Isn't Sweden much more compact than the U.S.? Are the countries really comparable at all in size, density, standard of living and many other factors?

I visited Sweden in high school on a student exchange, many years ago, and almost no one had a car. Everyone walked and it was a tiny town. Meals were very simple - bread, cheese and little to no meat. The family I stayed with and the town in general was quite poor and lived a simple life (with lots of drugs & alcohol). Of course things could of changed dramatically since then.

I'm curious how does the carbon tax not just inflate prices across the board?