Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malmo and Gavle

For one person, living is cheaper in Gavle: $1,439 a month against $2,075 in Malmo, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Malmo
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Malmo Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Gavle
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Gavle Living Index

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Malmo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,075

/mo nomad

Gavle

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,439

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malmo and in Gavle

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,075 in Malmo versus $1,439 in Gavle.

Malmo $2,075
Gavle $1,439

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,158 in Malmo versus $2,286 in Gavle.

Malmo $3,158
Gavle $2,286

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,240 in Malmo versus $3,134 in Gavle.

Malmo $4,240
Gavle $3,134

Living in Malmo is roughly 44% more expensive than in Gavle, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Malmo 53% above, Gavle 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.01 SEK 149

$13.69 SEK 136

9.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.8 SEK 751

$79.4 SEK 786

-4.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.86 SEK 118

$9.31 SEK 92.2

27.39%

Cappuccino

$4.96 SEK 49.10

$4.42 SEK 43.79

12.22%

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

$3.32 SEK 32.92

$2.07 SEK 20.51

60.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 SEK 25.61

$1.91 SEK 18.95

35.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.60 SEK 85.2

$7.79 SEK 77.2

10.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.79 SEK 87.1

$7.75 SEK 76.8

13.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 SEK 17.20

$1.63 SEK 16.12

6.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.88 SEK 28.56

$2.61 SEK 25.84

10.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.54 SEK 35.10

$3.73 SEK 36.95

-5.09%

Eggs

$4.12 SEK 40.86

$3.81 SEK 37.80

8.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.03 SEK 129

$9.13 SEK 90.4

42.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.13 SEK 120

$10.29 SEK 102

17.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.58 SEK 214

$18.73 SEK 186

15.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 SEK 30.48

$3.05 SEK 30.25

0.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.63 SEK 26.06

$2.74 SEK 27.16

-4.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 SEK 30.72

$3.27 SEK 32.43

-5.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 SEK 42.26

$4.35 SEK 43.07

-1.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 SEK 16.73

$1.73 SEK 17.12

-2.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 SEK 15.35

$1.82 SEK 17.99

-14.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 SEK 24.35

$2.55 SEK 25.26

-3.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 SEK 11.71

$2.05 SEK 20.35

-42.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.99 SEK 79.2

$7.99 SEK 79.1

Wine (Bottle)

$11.66 SEK 116

$11.13 SEK 110

4.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 SEK 19.68

$1.64 SEK 16.23

21.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 SEK 22.52

$1.55 SEK 15.34

46.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.15 SEK 31.23

$3.25 SEK 32.22

-3.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.9 SEK 643

$60.4 SEK 598

7.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 SEK 61.2

$4.52 SEK 44.83

36.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.43 SEK 24.06

$1.53 SEK 15.16

58.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$51.3 SEK 508

$33.87 SEK 336

51.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 SEK 17.41

$1.81 SEK 17.90

-2.76%

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

$33.1K SEK 327.5K

$25.8K SEK 255.2K

28.34%

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

$33.7K SEK 334.2K

$28.1K SEK 278.1K

20.17%

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

$141 SEK 1,401

$55.6 SEK 551

154.26%

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

$25.81 SEK 256

$21.93 SEK 217

17.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.83 SEK 395

$39.60 SEK 392

0.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.84 SEK 395

$47.32 SEK 469

-15.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.01 SEK 297

Cinema Ticket

$17.05 SEK 169

$15.22 SEK 151

12.02%

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

$172 SEK 1,703

$133 SEK 1,321

28.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,383 SEK 33.5K

$15.3K SEK 151.1K

-77.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 SEK 1,004

$70.6 SEK 699

43.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.66 SEK 443

$58.8 SEK 583

-24.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 SEK 1,132

$50.9 SEK 505

124.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$156 SEK 1,548

$89.5 SEK 887

74.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,082 SEK 10.7K

$579 SEK 5,738

86.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$836 SEK 8,280

$425 SEK 4,208

96.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,765 SEK 17.5K

$762 SEK 7,546

131.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,372 SEK 13.6K

$665 SEK 6,593

106.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,013 SEK 39.8K

$1,945 SEK 19.3K

106.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,220 SEK 31.9K

$1,333 SEK 13.2K

141.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,099 SEK 30.7K

$3,144 SEK 31.1K

-1.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.05

3.37

-9.50%

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

Last update for Malmo: October 18, 2026

Last update for Gavle: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malmo

$836 40.3%

Gavle

$425 29.5% 49.2% $411

Groceries & Markets

Malmo

$376 18.1%

Gavle

$351 24.4% 6.6% $25

Eating Out

Malmo

$299 14.4%

Gavle

$261 18.1% 12.8% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malmo

$207 10%

Gavle

$117 8.1% 43.4% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Malmo

$187 9%

Gavle

$121 8.4% 35.2% $66

Getting Around

Malmo

$96 4.6%

Gavle

$86 6% 10.7% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Malmo

$74 3.6%

Gavle

$78 5.4% 5.2% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,082 in Malmo and $579 in Gavle. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gavle pays 1% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $76.0 in Malmo vs $79.0 in Gavle. Groceries flip the comparison at $376 vs $351, with Gavle cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Malmo

🇸🇪 Gavle

🕒 Local time

07:43 7:43 AM

Same time as Malmo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

316,588

100,000

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Malmo Gavle 610 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Malmo
Gavle

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 Gavle: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Malmo and Gavle differ by about 44% in total monthly costs ($2,075 vs $1,439 including rent). Gavle is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 1% lower in Gavle. 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: $1,082 in Malmo versus $579 in Gavle. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Gavle runs roughly 7% less than in Malmo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $172 in Malmo versus $133 in Gavle. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,439 in Gavle versus $2,075 in Malmo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Gavle but tight or insufficient in Malmo. The gap between the two cities makes Gavle the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Malmo and Gavle 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 Gavle gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Malmo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.