Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malmo and Halmstad

For one person, living is cheaper in Halmstad: $1,608 a month against $2,092 in Malmo, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in Malmo
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Malmo Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Halmstad
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Halmstad Living Index

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Malmo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,092

/mo nomad

Halmstad

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malmo and in Halmstad

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

A single person spends $2,092 per month in Malmo vs $1,608 in Halmstad, rent included.

Malmo $2,092
Halmstad $1,608

A couple spends around $3,149 per month in Malmo vs $2,517 in Halmstad, rent included.

Malmo $3,149
Halmstad $2,517

A family of three spends $4,206 per month in Malmo vs $3,426 in Halmstad, rent included.

Malmo $4,206
Halmstad $3,426

Malmo costs about 30% more than Halmstad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Malmo and Halmstad sit above the global median – Malmo by 54%, Halmstad by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.17 SEK 150

$13.09 SEK 130

15.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.1 SEK 753

$70.6 SEK 699

7.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.18 SEK 121

$11.47 SEK 114

6.19%

Cappuccino

$4.94 SEK 48.87

$4.67 SEK 46.28

5.78%

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

$3.50 SEK 34.67

$2.86 SEK 28.35

22.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 SEK 26.75

$2.38 SEK 23.55

13.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.69 SEK 86.0

$7.02 SEK 69.5

23.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.11 SEK 90.2

$7.18 SEK 71.1

26.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 SEK 16.50

$1.49 SEK 14.75

12.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.84 SEK 28.16

$2.49 SEK 24.65

14.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.44 SEK 34.06

$3.16 SEK 31.28

8.86%

Eggs

$4.12 SEK 40.78

$3.34 SEK 33.04

23.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.17 SEK 130

$11.17 SEK 111

17.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.85 SEK 117

$8.98 SEK 88.9

31.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.25 SEK 210

$16.48 SEK 163

28.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 SEK 29.37

$3.12 SEK 30.91

-4.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.63 SEK 25.99

$2.53 SEK 25.05

3.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.94 SEK 29.11

$2.99 SEK 29.62

-1.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.26 SEK 42.15

$3.99 SEK 39.49

6.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 SEK 16.11

$1.53 SEK 15.18

6.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 SEK 15.40

$1.48 SEK 14.62

4.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.51 SEK 24.88

$1.97 SEK 19.46

27.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 SEK 11.65

$0.86 SEK 8.47

37.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.17 SEK 80.9

$6.58 SEK 65.2

24.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.38 SEK 113

$10.43 SEK 103

9.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 SEK 20.29

$2.01 SEK 19.91

1.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 SEK 23.49

$2.24 SEK 22.19

5.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.22 SEK 31.93

$2.82 SEK 27.97

14.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.9 SEK 633

$65.4 SEK 647

-2.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.05 SEK 59.9

$6.06 SEK 60.0

-0.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.48 SEK 24.59

$1.65 SEK 16.37

50.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.44 SEK 490

$59.1 SEK 585

-16.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 SEK 17.71

$1.83 SEK 18.12

-2.19%

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

$32.6K SEK 323.2K

$33.2K SEK 328.7K

-1.67%

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

$33.3K SEK 329.4K

-0.01%

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

$144 SEK 1,424

$105 SEK 1,039

37.12%

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

$25.21 SEK 250

$19.73 SEK 195

27.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.19 SEK 398

$34.15 SEK 338

17.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.31 SEK 389

$34.85 SEK 345

12.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.48 SEK 292

Cinema Ticket

$17.12 SEK 169

$16.80 SEK 166

1.90%

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

$168 SEK 1,666

$149 SEK 1,478

12.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,352 SEK 33.2K

$4,359 SEK 43.2K

-23.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 SEK 1,010

$88.7 SEK 878

15.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.62 SEK 452

$32.58 SEK 323

40.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 SEK 1,096

$89.1 SEK 882

24.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$156 SEK 1,547

$130 SEK 1,286

20.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 SEK 10.9K

$586 SEK 5,804

87.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$852 SEK 8,438

$553 SEK 5,480

53.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,765 SEK 17.5K

$1,119 SEK 11.1K

57.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,343 SEK 13.3K

$972 SEK 9,620

38.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 SEK 40.6K

$4,339 SEK 43.0K

-5.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,158 SEK 31.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,979 SEK 29.5K

$2,263 SEK 22.4K

31.62%

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 Halmstad: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malmo

$852 40.8%

Halmstad

$553 34.4% 35.1% $299

Groceries & Markets

Malmo

$371 17.8%

Halmstad

$317 19.7% 14.5% $54

Eating Out

Malmo

$304 14.5%

Halmstad

$266 16.5% 12.5% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malmo

$209 10%

Halmstad

$159 9.9% 24.1% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Malmo

$187 8.9%

Halmstad

$153 9.5% 17.9% $33

Getting Around

Malmo

$95 4.6%

Halmstad

$91 5.7% 4.5% $4.3

Sport & Entertainment

Malmo

$74 3.5%

Halmstad

$68 4.3% 6.9% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,100 in Malmo versus $586 in Halmstad. 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 32% higher in Malmo. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in Malmo versus $71 in Halmstad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $371 vs $317 – making Halmstad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Malmo

🇸🇪 Halmstad

🕒 Local time

01:12 1:12 AM

Same time as Malmo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

316,588

55,688

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.1 USD

100 SEK = 9.07 EUR

100 SEK = 10.1 USD

100 SEK = 9.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Malmo Halmstad 120 km

From you

Malmo
Halmstad

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 Halmstad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Malmo costs about 30% more than Halmstad, 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 $3,138 per month in Malmo and $2,412 in Halmstad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Halmstad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $586 there versus $1,100 in Malmo.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in Malmo and $71 in Halmstad. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 17% more in Malmo, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Halmstad, where all-in costs run around $1,608, than in Malmo at $2,092. In Halmstad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Malmo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Halmstad – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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