Can I buy wine and beer at a regular supermarket in Sweden?

Only beer with alcohol content up to 3.5% (lättöl or folköl) is sold in regular supermarkets. Anything stronger — standard beer, wine, spirits, cider — must be purchased from Systembolaget, the state-owned alcohol retail monopoly. Systembolaget stores are closed on Sundays.

Is there an ICA loyalty card worth getting?

Yes. The ICA-kortet (ICA card) is free and gives you personalised discounts based on your purchase history, weekly digital offers, and bonus points. You don't need a personnummer to get a basic card — sign up in-store or via the ICA app. The discounts are genuinely meaningful for regular shoppers.

What's the cheapest supermarket chain in Sweden?

Willys and Lidl consistently rank as the lowest-price options. Netto (now rebranded in some areas) is also budget-focused. ICA Maxi (the large-format stores) is competitively priced on volume purchases. ICA Nära (convenience-format ICA) and Hemköp tend to be more expensive per item.

Supermarkets and Food Shopping in Sweden: A Practical Expat Guide

ICA, Coop, Willys, Lidl — here's how Swedish supermarkets work, what things cost in 2026, how Systembolaget works, and apps that cut your food bill.

Quick answer: ICA is everywhere and has the best loyalty card. Willys is cheapest. Systembolaget sells alcohol stronger than 3.5% and is closed Sundays. Download Too Good To Go or Karma to cut food costs significantly.

Food costs in Sweden are higher than most non-Nordic countries. Groceries for one person average roughly SEK 2,500–3,500/month depending on diet and shopping habits. Cooking at home and using the right stores and apps makes a significant difference. This guide covers what you need to know from day one.

The Main Supermarket Chains

ICA is Sweden's dominant grocery chain, covering around 50% of the market. It operates under several formats:

ICA Nära — small neighbourhood stores, convenient but more expensive
ICA Supermarket — mid-size, the standard weekly shop store
ICA Kvantum — larger, better range, more competitive pricing
ICA Maxi — hypermarket format, bulk pricing, often outside city centres

The ICA app and loyalty card (ICA-kortet) are genuinely useful. Weekly personalised offers can cut 10–20% off your bill if your shopping patterns align with the discounts.

Coop is a consumer cooperative chain, the second-largest in Sweden. Similar pricing to ICA. Slightly better for organic/eco-labelled products. Coop also has a membership card (Coop Medlemskort) with rebates paid at year-end.

Willys (owned by Axfood) is the main discount chain. No-frills layout, strong private-label range, consistently the cheapest full-service option. The standard recommendation for budget-conscious shoppers.

Hemköp (also Axfood) is mid-market, positioned closer to ICA. Found in many central urban locations.

Lidl operates the same discount model as everywhere in Europe. Strong value on fresh produce, bakery, and rotating non-food special offers. Growing rapidly in Sweden.

Netto — the Danish discount chain — has been rebranding and consolidating some locations in Sweden. Check current status in your area.

ICA Bonus Card and App

The ICA card is free and does not require a personnummer. You can sign up in-store by filling out a form or via the ICA app. Once registered:

Weekly "Mina Erbjudanden" (My Offers) are personalised to what you actually buy
Points accumulate towards a bonus cheque paid out monthly
The app shows your digital receipt, current offers, and store locations
You can load digital offers to the card before shopping

For regular ICA shoppers, the card is worth using from the first month.

Opening Hours

Most Swedish supermarkets are open 7 days a week, typically 7am or 8am to 9pm or 10pm. Some ICA Maxi and larger stores open earlier. This is worth noting because Systembolaget is closed on Sundays — plan alcohol purchases accordingly.

Systembolaget: The Alcohol Monopoly

Sweden has a state-run retail monopoly for alcohol above 3.5% ABV. This is Systembolaget.

