Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malmo and Kalix

For one person, living is cheaper in Kalix: $1,674 a month against $2,120 in Malmo, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in Malmo
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Malmo Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Kalix
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Kalix Living Index

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Malmo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,120

/mo nomad

Kalix

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malmo and in Kalix

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,120 in Malmo versus $1,674 in Kalix.

Malmo $2,120
Kalix $1,674

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,205 in Malmo versus $2,718 in Kalix.

Malmo $3,205
Kalix $2,718

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,290 in Malmo versus $3,761 in Kalix.

Malmo $4,290
Kalix $3,761

Living in Malmo is roughly 27% more expensive than in Kalix, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Malmo 57% above, Kalix 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.53 SEK 152

$13.52 SEK 132

14.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.4 SEK 766

$87.6 SEK 856

-10.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 SEK 122

$10.26 SEK 100

21.44%

Cappuccino

$4.94 SEK 48.27

$3.96 SEK 38.71

24.75%

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

$3.39 SEK 33.12

$2.36 SEK 23.11

43.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 SEK 26.06

$2.27 SEK 22.22

17.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.77 SEK 85.7

$6.86 SEK 67.1

27.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.94 SEK 87.4

$7.63 SEK 74.5

17.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 SEK 16.71

$1.78 SEK 17.35

-3.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.86 SEK 27.97

$2.66 SEK 25.99

7.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.51 SEK 34.29

$3.31 SEK 32.35

6.04%

Eggs

$3.88 SEK 37.92

$4.56 SEK 44.55

-14.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.92 SEK 126

$12.59 SEK 123

2.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.47 SEK 122

$11.50 SEK 112

8.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.74 SEK 212

$19.73 SEK 193

10.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 SEK 30.16

$3.24 SEK 31.70

-4.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.66 SEK 26.01

$2.33 SEK 22.79

14.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.11 SEK 30.39

$2.92 SEK 28.55

6.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.49 SEK 43.92

$4.18 SEK 40.83

7.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 SEK 15.89

$1.58 SEK 15.48

3.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 SEK 15.30

$1.48 SEK 14.49

6.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.57 SEK 25.13

$2.16 SEK 21.15

18.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 SEK 11.88

$1.39 SEK 13.55

-12.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 SEK 78.5

$8.01 SEK 78.2

0.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.84 SEK 116

$10.43 SEK 102

13.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 SEK 20.38

$2.12 SEK 20.74

-1.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 SEK 22.75

$2.53 SEK 24.76

-7.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.30 SEK 32.23

$3.55 SEK 34.72

-7.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.7 SEK 632

$77.5 SEK 757

-16.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.21 SEK 60.7

$5.33 SEK 52.1

16.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.45 SEK 23.94

$1.66 SEK 16.22

47.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$52.0 SEK 508

$60.4 SEK 590

-13.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 SEK 17.30

$1.88 SEK 18.33

-5.85%

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

$33.5K SEK 327.0K

$30.4K SEK 296.7K

10.22%

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

$34.2K SEK 334.6K

$29.8K SEK 291.6K

14.76%

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

$146 SEK 1,431

$102 SEK 995

43.73%

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

$22.36 SEK 218

$20.82 SEK 203

7.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.56 SEK 387

$40.61 SEK 397

-2.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.65 SEK 368

$38.64 SEK 378

-2.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.39 SEK 307

$30.28 SEK 296

3.67%

Cinema Ticket

$17.02 SEK 166

$17.77 SEK 174

-4.22%

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

$172 SEK 1,685

$163 SEK 1,596

5.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,146 SEK 30.7K

$5,146 SEK 50.3K

-38.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 SEK 1,013

$93.2 SEK 911

11.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.60 SEK 446

$40.94 SEK 400

11.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 SEK 1,128

$88.3 SEK 863

30.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$156 SEK 1,528

$136 SEK 1,325

15.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,097 SEK 10.7K

$760 SEK 7,430

44.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$868 SEK 8,481

$553 SEK 5,407

56.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,800 SEK 17.6K

$1,181 SEK 11.5K

52.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,387 SEK 13.6K

$1,037 SEK 10.1K

33.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,139 SEK 40.4K

$3,716 SEK 36.3K

11.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,172 SEK 31.0K

$2,489 SEK 24.3K

27.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,173 SEK 31.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.05

3.38

-9.76%

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

Last update for Malmo: November 1, 2026

Last update for Kalix: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malmo

$868 40.9%

Kalix

$553 33% 36.2% $315

Groceries & Markets

Malmo

$380 17.9%

Kalix

$363 21.7% 4.5% $17

Eating Out

Malmo

$307 14.5%

Kalix

$255 15.2% 17% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malmo

$208 9.8%

Kalix

$163 9.8% 21.6% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Malmo

$189 8.9%

Kalix

$161 9.6% 15% $28

Getting Around

Malmo

$96 4.6%

Kalix

$105 6.3% 9.3% $9

Sport & Entertainment

Malmo

$72 3.4%

Kalix

$74 4.4% 3.5% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,097 in Malmo and $760 in Kalix. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $78 in Malmo vs $88 in Kalix. Groceries flip the comparison at $380 vs $363, with Kalix cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Malmo

🇸🇪 Kalix

🕒 Local time

23:25 11:25 PM

Same time as Malmo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

316,588

15,734

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.23 USD

100 SEK = 9.12 EUR

100 SEK = 10.23 USD

100 SEK = 9.12 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Malmo Kalix 1,270 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Malmo
Kalix

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 Kalix: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kalix wins on cost – living expenses run 21% lower than in Malmo. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kalix the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $3,180 in Malmo and $2,512 in Kalix to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,097 in Malmo versus $760 in Kalix. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Malmo runs roughly 17% less than in Kalix. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $172 in Malmo versus $163 in Kalix. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,674 in Kalix versus $2,120 in Malmo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kalix but tight or insufficient in Malmo. The gap between the two cities makes Kalix 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.