Not long ago, I was fortunate enough to be invited to go to Sweden with two musicians. This was undoubtedly exciting and exciting for me who had never been abroad.

Recently, domestic prices are rising. We feel that our wallets are shrinking every day, and things are getting more and more expensive. I have heard that Nordic countries have high taxes, high incomes, high prices, and high welfare. So, are the prices in Sweden expensive?

How expensive is it?

You will know after seeing the photos I took.

It takes about 10 hours to fly from Beijing to Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, and you have to transfer in Copenhagen in the middle. Don’t worry if your English is not good. We found that the Chinese signs here are very clear, and you can enter and transfer by following them.

This was taken at a vending machine at Copenhagen Airport in Denmark. A bottle of Coke costs 20 kronor, which is about 24 yuan. It seems that prices in Europe are indeed not cheap.

By the way, several Nordic countries such as Denmark and Sweden are not members of the euro area. In the referendum held in Sweden in 2003, the majority of citizens opposed joining the euro area.

So in Sweden, people use krona. Although many guides say that euros can also be used, actual observation shows that almost no one uses euros, and the price tags in stores are also in krona.

Fortunately, the exchange ratio between Swedish krona and RMB is almost 1:1, so you don’t have to calculate silently in your mind when purchasing. The price you see is equivalent to the RMB selling price.

It was already 10:30 in the evening when we arrived in Stockholm. We got off the plane and rushed to the city. We first found a restaurant to soothe our stomachs. It was an ordinary fast food restaurant. The owner was said to be a Kuwaiti. It served a plate of beef and vegetables.

Fried rice, 59 yuan, feels a little expensive, but it is indeed a big plate, and I didn’t finish it all anyway.

This is the hotel we stayed in during our stay in Stockholm, called Scandic. Later, when we went out, we often saw hotels with the same name, and found out that they are a large hotel in Sweden. The brand is famous and of course the price is not cheap. The rooms are ordinary.

The average cost per night is 1,600 yuan, which is enough to stay in a five-star hotel in China.

This is the inside of the guest room. Although it is not big, it is very clean and comfortable. The bed is moderately soft and hard. There is a wooden floor on the floor. There is a square outside the window and the scenery is pleasant.

The hotel's waiters are all handsome guys with shiny hair, but they only serve at the front desk. The elevator leading to the guest room can only be opened by guests holding the room card. Isn't it a lot less disturbing?

I was surprised to find Chinese characters on the wall of the guest room. I wonder if it was specially arranged for the three Chinese guests like us, haha.

Taxis in Sweden are all good, and Volkswagens are pretty average. VOLVO and Mercedes-Benz taxis can be found everywhere, and the prices are the same. Did you see the 520 on the rear window?

This is not a unit price. According to local friends, this is a unified price for taking a taxi from the city to the airport.

520 yuan, although a bit expensive, but compared to the 149 yuan/person when we got off the plane and took the bus, it seemed acceptable.

But it later turned out that we had made a big mistake.

This is our treasure bag in Sweden, the most important of which are the key-shaped card on the left and the magnetic card with a blue photo and a white background strip above, both of which are must-haves for tourists.

The former provides access to almost all museums and tourist attractions in Stockholm, including the City Hall, the Royal Palace and the famous VASA shipwreck museum.

The latter allows you to take unlimited buses, subways and light rails, which is a treasure for your smooth travel.

A one-day bus ticket is 100 yuan, and a three-day ticket is 200 yuan.

You must know that buying a ticket to take the subway costs 15 yuan, so buying a card is very cost-effective.

Buses in Sweden do not sell tickets. According to a local friend, this is because the driver was robbed in the past, so now if you take the bus, you have to buy tickets at the automatic ticket vending machine at the station. Credit cards are also accepted here.

Continuing with the price point, what is Sweden’s most famous tourist souvenir?

This kind of small wooden horse is said to be a symbol of wealth and happiness. Authentic wooden horses are hand-carved and carefully painted, so each one is unique.

Of course, the price is not cheap. I originally wanted to bring one back, but have you seen the price?

The lower row of wooden horses, about 10 centimeters high, sells for 305 yuan each, the upper row of white ones cost 405 yuan each, and the slightly larger black ones cost 1,305 yuan each.

Stockholm has a relatively small population, so there are basically empty seats on both the bus, subway and light rail. Moreover, the subway opens until around 2 o'clock in the middle of the night, and many buses operate 24 hours a day.

People here are very kind, and the crime rate is also very low. The above-mentioned robbery of drivers has not happened for many years. A few of us often hang out until midnight and have never been in trouble. There are almost no homeless people on the streets.

The biggest problem when going out may be that you are not used to eating, but after seeing such delicious food, are you worried that your Chinese stomach will not be able to handle it?

Anyway, I have never been hungry for Chinese food in Sweden. The food here is very fresh. Although the price is high, it is worth the money. You don't have to worry about eating substances on the plate that are only found in chemical laboratories.

This is the price of vegetables taken in a Swedish supermarket. Domestic fruits and vegetables have risen sharply recently. What about the Nordic countries?

The price tags are all in kilograms. Just do the math: tomatoes are 15 yuan/jin, cucumbers are 20 yuan/jin, bell peppers are 20 yuan/jin, cauliflower is 13 yuan/jin, and various leafy vegetables are 8 yuan/jin.