What you can buy at regular supermarkets:

Lättöl (light beer) up to 2.25% ABV
Folköl (medium beer) up to 3.5% ABV

Everything else — wine, spirits, strong beer, cider, and most imported craft beers — must be purchased at Systembolaget.

Systembolaget stores are typically open Monday–Friday 10am–7pm or 8pm, Saturday 10am–3pm, and closed Sundays and public holidays. There is also an online store with home delivery or pickup options.

The selection at Systembolaget is actually excellent, and staff are knowledgeable. Prices are what they are — there's no discounting or promotional pricing. The state sets the price.

Typical Grocery Costs (2026)

These are approximate prices at a mid-range store like ICA Supermarket:

Whole milk (1L): SEK 14–17
Bread (standard loaf): SEK 25–40
Chicken breast (1kg): SEK 90–130
Pasta (500g): SEK 15–25
Eggs (12-pack): SEK 35–50
Bananas (1kg): SEK 20–28
Coffee (500g ground): SEK 60–100

At Willys or Lidl, prices are roughly 10–20% lower on comparable items.

Swedish Food Staples Worth Knowing

Knäckebröd — crispbread, a Swedish staple. Comes in dozens of varieties. Shelf-stable for months. Goes with almost anything.

Filmjölk — cultured milk (like thin yoghurt). A Swedish breakfast tradition. Not the same as regular milk or yoghurt. Worth trying.

Husmanskost — traditional Swedish home cooking. Meatballs (köttbullar), Jansson's temptation (Janssons frestelse), potato dishes, pickled herring. Available as ready meals in every supermarket.

Surströmming — fermented herring, infamous for its extreme smell. Canned. Do not open indoors unless you have specifically prepared your household for this. A Swedish cultural experience, not an everyday food.

Lingonsylt — lingonberry jam. Eaten with meatballs, pancakes, rice pudding. Standard condiment in Swedish cooking.

IKEA meatballs — the genuine article is sold frozen in ICA and other supermarkets under the IKEA Food brand. You don't have to go to an IKEA store to get them.

Food Waste Apps

Food costs in Sweden are high enough that these apps are genuinely worth using:

Too Good To Go — restaurants, bakeries, and cafes sell surplus food in "magic bags" at SEK 40–80. Contents vary but the value is usually 3–5x the price paid. Widely used across Swedish cities.

Karma — similar model, more focused on restaurant leftovers. Available in Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö primarily.

Matsmart — online store for near-expiry, overstock, and cosmetically imperfect grocery items. Deep discounts on name-brand products. Good for non-perishables. Delivery or pickup.

Online Grocery Delivery

MatHem — the main premium online grocery service in Sweden. Good range, reliable delivery. Prices are standard supermarket pricing plus delivery fee. No strong value case unless time is genuinely scarce.

ICA Online / Coop Online — both ICA and Coop offer home delivery from local stores. Variable quality depending on the picking staff.

Online grocery in Sweden is convenient but expensive compared to shopping in person at Willys or Lidl.

Common Problems and Fixes

"I can't find [ingredient from my home country]" — Larger cities have specialist shops. Stockholm has extensive Asian grocery stores (Hötorgshallen, various shops in Kista and Rinkeby). Middle Eastern and international groceries are found in areas with immigrant communities. Search "asiatisk livsmedel" or "indisk butik" on Google Maps for your city.

"I got to Systembolaget on a Sunday and it was closed" — This happens to every expat once. After that, you plan ahead. Check the Systembolaget app for opening hours and online ordering before Sunday runs dry.

"My ICA digital offers aren't showing up" — Make sure your ICA card is registered in the app with your correct card number. Offers activate when you've scanned your card at checkout — it takes a few visits for personalisation to kick in.

"Prices seem much higher than online prices I checked" — ICA Nära and smaller format stores price at a premium vs. ICA Maxi or Willys. If your nearest store is a convenience-format ICA, you may want to make a weekly trip to a larger Willys or Lidl for the main shop.