Electricity, broadband, phone and transport

Electricity: two contracts, not one

The Swedish Energy Markets Inspectorate (Ei) says you need "ett elhandelsavtal och ett elnätsavtal", that is, a supply contract and a grid contract.

	Supplier (elhandel)	Grid (elnät)
What it is	You buy the electricity itself	The network that brings it to your home
Do you choose?	Yes, you can compare and switch	No, it is the network for your area

You usually get two separate bills. When you move, the one you have to decide on is the supplier.

Contract types

Ei describes three main types. Hourly-price contracts have largely been replaced by quarter-hour ones.

Type	How the price works
Kvartspris (quarter-hour price)	A price for each quarter of an hour, set in advance
Månadspris (monthly price)	The price changes every month and is set afterwards
Fast pris (fixed price)	Fixed price for 1, 2 or 3 years

No type is best for everyone: it depends on how predictable you want your bill to be. A fixed price is the easiest to plan around; the others follow the market.

How to compare

Use Elpriskollen (elpriskollen.se), the comparison site run by the Energy Markets Inspectorate. It is independent: it doesn't sell contracts, it compares them.

Broadband: tie-in periods and delivery

For broadband there is no law setting how long you can be bound by a contract. The length is whatever the contract says: read it before you sign and check the tie-in period and what happens if you want to cancel.

For fibre installation contracts, Konsumentverket (the Swedish Consumer Agency) says that delivery should take place within 24 months of the contract. If your contract says something different, or delivery doesn't come, you can get help from Telekområdgivarna, the telecom advice service.

Mobile phone

For mobile phones the terms depend on the operator. One thing to know: many operators ask for a personnummer for a subscription. If you don't have one yet, ask the operator what alternatives exist before you choose. For how to get the number, see Population registration.

Other services have similar requirements, such as a bank account and BankID: see Bank account and BankID.

There is no TV licence bill

In Sweden no TV licence bill is sent to your home. There is instead the public service-avgift, which you pay through your taxes:

• it is paid by anyone over 18 who lives and pays tax in Sweden, even without a TV;
• it is 1 % of your income, at most 1 184 kr in 2026;
• the maximum is reached at an income above 118 400 kr.

So you don't have to register anywhere. For how taxes and the tax return work, see Tax and tax return.

Public transport

Each region has its own ticket system and its own fares. As an example, in Stockholm SL runs the metro, buses and commuter trains:

• you can pay by holding a contactless card (Visa, Mastercard or American Express) to the reader;
• or you can use an SL-kort card.

We give no prices here because they change: you'll find them on the transport company's site for your region. If you live outside Stockholm, look up the regional operator and check which payment methods it accepts.

Pant and recycling

Pant is a deposit you get back when you return empty packaging. Cans and bottles with the Swedish pant label go back to collection points, often in supermarkets, and you get the deposit refunded. In 2025 the deposit on PET and aluminium went up. Throw them in the bin and you throw away money.

Otherwise you sort paper, plastic, metal, coloured glass and clear glass. For how it works in your building, ask the landlord or housing association.

Common mistakes

• Not choosing an electricity supplier. You end up on the default contract, which often costs more.
• Mixing up supplier and grid. You choose the supplier; you can't change the grid.
• Signing a broadband contract without reading the tie-in period. No law limits it.
• Assuming you can get a mobile subscription without a personnummer. Ask the operator first.
• Looking for a TV licence bill. It never comes: the fee is in your taxes.
• Throwing away cans and bottles with the pant label. Take them to a collection point.
• Trusting transport prices from a forum. Always check the regional operator's own site.