Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malmo and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $2,046 in Malmo, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Malmo
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Malmo Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Malmo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,046

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malmo and in Cebu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,046 in Malmo versus $934 in Cebu.

Malmo $2,046
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,083 in Malmo versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Malmo $3,083
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,121 in Malmo versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Malmo $4,121
Cebu $1,896

Living in Malmo is roughly 119% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Malmo is 53% above, Cebu is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.90 SEK 149

$3.03 ₱190

391.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.0 SEK 740

$23.48 ₱1,473

215.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.18 SEK 122

$4.09 ₱256

197.80%

Cappuccino

$4.83 SEK 48.23

$2.52 ₱158

91.67%

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

$3.35 SEK 33.52

$1.54 ₱96.9

117.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 SEK 26.97

$0.49 ₱30.98

451.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.46 SEK 84.5

$1.79 ₱112

372.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.10 SEK 90.9

$2.26 ₱142

302.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 SEK 17.26

$1.95 ₱122

-11.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 SEK 28.67

$1.43 ₱89.7

100.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.32 SEK 33.22

$1.02 ₱63.8

225.49%

Eggs

$4.11 SEK 41.10

$2.06 ₱129

99.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.74 SEK 127

$9.81 ₱615

29.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.86 SEK 119

$4.61 ₱289

157.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.61 SEK 216

$7.70 ₱483

180.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 SEK 29.93

$3.31 ₱207

-9.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.58 SEK 25.82

$1.45 ₱90.9

77.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 SEK 29.61

$2.36 ₱148

25.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 SEK 41.43

$1.54 ₱96.4

169.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 SEK 16.62

$2.36 ₱148

-29.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 SEK 15.29

$1.99 ₱125

-23.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 SEK 24.65

$1.15 ₱72.1

114.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 SEK 12.24

$0.67 ₱42.15

83.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.72 SEK 77.1

$3.00 ₱188

157.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.53 SEK 115

$6.35 ₱398

81.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 SEK 20.05

$1.31 ₱81.9

53.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 SEK 23.43

$1.73 ₱108

35.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.15 SEK 31.45

$0.25 ₱15.78

1160.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.5 SEK 635

$12.65 ₱793

402.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.00 SEK 59.9

$0.74 ₱46.32

710.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.41 SEK 24.07

$0.21 ₱13.11

1047.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.13 SEK 491

$4.33 ₱271

1034.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 SEK 17.36

$1.33 ₱83.5

30.83%

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

$32.3K SEK 322.6K

$21.8K ₱1.4M

48.30%

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

$33.2K SEK 331.5K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

70.98%

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

$138 SEK 1,380

$121 ₱7,563

14.55%

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

$26.21 SEK 262

$14.45 ₱907

81.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.07 SEK 361

$28.29 ₱1,774

27.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.93 SEK 399

$32.68 ₱2,050

22.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.69 SEK 287

$6.39 ₱401

348.98%

Cinema Ticket

$17.17 SEK 172

$5.46 ₱342

214.47%

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

$167 SEK 1,666

$273 ₱17.1K

-39.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,311 SEK 33.1K

$8,156 ₱511.5K

-59.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.0 SEK 979

$49.57 ₱3,109

97.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.19 SEK 442

$24.87 ₱1,560

77.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 SEK 1,125

$76.6 ₱4,804

47.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 SEK 1,520

$59.3 ₱3,717

156.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,063 SEK 10.6K

$506 ₱31.7K

110.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$818 SEK 8,173

$309 ₱19.4K

164.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,720 SEK 17.2K

$1,052 ₱66.0K

63.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,354 SEK 13.5K

$619 ₱38.8K

118.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,026 SEK 40.2K

$2,915 ₱182.9K

38.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,166 SEK 31.6K

$1,867 ₱117.1K

69.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,045 SEK 30.4K

$341 ₱21.4K

792.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.05

7.2

-57.64%

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

Last update for Malmo: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malmo

$818 40.1%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 62.2% $508

Groceries & Markets

Malmo

$372 18.2%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 43.4% $161

Eating Out

Malmo

$298 14.6%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 70.4% $210

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malmo

$200 9.8%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 18.5% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Malmo

$183 9%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 48.3% $88

Getting Around

Malmo

$94 4.6%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 83.6% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Malmo

$74 3.6%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 41.3% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,063 in Malmo and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Malmo pays 793% 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: $74.0 in Malmo vs $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $372 vs $210 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Malmo

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

09:00 9:00 AM

15:00 3:00 PM

6 h ahead of Malmo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

316,588

964,169

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.01 USD

100 SEK = 8.92 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, 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).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.35 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Malmo Cebu 10,330 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Malmo
Cebu

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 Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 119% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 793% higher in Malmo, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,063 in Malmo versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,046 per month in Malmo versus $934 in Cebu – a 119% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 402% less than in Malmo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $934 in Cebu versus $2,046 in Malmo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Malmo. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Malmo, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Malmo and Cebu 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 Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 119% less than in Malmo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.