Before moving to Sweden my initial thoughts were Scandinavian design, IKEA, Swedish meatballs, Vikings, and snowy winters. While a lot of that is true, I’ve noticed so many small cultural differences from my short time living here. From small daily adjustments and quirks to a pretty big shift in cultural values. It’s fun for me to notice these changes while I’m also learning to adapt and embrace this new way of life.
Both are developed countries, but there are some major cultural differences because of history, influences, and population sizes. The American dream and an individualistic mentality are what you strive for in the U.S., whereas in Sweden it is egalitarian and they care about collective success. Therefore, Sweden is much more livable for working-class citizens as the government takes care of them.
The people in Sweden value privacy way more than your typical American, they enjoy a quieter and less busy lifestyle. Whereas Americans like to start up random conversations and live a pretty busy and fast-paced life. While both places have diverse populations, the U.S. has so many more races, ethnicities, and languages.
While the above are some of the big cultural differences, I compiled a list of smaller day-to-day differences I’ve noticed.
1. You can only have candy on Saturdays
Or so that is what they tell kids, to limit their sugar intake. But truly it is a cultural norm called Lördagsgodis that you save candy until Saturdays.
With that being said, there is a variety of unique Swedish candy with pick-and-mix candy stations at convenience stores, grocery stores, and movie theaters. They love sour and I mean sour candies, gummies, licorice, and of course chocolate.
2. Buying alcohol is extremely regulated
The Swedish government is pretty strict on buying alcohol. You can only get it from the Systembolaget, which is the government-owned liquor store. On weekdays they are open from 10-7, on Saturdays 10-3, and closed on Sundays.
Of course, you can still go to bars and restaurants to get a drink, but this is the government’s way you don’t become an alcoholic at home. There are also so many more alcohol-free options at liquor stores.
3. You have to buy all your light fixtures
We were surprised when we walked into our apartment that there are around 8 outlets in the ceiling that don’t have light fixtures. Here you have to purchase any light fixture you want/need. It’s nice because we can choose what style and design we want. But it is also another added cost we had to consider and figuring out the outlets was a challenge in itself.
Although from talking to people who lived in Germany, we have it easy. Because in Germany apartments do not come with kitchens and you have to buy entire kitchens.
4. You will never have to open a door
No, chivalry is not what I’m talking about. The doors to apartments, storefronts, gyms, grocery stores, and coffee shops, all have buttons that open them for you. I assume it is for multiple reasons such as people bringing their bikes through doors, parents with strollers, as well the extreme handicap accessibility.
It could also be because of how cold it gets, the doors are a lot heavier from them being triple insulated. I find it to be nice for the most part, but an adjustment as the doors are not the fastest to open and are heavy if you forget.
5. Fika
Fika is very deeply rooted in Swedish culture. It is a time when you are with friends to drink coffee or tea and have a sweet treat on the side. It’s similar to a coffee break in the States although, here it’s more about the moment to relax and take a break from the day to remember what life is about.
Learn more about the history of Swedish fika here
6.You need to take your “outdoor” shoes off
Before entering certain establishments like gyms and waterparks you need to remove the shoes you wore outside. When you enter, there will be rows of shoe racks where you take your outdoor shoes off and then put on your “indoor” tennis shoes or even go barefoot inside. This is to keep facilities clean and to not track anything indoors.
7. Online shopping is not common
When I first moved here I was starting from scratch. I needed the basic groceries, furniture, appliances, etc. and while I had access to public transportation to get those things, I still could only get what I could personally carry.
Which meant multiple trips – that is where online shopping was going to come in or so I thought. Unlike the U.S. where you can overnight ship essentials from Amazon, it is a lot less common here and will likely take longer than expected. There still is Amazon.se and some online shops but it is not nearly the amount of items and it is more expensive.
8. Grocery stores
Grocery stores are much smaller here. You will never find anything like a Super Target or Walmart. The grocery stores carry a good variety of items but for certain fruits and veg, they might only have the produce in season, so if there was a certain recipe you wanted to try and it’s in the wrong season you may have to wait.
Also in the grocery stores, you will need to go through panels to get in and out. Leaving you need to scan your receipt and the panels will open.
21 Things I Can’t Find in Swedish Grocery Stores
9. Appointments
I’m used to making the typical appointments for things like the doctor, haircuts, workout studio, etc. However here, it is another level of planning. In apartments, you need to make an appointment to do your laundry and you have around a 3-hour time window.
Even if you want to go to the bank, you have to make an appointment. The banks here have very limited working hours so if you try to go without one there are usually long lines and they won’t see you.
10. Coffee Shops
So long Starbucks, I didn’t love you anyway. But every turn you take on the cobblestone streets you will find an Espresso House. This local chain was started in Sweden and there are over 500 shops in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Germany. It has an extremely cozy and warm atmosphere, where you are free to work or meet up with friends. The free wifi doesn’t hurt either.
11. Falafels and halloumi cheese
Probably due to the Mediterranean and Middle East influence these are very popular menu items. I may also see this more because I’m plant-based and there are some better options for us.
My husband accidentally ordered a halloumi burger, which was just a thick-cut piece of halloumi cheese that was deep-fried with all the classic burger toppings. Oh, and he’s lactose intolerant so it was a fun time. After that incident, I realized it’s super common to see that across Sweden.
12. Escalators
The amount of times I’ve questioned in my head if the escalators are working or if I should b-line to the stairs instead is high. Here the escalators just look like they’re not working or very slow. In reality, to save energy they are motion-activated, so when you get close they will start going normally.
13. Very LGBTQ+ Friendly
Depending on what part of the U.S. you are in like California, NYC, Portland, etc. this isn’t anything new to you. I’ve also been accustomed to this from living in Baltimore, Maryland the past couple of years.
However, here in Sweden, it is noticeable how much pride is around you – from flags, banners, advertisements, and special pride drinks. They are very welcoming of LGBTQ+ folks. This is also great for me because my best friend is gay and he can come visit me without worries. As I know there are still a lot of places in the world where this isn’t as accepted.
14. Spiral staircases
These are the norm here and I’m not sure if I’ve even seen a regular staircase yet. They’re fun and novel, but I can get dizzy walking up and down them.
15. Environmentally conscious
This was not a huge surprise as Sweden is the most sustainable country in the world. The culture is raised on environmental consciousness with kids being taught it in their first years of school and beyond. Swedes are the highest recyclers in the world. Households are set up with bins and receptacles for sorting all your recyclables, compost, and then trash. There are bottle deposit stations at grocery stores that encourage picking up waste.
They are also completely off fossil fuels and making the transition to be completely on renewable energy by 2040. It’s set up for you to easily do your part for the environment. The people embrace it by biking/walking everywhere and ultimately not falling into a consumeristic lifestyle.
16. Money
This goes back to the egalitarian mindset. From what I’ve noticed so far, people are FAR less motivated by money than the U.S. There are still some billionaires here, but for the most part Swedes like being on equal playing ground and want to see the society as a whole succeed.
17. Credit Cards
Unlike American culture where people are into credit card points (guilty). As well as can take out massive lines of credit with money they don’t have (I would never). It is not a thing here and in most of Europe, most people either use debit cards or cash. They only see the money they have and would never spend what they don’t.
Read more about living abroad here
