Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Malmo

For one person, living is cheaper in Malmo: $2,046 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Malmo
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Malmo Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Malmo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,046

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Malmo

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Austin, TX and in Malmo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $2,046 in Malmo.

Austin, TX $2,704
Malmo $2,046

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $3,083 in Malmo.

Austin, TX $4,133
Malmo $3,083

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $4,121 in Malmo.

Austin, TX $5,562
Malmo $4,121

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 32% more expensive than in Malmo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 102% above, Malmo 53% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$14.90 SEK 149

35.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$74.0 SEK 740

14.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$12.18 SEK 122

1.40%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$4.83 SEK 48.23

13.25%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.82 $3.82

$3.35 SEK 33.52

14.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$2.70 SEK 26.97

-7.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$8.46 SEK 84.5

-4.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$9.10 SEK 90.9

-1.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.73 SEK 17.26

-34.68%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$2.87 SEK 28.67

31.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$3.32 SEK 33.22

-2.11%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$4.11 SEK 41.10

0.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$12.74 SEK 127

2.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$11.86 SEK 119

20.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$21.61 SEK 216

-26.15%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.99 SEK 29.93

46.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$2.58 SEK 25.82

-43.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.96 SEK 29.61

53.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$4.15 SEK 41.43

0.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.66 SEK 16.62

58.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.53 SEK 15.29

54.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$2.47 SEK 24.65

-28.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.23 SEK 12.24

75.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$7.72 SEK 77.1

27.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$11.53 SEK 115

27.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.01 SEK 20.05

38.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.34 SEK 23.43

48.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$3.15 SEK 31.45

-52.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$63.5 SEK 635

-36.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$6.00 SEK 59.9

-55.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$2.41 SEK 24.07

-34.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$49.13 SEK 491

-28.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.74 SEK 17.36

-43.10%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$35.8K $35.8K

$32.3K SEK 322.6K

10.93%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$27.2K $27.2K

$33.2K SEK 331.5K

-18.06%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$219 $219

$138 SEK 1,380

58.74%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$58.0 $58.0

$26.21 SEK 262

121.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$36.07 SEK 361

89.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$39.93 SEK 399

45.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$28.69 SEK 287

-48.34%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$17.17 SEK 172

-17.71%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,509 $1,509

$167 SEK 1,666

805.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$3,311 SEK 33.1K

548.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$98.0 SEK 979

-47.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$44.19 SEK 442

-0.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$113 SEK 1,125

-24.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$152 SEK 1,520

-30.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$1,063 SEK 10.6K

81.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$818 SEK 8,173

55.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$1,720 SEK 17.2K

113.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$1,354 SEK 13.5K

86.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$4,026 SEK 40.2K

89.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$3,166 SEK 31.6K

1.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$3,045 SEK 30.4K

67.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

3.05

122.62%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Malmo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Malmo

$818 40.1% 35.7% $455

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Malmo

$372 18.2% 7.8% $31

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Malmo

$298 14.6% 14.3% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Malmo

$200 9.8% 42% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Malmo

$183 9% 42.2% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Malmo

$74 3.6% 13.8% $12

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Malmo

$94 4.6% 65.2% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $1,063 in Malmo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 68% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $74.0 in Malmo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $372 per month, with Malmo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇸🇪 Malmo

🕒 Local time

21:21 9:21 PM

04:21 4:21 AM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

316,588

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 SEK = 10.01 USD

100 SEK = 8.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.99 SEK (1 SEK = 0.1 USD). 1 EUR = 11.21 SEK (100 SEK = 8.92 EUR).

SEK to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Malmo 8,440 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Malmo

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Austin, TX vs Malmo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Malmo wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Malmo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 68% higher in Austin, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $1,063 in Malmo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,704 per month in Austin, TX versus $2,046 in Malmo – a 32% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Malmo runs roughly 57% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,046 in Malmo versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Malmo but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Malmo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Malmo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,046 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Malmo hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Malmo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.