Prices and Money in Swedish

Sweden's currency is the krona, and you'll read and hear prices every day: on shelf labels, at the till, in a message asking you to pay your share of dinner.

Krona, kronor and öre

One krona is divided into 100 öre. The words:

The coins are 1, 2, 5 and 10 kronor (Riksbank), and the banknotes are 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1 000 kronor (Riksbank).

Öre exist only on paper. Shelf prices and receipts often show decimals, such as 29,90 kr. If you pay by card, that exact amount is charged; if you pay cash, the total is rounded to whole kronor, since there are no öre coins.

How prices are written

The comma is a decimal point, so 29,90 is just under thirty kronor, not 2,990; our guide to Swedish numbers explains commas and spaces in figures.

On shelf labels

How prices are said

In speech, kronor is often the only unit you'll hear. With decimals, people usually say the kronor, then the öre as a plain number, and leave out the word öre.

Asking what it costs

Ask with vad or hur mycket + kostar (costs).

Det blir… ("it becomes…") is what you'll hear from the person at the till.

Paying

Paying by card is the norm in Sweden, and some shops and cafés don't take cash at all; look for a sign saying Vi tar inte emot kontanter (we don't accept cash). Since 1 July 2026, however, grocery shops and pharmacies with a staffed till must, as a rule, accept cash (Lag 2026:769). These are the phrases you'll meet at the till:

Blippa (to tap a card or phone on a reader) is everyday Swedish; you'll hear it on buses as well as in shops. Bags cost extra, so you'll often be asked whether you want one.

In restaurants, service is included in the price, so dricks (a tip) is not obligatory. Rounding up or leaving a little for good service is appreciated but never expected.

Swish and splitting the bill

Swish is a Swedish mobile payment service linked to your bank account (swish.nu). People use it to pay friends back, split a bill, buy something second-hand or pay at a market stall. It has become a verb: swisha.

As of 2026, to use Swish you need an account at a Swedish bank, Mobilt BankID (which requires a Swedish personnummer) and a Swedish mobile number, so newcomers usually can't use it at first. It's still worth knowing the word: you'll hear it everywhere.

Splitting the bill is normal: either each person pays separately, or one person pays and the others swish their share.

Slang for notes and coins

In everyday speech, notes and coins have nicknames. Tia and femma are the number nouns for 10 and 5, the same words used for a bus number or a rating.

Practise them

Next time you shop, read every price label aloud in your head, decimals and all. At the till, answer in Swedish: Nej tack, inget kvitto (no receipt, thanks), or Det är bra så (that's all, thanks) when asked if you want anything else. For more numbers, see the numbers word list and our guides to Swedish numbers and telling the time.