Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karlstad and Malmo

For one person, living is cheaper in Karlstad: $1,727 a month against $2,092 in Malmo, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in Karlstad
Learn more

Karlstad Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in Malmo
Learn more

Malmo Living Index

Jump to prices

Karlstad

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,727

/mo nomad

Malmo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,092

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,727 per month in Karlstad vs $2,092 in Malmo, rent included.

Karlstad $1,727
Malmo $2,092

A couple spends around $2,665 per month in Karlstad vs $3,149 in Malmo, rent included.

Karlstad $2,665
Malmo $3,149

A family of three spends $3,603 per month in Karlstad vs $4,206 in Malmo, rent included.

Karlstad $3,603
Malmo $4,206

Karlstad is about 17% cheaper than Malmo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Karlstad and Malmo sit above the global median – Karlstad by 27%, Malmo by 54%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.14 SEK 149

$15.17 SEK 149

-0.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.5 SEK 790

$76.1 SEK 746

5.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.07 SEK 98.9

$12.18 SEK 120

-17.32%

Cappuccino

$4.86 SEK 47.68

$4.94 SEK 48.44

-1.62%

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

$2.45 SEK 24.01

$3.50 SEK 34.36

-30.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 SEK 21.25

$2.70 SEK 26.51

-20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.08 SEK 79.3

$8.69 SEK 85.3

-7.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.60 SEK 64.7

$9.11 SEK 89.4

-27.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 SEK 14.22

$1.67 SEK 16.36

-13.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.83 SEK 27.80

$2.84 SEK 27.91

-0.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.68 SEK 36.14

$3.44 SEK 33.76

6.98%

Eggs

$4.37 SEK 42.85

$4.12 SEK 40.42

6.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.17 SEK 99.8

$13.17 SEK 129

-22.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.96 SEK 137

$11.85 SEK 116

17.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.73 SEK 174

$21.25 SEK 209

-16.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 SEK 28.91

$2.97 SEK 29.11

-0.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.68 SEK 26.35

$2.63 SEK 25.76

1.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 SEK 29.71

$2.94 SEK 28.85

3.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.40 SEK 53.0

$4.26 SEK 41.77

26.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 SEK 18.80

$1.63 SEK 15.97

17.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 SEK 16.84

$1.55 SEK 15.26

10.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.64 SEK 25.87

$2.51 SEK 24.65

5.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 SEK 12.74

$1.18 SEK 11.55

10.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.96 SEK 68.3

$8.17 SEK 80.2

-14.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.17 SEK 99.8

$11.38 SEK 112

-10.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 SEK 23.79

$2.05 SEK 20.11

18.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 SEK 19.98

$2.37 SEK 23.29

-13.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.13 SEK 30.70

$3.22 SEK 31.65

-2.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.4 SEK 789

$63.9 SEK 627

25.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.46 SEK 53.6

$6.05 SEK 59.4

-9.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.29 SEK 12.67

$2.48 SEK 24.37

-47.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.4 SEK 592

$49.44 SEK 485

22.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 SEK 16.90

$1.79 SEK 17.55

-3.91%

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

$32.6K SEK 320.4K

$32.6K SEK 320.3K

0.02%

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

$33.8K SEK 331.2K

$33.3K SEK 326.5K

1.45%

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

$99.4 SEK 975

$144 SEK 1,412

-30.91%

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

$15.73 SEK 154

$25.21 SEK 247

-37.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.76 SEK 429

$40.19 SEK 394

8.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.27 SEK 444

$39.31 SEK 386

15.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.66 SEK 163

$29.48 SEK 289

-43.49%

Cinema Ticket

$14.08 SEK 138

$17.12 SEK 168

-17.76%

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

$126 SEK 1,236

$168 SEK 1,651

-25.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,352 SEK 32.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 SEK 1,037

$102 SEK 1,001

3.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.85 SEK 391

$45.62 SEK 448

-12.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.9 SEK 744

$111 SEK 1,086

-31.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 SEK 1,384

$156 SEK 1,533

-9.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$868 SEK 8,518

$1,100 SEK 10.8K

-21.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 SEK 5,638

$852 SEK 8,363

-32.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 SEK 11.6K

$1,765 SEK 17.3K

-32.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$867 SEK 8,504

$1,343 SEK 13.2K

-35.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,849 SEK 37.8K

$4,098 SEK 40.2K

-6.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,779 SEK 27.3K

$3,158 SEK 31.0K

-12.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,203 SEK 31.4K

$2,979 SEK 29.2K

7.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.09

3.05

34.10%

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

Last update for Karlstad: 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

Karlstad

$575 33.3%

Malmo

$852 40.8% 48.3% $278

Groceries & Markets

Karlstad

$370 21.4%

Malmo

$371 17.8% 0.3% $1.1

Eating Out

Karlstad

$282 16.3%

Malmo

$304 14.5% 7.8% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Karlstad

$163 9.5%

Malmo

$187 8.9% 14.4% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karlstad

$159 9.2%

Malmo

$209 10% 31.7% $50

Getting Around

Karlstad

$105 6.1%

Malmo

$95 4.6% 9.1% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

Karlstad

$73 4.3%

Malmo

$74 3.5% 0.1% $0.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $868 in Karlstad versus $1,100 in Malmo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 8% higher in Karlstad, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81 in Karlstad versus $76 in Malmo. Groceries tell a different story – $370 in Karlstad vs $371 in Malmo – so Karlstad wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Karlstad

🇸🇪 Malmo

🕒 Local time

19:04 7:04 PM

Same time as Karlstad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,797

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

Karlstad Malmo 420 km

From you

Karlstad
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

Karlstad vs Malmo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Malmo is pricier by about 21%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,590 per month in Karlstad and $3,138 in Malmo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Karlstad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $868 there versus $1,100 in Malmo.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,727 in Karlstad and $2,092 in Malmo. That makes Karlstad about 17% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $126 per month in Karlstad and $168 in Malmo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,727 in Karlstad and $2,092 in Malmo, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Karlstad – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.