Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bålsta and Malmo

For one person, living is cheaper in Bålsta: $1,563 a month against $2,092 in Malmo, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Bålsta
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Bålsta Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in Malmo
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Malmo Living Index

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Bålsta

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,563

/mo nomad

Malmo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,092

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bålsta 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 Bålsta and in Malmo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,563 in Bålsta versus $2,092 in Malmo.

Bålsta $1,563
Malmo $2,092

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,445 in Bålsta versus $3,149 in Malmo.

Bålsta $2,445
Malmo $3,149

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,328 in Bålsta versus $4,206 in Malmo.

Bålsta $3,328
Malmo $4,206

Living in Bålsta costs roughly 25% less than in Malmo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bålsta 15% above, Malmo 54% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.67 SEK 134

$15.17 SEK 149

-9.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.8 SEK 656

$76.1 SEK 746

-12.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 SEK 86.4

$12.18 SEK 120

-27.75%

Cappuccino

$3.95 SEK 38.79

$4.94 SEK 48.44

-20.04%

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

$2.68 SEK 26.31

$3.50 SEK 34.36

-23.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 SEK 21.99

$2.70 SEK 26.51

-17.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.16 SEK 70.3

$8.69 SEK 85.3

-17.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.96 SEK 68.3

$9.11 SEK 89.4

-23.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 SEK 14.62

$1.67 SEK 16.36

-10.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.00 SEK 19.66

$2.84 SEK 27.91

-29.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.51 SEK 34.42

$3.44 SEK 33.76

2.03%

Eggs

$3.71 SEK 36.45

$4.12 SEK 40.42

-9.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.01 SEK 108

$13.17 SEK 129

-16.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.21 SEK 120

$11.85 SEK 116

3.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.02 SEK 108

$21.25 SEK 209

-48.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.50 SEK 24.52

$2.97 SEK 29.11

-15.82%

Banana (1kg)

$2.60 SEK 25.54

$2.63 SEK 25.76

-1.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 SEK 20.32

$2.94 SEK 28.85

-29.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.90 SEK 28.42

$4.26 SEK 41.77

-31.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 SEK 14.75

$1.63 SEK 15.97

-7.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 SEK 11.59

$1.55 SEK 15.26

-23.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 SEK 15.20

$2.51 SEK 24.65

-38.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 SEK 9.73

$1.18 SEK 11.55

-16.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.26 SEK 71.3

$8.17 SEK 80.2

-11.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.20 SEK 100

$11.38 SEK 112

-10.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 SEK 15.07

$2.05 SEK 20.11

-24.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 SEK 19.26

$2.37 SEK 23.29

-17.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.28 SEK 32.18

$3.22 SEK 31.65

1.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 SEK 776

$63.9 SEK 627

23.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.03 SEK 59.2

$6.05 SEK 59.4

-0.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 SEK 15.16

$2.48 SEK 24.37

-37.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$77.4 SEK 760

$49.44 SEK 485

56.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 SEK 17.28

$1.79 SEK 17.55

-1.68%

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

$33.2K SEK 325.6K

$32.6K SEK 320.3K

1.65%

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

$33.8K SEK 331.6K

$33.3K SEK 326.5K

1.58%

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

$50.1 SEK 491

$144 SEK 1,412

-65.20%

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

$20.16 SEK 198

$25.21 SEK 247

-20.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.59 SEK 389

$40.19 SEK 394

-1.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.16 SEK 365

$39.31 SEK 386

-5.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.37 SEK 259

$29.48 SEK 289

-10.55%

Cinema Ticket

$12.93 SEK 127

$17.12 SEK 168

-24.47%

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

$121 SEK 1,189

$168 SEK 1,651

-27.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,046 SEK 49.5K

$3,352 SEK 32.9K

50.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.2 SEK 679

$102 SEK 1,001

-32.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$9.93 SEK 97.4

$45.62 SEK 448

-78.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.0 SEK 794

$111 SEK 1,086

-26.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 SEK 1,107

$156 SEK 1,533

-27.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 SEK 7,861

$1,100 SEK 10.8K

-27.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$610 SEK 5,982

$852 SEK 8,363

-28.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,368 SEK 13.4K

$1,765 SEK 17.3K

-22.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 SEK 10.1K

$1,343 SEK 13.2K

-23.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,003 SEK 39.3K

$4,098 SEK 40.2K

-2.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,823 SEK 27.7K

$3,158 SEK 31.0K

-10.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,868 SEK 38.0K

$2,979 SEK 29.2K

29.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.8

3.05

-8.20%

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

Last update for Bålsta: October 25, 2026

Last update for Malmo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bålsta

$610 39%

Malmo

$852 40.8% 39.8% $243

Groceries & Markets

Bålsta

$299 19.1%

Malmo

$371 17.8% 24.3% $73

Eating Out

Bålsta

$253 16.2%

Malmo

$304 14.5% 20.2% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Bålsta

$123 7.9%

Malmo

$187 8.9% 51.8% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bålsta

$110 7%

Malmo

$209 10% 90.5% $99

Getting Around

Bålsta

$106 6.8%

Malmo

$95 4.6% 10.1% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Bålsta

$63 4%

Malmo

$74 3.5% 16.7% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $801 in Bålsta and $1,100 in Malmo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bålsta pays 30% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67 in Bålsta vs $76 in Malmo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $299 vs $371 per month, with Bålsta cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Bålsta

🇸🇪 Malmo

🕒 Local time

00:08 12:08 AM

Same time as Bålsta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,138

316,588

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.19 USD

100 SEK = 9.13 EUR

100 SEK = 10.19 USD

100 SEK = 9.13 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bålsta Malmo 520 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bålsta
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

Bålsta vs Malmo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bålsta wins on cost – living expenses run 25% lower than in Malmo. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bålsta the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 30% higher in Bålsta, 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: $801 in Bålsta versus $1,100 in Malmo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,563 per month in Bålsta versus $2,092 in Malmo – Bålsta is about 25% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Malmo runs roughly 19% less than in Bålsta. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Bålsta is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.