super expensive here like chocolate chips or real corn tortillas for tacos,” an American academic in Stockholm said.
“We used to bring back paper products like Kleenexes and toilet paper as some of the ones back home in the US are so much softer”, she added. “I once had a friend here come out of our bathroom and very shyly ask where we got our toilet paper from as it was so soft!”
She was not the only American to miss certain goods from back home.
“Our family’s favorite brand of toothpaste, my favorite brand of pants, and… really… ANY brand of good Caesar salad dressing,” wrote Christian, a sculptor in Lackalänga.
“I mean, what is the deal with salad dressing in this country? Someone should introduce Swedes to the concept! We do occasionally home-make our own Caesar dressing but it’s tedious and some nights I would pay double for a nice bottle of Brianna’s. The one thing that I do usually stuff my suitcase with, even though it CAN be purchased here, is Dr. Bronner’s Castile bar soap. It’s about half the price back home. Other things I look for when back in the states are shoes (better selection) and clothing and books (both cheaper). Oh, and printer ink! Much cheaper in the states!”
He did concede, however, that food in Sweden is “cheaper and better quality”.
An Italian scientist based in Stockholm said she always picks up “coffee and pastries,” while Romain, a French engineering manager in Lund said that his family “always brings back cheese”.
There were also a few Brits who said they make sure to bring back tea – in some cases quite specific types. “Earl Grey – regular and decaf, Assam, Lapsang Souchong,” one British woman wrote.
An Indian woman said she buys “cotton clothes and spices” while a Filipino manager in Skövde said she always asks friends travelling to the Philippines to bring her “personal care items and staple Filipino seasonings, because they are three to four times more expensive here”.
Mladen from the Czech Republic said that “everything” is cheaper there “except Wasabröd, which is cheaper here in Sweden!”
Books, clothes and items for kids
Another common item respondents mentioned was books, either because they’re just cheaper in general or because books in their native language are hard to find in Sweden.
“I buy books for my kid – I want her to be fluent in our native language,” Renata from Croatia wrote.
Romain from France added that “shoes and clothes for kids are much cheaper in France than in Sweden,” while an Indian IT professional who regularly travels to other European countries for work said that he picks up stationery for his children’s schoolwork when he’s outside Sweden.
“I usually buy lots of clothes, especially for kids,” Arun from India wrote, although he added that there are some benefits to buying items in Sweden too.
“In general, the quality or the items themselves are better [in Sweden] when it comes to kids toys and kids accessories,” he said. “Winter clothing and accessories are better as they’re not that common in India.”
Comments (2)