Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malmo and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $970 a month against $2,046 in Malmo, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Malmo
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Malmo Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

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Malmo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,046

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$970

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malmo and in Bansko

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Malmo and in Bansko actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,046 per month in Malmo vs $970 in Bansko, rent included.

Malmo $2,046
Bansko $970

A couple spends around $3,083 per month in Malmo vs $1,464 in Bansko, rent included.

Malmo $3,083
Bansko $1,464

A family of three spends $4,121 per month in Malmo vs $1,957 in Bansko, rent included.

Malmo $4,121
Bansko $1,957

Malmo costs about 111% more than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Malmo sits 53% above the global median, while Bansko is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.90 SEK 149

$8.66 BGN 15.15

72.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.0 SEK 740

$46.63 BGN 81.6

58.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.18 SEK 122

$9.01 BGN 15.77

35.18%

Cappuccino

$4.83 SEK 48.23

$2.24 BGN 3.92

115.62%

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

$3.35 SEK 33.52

$1.50 BGN 2.63

123.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 SEK 26.97

$0.86 BGN 1.51

213.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.46 SEK 84.5

$1.76 BGN 3.07

380.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.10 SEK 90.9

$2.00 BGN 3.51

355.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 SEK 17.26

$1.79 BGN 3.14

-3.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 SEK 28.67

$0.81 BGN 1.42

254.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.32 SEK 33.22

$1.52 BGN 2.66

118.42%

Eggs

$4.11 SEK 41.10

$2.30 BGN 4.02

78.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.74 SEK 127

$9.60 BGN 16.81

32.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.86 SEK 119

$6.32 BGN 11.06

87.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.61 SEK 216

$8.64 BGN 15.12

150.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 SEK 29.93

$1.28 BGN 2.24

133.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.58 SEK 25.82

$1.68 BGN 2.95

53.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 SEK 29.61

$1.70 BGN 2.98

74.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 SEK 41.43

$1.89 BGN 3.30

119.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 SEK 16.62

$0.93 BGN 1.63

78.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 SEK 15.29

$0.76 BGN 1.32

101.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 SEK 24.65

$0.54 BGN 0.95

357.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 SEK 12.24

$0.58 BGN 1.02

112.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.72 SEK 77.1

$3.44 BGN 6.02

124.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.53 SEK 115

$5.14 BGN 9.00

124.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 SEK 20.05

$1.11 BGN 1.94

81.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 SEK 23.43

$1.70 BGN 2.97

37.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.15 SEK 31.45

$0.88 BGN 1.55

257.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.5 SEK 635

$26.76 BGN 46.83

137.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.00 SEK 59.9

$1.29 BGN 2.26

365.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.41 SEK 24.07

$0.65 BGN 1.14

270.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.13 SEK 491

$10.18 BGN 17.81

382.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 SEK 17.36

$1.50 BGN 2.63

16.00%

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

$32.3K SEK 322.6K

$28.8K BGN 50.4K

12.04%

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

$33.2K SEK 331.5K

$21.5K BGN 37.5K

54.61%

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

$138 SEK 1,380

$91.4 BGN 160

51.06%

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

$26.21 SEK 262

$14.68 BGN 25.68

78.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.07 SEK 361

$12.07 BGN 21.12

198.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.93 SEK 399

$32.28 BGN 56.5

23.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.69 SEK 287

$8.60 BGN 15.05

233.60%

Cinema Ticket

$17.17 SEK 172

$5.63 BGN 9.86

204.97%

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

$167 SEK 1,666

$228 BGN 400

-27.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,311 SEK 33.1K

$2,311 BGN 4,045

43.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.0 SEK 979

$30.48 BGN 53.3

221.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.19 SEK 442

$19.01 BGN 33.26

132.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 SEK 1,125

$45.53 BGN 79.7

147.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 SEK 1,520

$48.67 BGN 85.2

212.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,063 SEK 10.6K

$521 BGN 913

103.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$818 SEK 8,173

$367 BGN 643

122.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,720 SEK 17.2K

$634 BGN 1,110

171.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,354 SEK 13.5K

$558 BGN 976

142.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,026 SEK 40.2K

$1,204 BGN 2,106

234.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,166 SEK 31.6K

$971 BGN 1,699

226.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,045 SEK 30.4K

$1,670 BGN 2,923

82.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.05

2.99

2.01%

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

Last update for Malmo: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malmo

$818 40.1%

Bansko

$367 38% 55.1% $450

Groceries & Markets

Malmo

$372 18.2%

Bansko

$193 20% 48% $178

Eating Out

Malmo

$298 14.6%

Bansko

$145 15% 51.3% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malmo

$200 9.8%

Bansko

$118 12.2% 41% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Malmo

$183 9%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 64.7% $118

Getting Around

Malmo

$94 4.6%

Bansko

$35 3.6% 63% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Malmo

$74 3.6%

Bansko

$44 4.5% 41.4% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,063 in Malmo versus $521 in Bansko. 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 82% higher in Malmo, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Malmo versus $47.00 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $372 vs $193 – making Bansko the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Malmo

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

05:48 5:48 AM

06:48 6:48 AM

1 h ahead of Malmo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

316,588

8,000

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.01 USD

100 SEK = 8.92 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.99 SEK (1 SEK = 0.1 USD). 1 EUR = 11.21 SEK (100 SEK = 8.92 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Malmo Bansko 1,710 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Malmo
Bansko

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

Malmo vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,046 in Malmo, $970 in Bansko – roughly 111% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,069 per month in Malmo and $1,455 in Bansko. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bansko, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Malmo and $47.00 in Bansko. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,046 in Malmo and $970 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 111%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $970, than in Malmo at $2,046. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Malmo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Malmo has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $970 in Bansko to $2,046 in Malmo. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Bansko. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Malmo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.