Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malmo and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,120 in Malmo, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in Malmo
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Malmo Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Malmo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,120

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malmo and in Cape Town

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 Cape Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,120 per month in Malmo vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Malmo $2,120
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $3,205 per month in Malmo vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Malmo $3,205
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $4,290 per month in Malmo vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Malmo $4,290
Cape Town $3,306

Malmo costs about 39% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Malmo and Cape Town sit above the global median – Malmo by 57%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.53 SEK 152

$12.01 R 197

29.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.4 SEK 766

$42.92 R 703

82.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 SEK 122

$6.15 R 101

102.60%

Cappuccino

$4.94 SEK 48.27

$2.37 R 38.81

108.44%

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

$3.39 SEK 33.12

$1.27 R 20.84

166.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 SEK 26.06

$0.94 R 15.37

184.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.77 SEK 85.7

$2.96 R 48.48

196.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.94 SEK 87.4

$3.69 R 60.5

142.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 SEK 16.71

$1.32 R 21.61

29.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.86 SEK 27.97

$1.21 R 19.75

136.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.51 SEK 34.29

$2.20 R 36.05

59.55%

Eggs

$3.88 SEK 37.92

$3.10 R 50.8

25.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.92 SEK 126

$8.73 R 143

48.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.47 SEK 122

$6.89 R 113

80.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.74 SEK 212

$9.26 R 152

134.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 SEK 30.16

$1.83 R 29.90

68.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.66 SEK 26.01

$1.95 R 31.94

36.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.11 SEK 30.39

$1.66 R 27.16

87.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.49 SEK 43.92

$2.14 R 34.99

109.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 SEK 15.89

$1.58 R 25.86

3.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 SEK 15.30

$1.47 R 24.15

6.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.57 SEK 25.13

$1.35 R 22.05

90.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 SEK 11.88

$1.14 R 18.75

7.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 SEK 78.5

$3.58 R 58.6

124.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.84 SEK 116

$6.05 R 99.2

95.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 SEK 20.38

$1.39 R 22.82

50.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 SEK 22.75

$2.18 R 35.69

6.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.30 SEK 32.23

$1.40 R 22.88

135.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.7 SEK 632

$60.8 R 995

6.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.21 SEK 60.7

$0.93 R 15.18

567.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.45 SEK 23.94

$0.90 R 14.75

172.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$52.0 SEK 508

$4.96 R 81.3

947.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 SEK 17.30

$1.54 R 25.23

14.94%

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

$33.5K SEK 327.0K

$35.4K R 579.4K

-5.39%

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

$34.2K SEK 334.6K

$33.4K R 546.7K

2.60%

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

$146 SEK 1,431

$117 R 1,918

25.05%

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

$22.36 SEK 218

$25.71 R 421

-13.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.56 SEK 387

$39.41 R 646

0.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.65 SEK 368

$51.6 R 846

-27.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.39 SEK 307

$11.35 R 186

176.56%

Cinema Ticket

$17.02 SEK 166

$8.89 R 146

91.45%

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

$172 SEK 1,685

$308 R 5,040

-43.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,146 SEK 30.7K

$8,141 R 133.4K

-61.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 SEK 1,013

$57.4 R 940

80.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.60 SEK 446

$31.75 R 520

43.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 SEK 1,128

$116 R 1,900

-0.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$156 SEK 1,528

$101 R 1,650

55.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,097 SEK 10.7K

$1,047 R 17.1K

4.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$868 SEK 8,481

$669 R 11.0K

29.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,800 SEK 17.6K

$1,861 R 30.5K

-3.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,387 SEK 13.6K

$1,407 R 23.1K

-1.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,139 SEK 40.4K

$2,410 R 39.5K

71.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,172 SEK 31.0K

$1,570 R 25.7K

102.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,173 SEK 31.0K

$1,630 R 26.7K

94.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.05

10.89

-71.99%

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

Last update for Malmo: November 1, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malmo

$868 40.9%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 22.9% $199

Groceries & Markets

Malmo

$380 17.9%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 41.2% $156

Eating Out

Malmo

$307 14.5%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 43.3% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malmo

$208 9.8%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 12.5% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Malmo

$189 8.9%

Cape Town

$138 9% 27.4% $52

Getting Around

Malmo

$96 4.6%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 25.5% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Malmo

$72 3.4%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 3.2% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,097 in Malmo versus $1,047 in Cape Town. 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 95% higher in Malmo. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78 in Malmo versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $380 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Malmo

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

21:56 9:56 PM

22:56 10:56 PM

1 h ahead of Malmo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

316,588

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.23 USD

100 SEK = 9.12 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 9.77 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.97 SEK (100 SEK = 9.12 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Malmo Cape Town 9,970 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Malmo
Cape Town

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 Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Malmo costs about 39% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,180 per month in Malmo and $2,291 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,097 in Malmo and $1,047 in Cape Town. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,120 in Malmo and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 28% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 6% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,120 in Malmo and $1,527 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,527 versus $2,120 in Malmo. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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