Stockholm is not much more expensive than London really. Try Oslo and the rest of Norway for expensive - ~30% higher prices than Sweeden, Norwegians make shopping trips to Sweeden on weekends.
IMHO when you're in a foreign city you don't know where to shop cheaply, so it feels more expensive than your home.
I don't know if that's sarcasm, but you pay that in most large US cities for housing and nearly that for a burger (a nice burger, or one with a drink and a side - obviously not from McDonalds or similar).
The rent is not bad for a nice, low-crime, walkable/bikeable, stuff-happenin' urban area, that's true. Certainly cheaper than NYC/Boston/SF. And you can pay less than $1500/mo if you're willing to go 20 minutes out on commuter rail.
Eating out is pretty pricey, though, unless your reference point is Norway. You can pay $30 for a burger+beer in the U.S., but it has to be something pretty unusual. On the other hand, one reason eating out is pricey is that wages are more equal, which I generally like. As a tech person, in the U.S. things are cheap because one hour of a tech person's earnings pays for like 5-20 hours of a restaurant worker's time, but in Denmark it pays for more like 2-3 hours of their time.
Well, pre-tax and tip, a burger at most sit-downy restaurants these days is 11-13 bucks, that's with no avocado bacon mushrooms whatever. Get a drink for $2.75 and with tax and tip you're at about $20, which was the originally quoted number.
For what it's worth, I agree that equality in wages is a good thing.
Ummm, I'm used to rents on _houses_ being about $1,200-$1,500/month, and a good burger costing $10-15 on its own. I live in the prosperous capital of a Western state with a good tech job market, FWIW.
I'm comparing to places I've lived and cared about rent in, which are Los Angeles, the Bay Area, and now Seattle. You'll never find a _house_ for anywhere near that anywhere near these places.
I recently relocated from Oslo to London. My living costs in London are higher than previously, mainly I think because housing standards are significantly lower in the UK. Certain things are cheaper in the UK, such as food, drink, and eating out. But housing prices are quite extreme.
IMHO when you're in a foreign city you don't know where to shop cheaply, so it feels more expensive than your home.