Sweden vs New Zealand

Compare PPP-adjusted average wages, long-term wage trends and consumer price levels using consistent OECD data.

Country A

Country B

Wage data: 2025 · Price data: 2024

Comparison Overview

Sweden

Average wage (2025)

$61,443

1-year change: +0.9%
5-year change: −1.7%

Overall price level (2024)

81.5 (United States = 100)

Sweden's latest PPP-adjusted average wage is approximately 0.9% higher than New Zealand's.

New Zealand

Average wage (2025)

$60,896

1-year change: +0.7%
5-year change: +2.6%

Overall price level (2024)

81.6 (United States = 100)

Sweden has the higher latest average wage of the two, by 0.9% on a PPP-adjusted basis. Over five years New Zealand shows the stronger change (+2.6% against −1.7%). Their overall price levels sit close together at 81.5 and 81.6 against the United States benchmark of 100, so consumer prices are broadly comparable between them. Both wage figures are for 2025 and the price levels for 2024, so the two economies are read at the same point in each series.

Wage History

See how PPP-adjusted average annual wages have changed in both economies.

PPP-adjusted annual wage (USD)

SwedenNew Zealand

USD PPP, constant 2025 prices

Wage Key Facts

Metric	Sweden	New Zealand
Latest wage	$61,443	$60,896
Latest year	2025	2025
1-year change	+0.9%	+0.7%
5-year change	−1.7%	+2.6%
10-year change	+3.2%	+15.5%
Historical peak	$63,923	$62,034
Peak year	2021	2021
Change from peak	−3.9%	−1.8%

How the Wage Trends Compare

Current Position

Sweden and New Zealand sit close together. Sweden reports $61,443 for 2025 and New Zealand $60,896 for 2025 — a difference of 0.9%, small enough that the two read as comparable rather than ranked.

Both figures are for 2025, so this is a like-for-like comparison of the same year rather than of two different latest points.

Both use the same basis: PPP-adjusted US dollars at constant prices. That conversion strips out the price level differences between the two economies, which is what makes the two figures comparable at all — neither is a local-currency salary, and neither is what an employer in that country would write on a contract.

Recent Momentum

The latest year moved both by a similar amount: +0.9% in Sweden and +0.7% in New Zealand.

Both moved up in the latest year, which leaves the ordering between them unchanged.

Widening the window to five years, the stronger of the two is New Zealand: +2.6% against −1.7%.

This is where the two separate: Sweden's latest year runs against its own five-year direction, while New Zealand's does not. Short-term and medium-term signals agree for one and conflict for the other.

Long-Term Direction

Across ten years both series are up — +3.2% for Sweden and +15.5% for New Zealand. Over this horizon the two share a direction, and the difference between them is one of pace.

Neither is at its peak: Sweden is 3.9% from its 2021 high and New Zealand 1.8% from its 2021 high. Both series have retreated from an earlier maximum.

Consumer Price Level Comparison

Compare eight consumer price categories with the United States benchmark of 100.

United States = 100
Missing values are shown as -

All differences are shown in index points. United States = 100.

Category	Sweden	New Zealand	Difference (SWE − NZL)	SWE vs U.S.	NZL vs U.S.
Overall	81.5	81.6	−0.1	−18.5	−18.4
Food	90.8	102	−11.2	−9.2	+2.0
Clothing	109	76.2	+32.8	+9.0	−23.8
Housing	64.2	105	−40.8	−35.8	+5.0
Health	71.4	45.6	+25.8	−28.6	−54.4
Transport	117	92	+25.0	+17.0	−8.0
Recreation	98.4	91.6	+6.8	−1.6	−8.4
Restaurants & Accommodation	97	103	−6.0	−3.0	+3.0

Overall
Sweden81.5
New Zealand81.6
Difference−0.1
SWE vs U.S.−18.5
NZL vs U.S.−18.4
Food
Sweden90.8
New Zealand102
Difference−11.2
SWE vs U.S.−9.2
NZL vs U.S.+2.0
Clothing
Sweden109
New Zealand76.2
Difference+32.8
SWE vs U.S.+9.0
NZL vs U.S.−23.8
Housing
Sweden64.2
New Zealand105
Difference−40.8
SWE vs U.S.−35.8
NZL vs U.S.+5.0
Health
Sweden71.4
New Zealand45.6
Difference+25.8
SWE vs U.S.−28.6
NZL vs U.S.−54.4
Transport
Sweden117
New Zealand92
Difference+25.0
SWE vs U.S.+17.0
NZL vs U.S.−8.0
Recreation
Sweden98.4
New Zealand91.6
Difference+6.8
SWE vs U.S.−1.6
NZL vs U.S.−8.4
Restaurants & Accommodation
Sweden97
New Zealand103
Difference−6.0
SWE vs U.S.−3.0
NZL vs U.S.+3.0

Sweden and New Zealand in Detail

Current Wage Position

Sweden reports a PPP-adjusted average annual wage of $61,443 for 2025, and New Zealand $60,896 for 2025. That puts Sweden ahead by 0.9%.

Both figures are PPP-adjusted: converted using purchasing power parities rather than market exchange rates, and expressed in constant prices so different years stay comparable.

This matters for reading the gap. A market-rate conversion would move with currency markets and would not reflect what the money buys in each economy. These figures are built to compare purchasing power, not to tell you what a currency transfer would be worth.

Recent Wage Momentum

In the latest reported year Sweden changed by +0.9% and New Zealand by +0.7%. A single year is a narrow window, so it is worth reading alongside the five-year figure rather than on its own.

Over five years, New Zealand records the larger change at +2.6%, against −1.7% for Sweden. That is the difference in how far each series has travelled over the medium term, in real PPP-adjusted terms.

Short-term and five-year movement point the same way for both economies, so neither is currently being pulled against its own medium-term direction.

Long-Term Wage Direction

Across ten years the changes are +3.2% for Sweden and +15.5% for New Zealand. This is the longest horizon the data covers, and it is the one least affected by any single year's movement.

Sweden reached its highest recorded value of $63,923 in 2021, and the latest figure sits 3.9% from that high.

New Zealand peaked at $62,034 in 2021, leaving its latest value 1.8% away from that point.

Both long-term series move the same way, so the difference between these two economies is one of degree over ten years rather than of direction.

Consumer Price Profile

Against the United States benchmark of 100, overall consumption sits at 81.5 in Sweden and 81.6 in New Zealand — effectively level.

The categories that separate them most are Housing (−40.8) and Clothing (+32.8).

Restaurants & Accommodation is where they are nearest, at 97 and 103.

Across the categories with data, Sweden is the more expensive of the two more often than not.

How to Interpret the Comparison

These are average wages, not median wages, and not take-home pay. An average is pulled by the whole distribution, so it does not describe a typical individual, occupation, city or employer in either economy.

The wage figures are already PPP-adjusted and in constant prices. They are not local-currency salaries and not amounts convertible at a market exchange rate.

The price levels are relative indices against United States = 100. They describe how price levels compare, not what a household actually spends.

Wages and price levels should not be combined into a verdict on which country is better. This page is for understanding how the two wage trends and price structures differ — nothing further follows from it.