Stockholm - Post Report Question and Answers
What is your housing like? What are typical housing sizes, locations, and commute times for expatriates?
We had an apartment on the edge of the city. It was spacious and had easy access to public transit, groceries, etc. Commute took 10-15min by bike, 30 min by bus (only because there we had to make a transfer), and 40min walking. - Dec 2020
Amazing. Housing here is very nice all around. Couples, singles, and some families live in downtown Stockholm in apartments, which are smaller and may lack convenient parking, but downtown Stockholm is awesome. You can walk to endless shops, cafes, restaurants, and parks and public transport is clean, efficient, and takes you everywhere. Families tend to live on the island of Lidingo (where we live), in stand-alone homes with yards. Our house has a view of the Baltic and is walking distance to endless trails, a grocery store, and a metro stop (on the island, which takes you into the city in about 30 minutes). Houses on the island are larger than downtown apartments and have storage space and garages, but of course require a longer commute to get to the Embassy. It's a tradeoff but I don't think there is an obvious better choice between downtown apartments and island homes, it just depends on preference. - Sep 2020
We live in a house on Lidingo, an island adjacent to Stockholm. While it is close geographically to Stockholm, low speed limits make the commute to the US Embassy 25 to 30 minutes. Public transit - Lidingobana to either subway or bus and then walk to the Embassy - take 45 minutes when everything is perfect, but more likely 50 minutes to an hour. There is also a ferry from a few spots on the island to Stockholm, which takes 35 minutes and then a mile walk to the Embassy (or bus) - May 2020
Housing for embassy employees is scattered across the city and nearby suburbs. Families usually live on the island of Lidingo in houses or duplexes, while couples and singles live in Stockholm. Apartments in Stockholm are generously sized for the city, and most Swedes will be envious of your space. Housing is notoriously difficult to procure, and while GSO does its best to accommodate people's needs, not everyone will be happy. Finding secured parking within the city is also challenging, so if you plan on buying a car at post, ask for parking in your housing questionnaire. Commute times range from a few minutes walk to an hour by public transportation. - Jan 2017
2-3 bedroom apartments in the city (with easy bus or bicycle commute) and houses on Lidingo, a neighboring island. Unless you're dead-set on a house, this is the post for city living, as families on Lidingo are isolated and often require two cars and a 30-minute+ commute. - May 2015
The embassy (along with everyone else) has had lots of problems securing suitable leases for suitable properties. There is a real housing crunch in this city. Embassy staff are usually housed as singles in the city or families out in the suburban island of Liding (or further afield in Djursholmen). Apartments are not particularly large and lack storage space, even in the bedrooms and bathrooms. Parking spaces are usually way down the street at a local shopping mall garage rather than near the property (unless you live in the 'burbs). It took us four months of temporary housing before we got our place. The apartment itself is ok but the neighborhood, while not too far of a walk from the embassy, is pretty lifeless and bleak (think Soviet-style bloc apartments, but better maintained). - Aug 2014
Nice, however, VERY expensive. - Oct 2008
Housing is divided into two main types: apartments downtown and houses in the suburbs. Apartments have advantages of walking to work and near all the action, but can be noisy all year, hot in the summer and small. Suburbs of course require longer commute and house maintenance. Some houses have had pest problems. GOPs are often in poor condition. - Aug 2008
