Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gothenburg and Malmo

For one person, living is cheaper in Gothenburg: $2,008 a month against $2,092 in Malmo, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

97

Cost of Living Index in Gothenburg
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Gothenburg Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in Malmo
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Malmo Living Index

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Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,008

/mo nomad

Malmo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,092

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,008 in Gothenburg versus $2,092 in Malmo.

Gothenburg $2,008
Malmo $2,092

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,067 in Gothenburg versus $3,149 in Malmo.

Gothenburg $3,067
Malmo $3,149

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,127 in Gothenburg versus $4,206 in Malmo.

Gothenburg $4,127
Malmo $4,206

Living in Gothenburg costs roughly 4% less than in Malmo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gothenburg 48% 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

$86.7 SEK 851

$76.1 SEK 746

14.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.40 SEK 122

$12.18 SEK 120

1.81%

Cappuccino

$5.04 SEK 49.48

$4.94 SEK 48.44

2.02%

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

$2.99 SEK 29.31

$3.50 SEK 34.36

-14.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 SEK 22.89

$2.70 SEK 26.51

-13.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.88 SEK 67.5

$8.69 SEK 85.3

-20.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.57 SEK 74.3

$9.11 SEK 89.4

-16.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 SEK 16.97

$1.67 SEK 16.36

3.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 SEK 27.36

$2.84 SEK 27.91

-1.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 SEK 31.97

$3.44 SEK 33.76

-5.23%

Eggs

$3.90 SEK 38.26

$4.12 SEK 40.42

-5.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.25 SEK 110

$13.17 SEK 129

-14.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.57 SEK 114

$11.85 SEK 116

-2.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.43 SEK 161

$21.25 SEK 209

-22.68%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 SEK 29.54

$2.97 SEK 29.11

1.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 SEK 24.06

$2.63 SEK 25.76

-6.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.90 SEK 28.48

$2.94 SEK 28.85

-1.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.49 SEK 44.09

$4.26 SEK 41.77

5.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 SEK 17.95

$1.63 SEK 15.97

12.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 SEK 16.36

$1.55 SEK 15.26

7.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 SEK 20.11

$2.51 SEK 24.65

-18.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 SEK 15.72

$1.18 SEK 11.55

35.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.35 SEK 81.9

$8.17 SEK 80.2

2.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.18 SEK 149

$11.38 SEK 112

33.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 SEK 20.04

$2.05 SEK 20.11

-0.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 SEK 22.12

$2.37 SEK 23.29

-5.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.83 SEK 37.56

$3.22 SEK 31.65

18.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.4 SEK 848

$63.9 SEK 627

35.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.21 SEK 60.9

$6.05 SEK 59.4

2.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 SEK 16.37

$2.48 SEK 24.37

-32.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.2 SEK 581

$49.44 SEK 485

19.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 SEK 17.20

$1.79 SEK 17.55

-2.23%

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

$33.4K SEK 327.9K

$32.6K SEK 320.3K

2.37%

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

$33.8K SEK 331.7K

$33.3K SEK 326.5K

1.59%

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

$104 SEK 1,017

$144 SEK 1,412

-27.96%

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

$19.70 SEK 193

$25.21 SEK 247

-21.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.35 SEK 337

$40.19 SEK 394

-14.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.01 SEK 334

$39.31 SEK 386

-13.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.39 SEK 239

$29.48 SEK 289

-17.27%

Cinema Ticket

$16.98 SEK 167

$17.12 SEK 168

-0.82%

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

$222 SEK 2,180

$168 SEK 1,651

32.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,336 SEK 42.6K

$3,352 SEK 32.9K

29.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 SEK 870

$102 SEK 1,001

-13.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.91 SEK 323

$45.62 SEK 448

-27.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.8 SEK 861

$111 SEK 1,086

-20.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 SEK 1,315

$156 SEK 1,533

-14.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,107 SEK 10.9K

$1,100 SEK 10.8K

0.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$874 SEK 8,575

$852 SEK 8,363

2.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 SEK 18.3K

$1,765 SEK 17.3K

5.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 SEK 13.7K

$1,343 SEK 13.2K

4.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,415 SEK 63.0K

$4,098 SEK 40.2K

56.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,026 SEK 39.5K

$3,158 SEK 31.0K

27.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,521 SEK 34.6K

$2,979 SEK 29.2K

18.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.06

3.05

0.33%

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

Last update for Gothenburg: October 27, 2026

Last update for Malmo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gothenburg

$874 43.5%

Malmo

$852 40.8% 2.5% $22

Groceries & Markets

Gothenburg

$360 17.9%

Malmo

$371 17.8% 3.2% $12

Eating Out

Gothenburg

$278 13.8%

Malmo

$304 14.5% 9.2% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gothenburg

$158 7.9%

Malmo

$209 10% 32.7% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Gothenburg

$155 7.7%

Malmo

$187 8.9% 20.7% $32

Getting Around

Gothenburg

$116 5.8%

Malmo

$95 4.6% 18% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Gothenburg

$68 3.4%

Malmo

$74 3.5% 8.2% $5.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,107 in Gothenburg and $1,100 in Malmo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gothenburg pays 18% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $87 in Gothenburg vs $76 in Malmo. Groceries flip the comparison at $360 vs $371, with Gothenburg cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Malmo

🕒 Local time

02:54 2:54 AM

Same time as Gothenburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

607,882

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

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Gothenburg Malmo 240 km

From you

Gothenburg
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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

Gothenburg vs Malmo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gothenburg wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Malmo. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Gothenburg the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 18% higher in Gothenburg, 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: $1,107 in Gothenburg versus $1,100 in Malmo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $222 in Gothenburg versus $168 in Malmo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Malmo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Gothenburg 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.