Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Malmo

For one person, living is cheaper in Malmo: $2,092 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in Malmo
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Malmo Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Malmo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,092

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,092 in Malmo.

Lisbon $2,210
Malmo $2,092

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $3,149 in Malmo.

Lisbon $3,275
Malmo $3,149

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $4,206 in Malmo.

Lisbon $4,341
Malmo $4,206

Living in Lisbon is roughly 6% more expensive than in Malmo.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Malmo 54% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$15.17 SEK 151

9.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$76.1 SEK 755

-18.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$12.18 SEK 121

-6.73%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$4.94 SEK 49.02

-39.88%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$3.50 SEK 34.77

-34.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.70 SEK 26.83

-35.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$8.69 SEK 86.3

-60.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$9.11 SEK 90.5

-63.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.67 SEK 16.55

-30.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$2.84 SEK 28.25

-32.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$3.44 SEK 34.16

-56.10%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$4.12 SEK 40.90

-2.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$13.17 SEK 131

-1.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$11.85 SEK 118

-34.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$21.25 SEK 211

-16.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$2.97 SEK 29.46

-22.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$2.63 SEK 26.07

-34.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$2.94 SEK 29.20

-36.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$4.26 SEK 42.28

-39.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$1.63 SEK 16.16

11.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.55 SEK 15.44

27.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.51 SEK 24.95

-41.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.18 SEK 11.69

-38.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$8.17 SEK 81.2

-19.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$11.38 SEK 113

-50.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.05 SEK 20.35

-33.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$2.37 SEK 23.57

-9.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$3.22 SEK 32.03

-27.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$63.9 SEK 635

-30.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$6.05 SEK 60.1

-36.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$2.48 SEK 24.66

-56.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$49.44 SEK 491

-66.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.79 SEK 17.77

22.91%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$32.6K SEK 324.2K

4.75%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$33.3K SEK 330.4K

16.40%

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

$161 €145

$144 SEK 1,429

12.08%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$25.21 SEK 250

-26.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$40.19 SEK 399

-18.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$39.31 SEK 390

13.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$29.48 SEK 293

-35.21%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$17.12 SEK 170

-43.93%

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

$668 €600

$168 SEK 1,671

296.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$3,352 SEK 33.3K

425.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$102 SEK 1,013

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$45.62 SEK 453

-2.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$111 SEK 1,099

-10.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$156 SEK 1,551

-20.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$1,100 SEK 10.9K

46.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$852 SEK 8,464

39.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$1,765 SEK 17.5K

59.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$1,343 SEK 13.3K

49.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$4,098 SEK 40.7K

91.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$3,158 SEK 31.4K

44.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$2,979 SEK 29.6K

-47.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.05

26.23%

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

Last update for Lisbon: 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

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Malmo

$852 40.8% 28.4% $338

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Malmo

$371 17.8% 36.4% $99

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Malmo

$304 14.5% 25.1% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Malmo

$209 10% 1.5% $3.1

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Malmo

$187 8.9% 12.4% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Malmo

$74 3.5% 15.4% $9.8

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Malmo

$95 4.6% 50.7% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,100 in Malmo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Malmo pays 89% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $76 in Malmo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $371 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇸🇪 Malmo

🕒 Local time

20:26 8:26 PM

21:26 9:26 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

316,588

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 SEK = 10.07 USD

100 SEK = 9.05 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Malmo 2,490 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
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

Lisbon vs Malmo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 47% lower in Lisbon. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $1,100 in Malmo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $168 in Malmo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 27% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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