Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malmo and Gothenburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Gothenburg: $2,008 a month against $2,092 in Malmo, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in Malmo
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Malmo Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Gothenburg
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Gothenburg Living Index

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Malmo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,092

/mo nomad

Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,008

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malmo and in Gothenburg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,092 in Malmo versus $2,008 in Gothenburg.

Malmo $2,092
Gothenburg $2,008

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,149 in Malmo versus $3,067 in Gothenburg.

Malmo $3,149
Gothenburg $3,067

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,206 in Malmo versus $4,127 in Gothenburg.

Malmo $4,206
Gothenburg $4,127

Living in Malmo is roughly 4% more expensive than in Gothenburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Malmo 54% above, Gothenburg 48% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.17 SEK 149

$13.67 SEK 134

10.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.1 SEK 746

$86.7 SEK 851

-12.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.18 SEK 120

$12.40 SEK 122

-1.77%

Cappuccino

$4.94 SEK 48.44

$5.04 SEK 49.48

-1.98%

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

$3.50 SEK 34.36

$2.99 SEK 29.31

17.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 SEK 26.51

$2.33 SEK 22.89

15.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.69 SEK 85.3

$6.88 SEK 67.5

26.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.11 SEK 89.4

$7.57 SEK 74.3

20.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 SEK 16.36

$1.73 SEK 16.97

-3.47%

White Bread (500g)

$2.84 SEK 27.91

$2.79 SEK 27.36

1.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.44 SEK 33.76

$3.26 SEK 31.97

5.52%

Eggs

$4.12 SEK 40.42

$3.90 SEK 38.26

5.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.17 SEK 129

$11.25 SEK 110

17.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.85 SEK 116

$11.57 SEK 114

2.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.25 SEK 209

$16.43 SEK 161

29.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 SEK 29.11

$3.01 SEK 29.54

-1.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.63 SEK 25.76

$2.45 SEK 24.06

7.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.94 SEK 28.85

$2.90 SEK 28.48

1.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.26 SEK 41.77

$4.49 SEK 44.09

-5.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 SEK 15.97

$1.83 SEK 17.95

-10.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 SEK 15.26

$1.67 SEK 16.36

-7.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.51 SEK 24.65

$2.05 SEK 20.11

22.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 SEK 11.55

$1.60 SEK 15.72

-26.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.17 SEK 80.2

$8.35 SEK 81.9

-2.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.38 SEK 112

$15.18 SEK 149

-25.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 SEK 20.11

$2.04 SEK 20.04

0.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 SEK 23.29

$2.25 SEK 22.12

5.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.22 SEK 31.65

$3.83 SEK 37.56

-15.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.9 SEK 627

$86.4 SEK 848

-26.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.05 SEK 59.4

$6.21 SEK 60.9

-2.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.48 SEK 24.37

$1.67 SEK 16.37

48.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.44 SEK 485

$59.2 SEK 581

-16.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 SEK 17.55

$1.75 SEK 17.20

2.29%

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

$32.6K SEK 320.3K

$33.4K SEK 327.9K

-2.31%

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

$33.3K SEK 326.5K

$33.8K SEK 331.7K

-1.56%

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

$144 SEK 1,412

$104 SEK 1,017

38.81%

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

$25.21 SEK 247

$19.70 SEK 193

27.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.19 SEK 394

$34.35 SEK 337

17.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.31 SEK 386

$34.01 SEK 334

15.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.48 SEK 289

$24.39 SEK 239

20.87%

Cinema Ticket

$17.12 SEK 168

$16.98 SEK 167

0.82%

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

$168 SEK 1,651

$222 SEK 2,180

-24.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,352 SEK 32.9K

$4,336 SEK 42.6K

-22.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 SEK 1,001

$88.7 SEK 870

15.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.62 SEK 448

$32.91 SEK 323

38.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 SEK 1,086

$87.8 SEK 861

26.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$156 SEK 1,533

$134 SEK 1,315

16.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 SEK 10.8K

$1,107 SEK 10.9K

-0.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$852 SEK 8,363

$874 SEK 8,575

-2.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,765 SEK 17.3K

$1,861 SEK 18.3K

-5.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,343 SEK 13.2K

$1,400 SEK 13.7K

-4.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 SEK 40.2K

$6,415 SEK 63.0K

-36.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,158 SEK 31.0K

$4,026 SEK 39.5K

-21.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,979 SEK 29.2K

$3,521 SEK 34.6K

-15.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.05

3.06

-0.33%

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

Last update for Malmo: October 25, 2026

Last update for Gothenburg: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malmo

$852 40.8%

Gothenburg

$874 43.5% 2.5% $22

Groceries & Markets

Malmo

$371 17.8%

Gothenburg

$360 17.9% 3.1% $12

Eating Out

Malmo

$304 14.5%

Gothenburg

$278 13.8% 8.5% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malmo

$209 10%

Gothenburg

$158 7.9% 24.7% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Malmo

$187 8.9%

Gothenburg

$155 7.7% 17.2% $32

Getting Around

Malmo

$95 4.6%

Gothenburg

$116 5.8% 22% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Malmo

$74 3.5%

Gothenburg

$68 3.4% 7.6% $5.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,100 in Malmo and $1,107 in Gothenburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gothenburg pays 18% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $76 in Malmo vs $87 in Gothenburg. Groceries flip the comparison at $371 vs $360, with Gothenburg cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Malmo

🇸🇪 Gothenburg

🕒 Local time

12:22 12:22 PM

Same time as Malmo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

316,588

607,882

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.19 USD

100 SEK = 9.13 EUR

100 SEK = 10.19 USD

100 SEK = 9.13 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Malmo Gothenburg 240 km

From you

Malmo
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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 Gothenburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gothenburg wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Malmo. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Gothenburg the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 15% 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: $1,100 in Malmo versus $1,107 in Gothenburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $168 in Malmo versus $222 in Gothenburg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Malmo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Gothenburg is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.