Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lulea and Malmo

For one person, living is cheaper in Lulea: $1,820 a month against $2,031 in Malmo, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Lulea
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Lulea Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Malmo
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Malmo Living Index

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Lulea

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,820

/mo nomad

Malmo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,031

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,820 in Lulea versus $2,031 in Malmo.

Lulea $1,820
Malmo $2,031

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,946 in Lulea versus $3,108 in Malmo.

Lulea $2,946
Malmo $3,108

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,073 in Lulea versus $4,185 in Malmo.

Lulea $4,073
Malmo $4,185

Living in Lulea costs roughly 10% less than in Malmo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lulea 35% above, Malmo 50% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.71 SEK 116

$15.01 SEK 149

-21.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.1 SEK 952

$74.8 SEK 741

28.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.04 SEK 109

$12.13 SEK 120

-8.99%

Cappuccino

$4.38 SEK 43.41

$4.98 SEK 49.36

-12.05%

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

$2.45 SEK 24.24

$3.44 SEK 34.07

-28.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 SEK 19.20

$2.65 SEK 26.24

-26.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.56 SEK 84.8

$8.49 SEK 84.1

0.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.41 SEK 93.2

$9.01 SEK 89.3

4.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 SEK 17.99

$1.65 SEK 16.38

10.30%

White Bread (500g)

$3.42 SEK 33.84

$2.80 SEK 27.74

22.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.75 SEK 47.11

$3.44 SEK 34.08

38.08%

Eggs

$4.67 SEK 46.31

$3.98 SEK 39.43

17.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.48 SEK 124

$12.86 SEK 127

-2.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.11 SEK 130

$12.07 SEK 120

8.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.07 SEK 258

$21.13 SEK 209

23.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.44 SEK 24.16

$2.98 SEK 29.53

-18.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.66 SEK 26.36

$2.59 SEK 25.63

2.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 SEK 23.36

$2.98 SEK 29.50

-20.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.16 SEK 41.21

$4.29 SEK 42.46

-3.03%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 SEK 20.69

$1.63 SEK 16.12

28.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 SEK 14.82

$1.52 SEK 15.03

-1.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.30 SEK 32.69

$2.44 SEK 24.20

35.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 SEK 12.59

$1.17 SEK 11.56

8.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.06 SEK 70.0

$7.83 SEK 77.6

-9.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.04 SEK 119

$11.49 SEK 114

4.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 SEK 17.63

$1.94 SEK 19.21

-8.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 SEK 17.53

$2.33 SEK 23.04

-24.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.23 SEK 31.99

$3.12 SEK 30.89

3.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.5 SEK 560

$64.3 SEK 637

-12.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.73 SEK 86.5

$6.36 SEK 63.1

37.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 SEK 20.33

$2.47 SEK 24.48

-17.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$70.8 SEK 702

$49.15 SEK 487

44.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 SEK 17.24

$1.78 SEK 17.68

-2.25%

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

$31.9K SEK 316.5K

$32.7K SEK 323.9K

-2.27%

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

$33.3K SEK 329.9K

$33.3K SEK 330.1K

-0.05%

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

$161 SEK 1,595

$139 SEK 1,377

15.87%

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

$31.36 SEK 311

$25.01 SEK 248

25.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.51 SEK 263

$38.88 SEK 385

-31.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.47 SEK 450

$40.60 SEK 402

12.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.02 SEK 347

$29.04 SEK 288

20.59%

Cinema Ticket

$12.85 SEK 127

$16.99 SEK 168

-24.37%

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

$150 SEK 1,490

$168 SEK 1,667

-10.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,570 SEK 55.2K

$3,337 SEK 33.1K

66.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 SEK 1,189

$97.8 SEK 969

22.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.64 SEK 323

$44.17 SEK 438

-26.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 SEK 1,188

$111 SEK 1,097

8.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$161 SEK 1,593

$151 SEK 1,493

6.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 SEK 7,763

$1,059 SEK 10.5K

-26.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$584 SEK 5,786

$806 SEK 7,989

-27.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,449 SEK 14.4K

$1,720 SEK 17.0K

-15.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,104 SEK 10.9K

$1,354 SEK 13.4K

-18.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,072 SEK 30.4K

$4,083 SEK 40.5K

-24.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,194 SEK 21.7K

$3,100 SEK 30.7K

-29.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,498 SEK 24.8K

$2,978 SEK 29.5K

-16.13%

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 Lulea: October 11, 2026

Last update for Malmo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lulea

$584 32.1%

Malmo

$806 39.7% 38.1% $222

Groceries & Markets

Lulea

$404 22.2%

Malmo

$369 18.2% 8.6% $35

Eating Out

Lulea

$259 14.2%

Malmo

$301 14.8% 16.4% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lulea

$219 12%

Malmo

$203 10% 7.3% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Lulea

$195 10.7%

Malmo

$181 8.9% 6.9% $14

Getting Around

Lulea

$88 4.9%

Malmo

$96 4.7% 8% $7.1

Sport & Entertainment

Lulea

$71 3.9%

Malmo

$75 3.7% 4.8% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $783 in Lulea and $1,059 in Malmo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Malmo pays 19% 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: $96.0 in Lulea vs $75.0 in Malmo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $404 vs $369 per month, with Malmo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Lulea

🇸🇪 Malmo

🕒 Local time

16:23 4:23 PM

Same time as Lulea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

73,864

316,588

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lulea Malmo 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Lulea
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

Lulea vs Malmo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lulea wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Malmo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lulea the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 19% lower in Malmo. 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: $783 in Lulea versus $1,059 in Malmo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Malmo pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Lulea – a meal for two runs $96.0 versus $75.0 in Malmo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,820 in Lulea versus $2,031 in Malmo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lulea but tight or insufficient in Malmo. The gap between the two cities makes Lulea the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Lulea delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,820 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lulea hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Lulea and Malmo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Lulea gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Malmo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.