Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malmo and Kalmar

For one person, living is cheaper in Kalmar: $1,953 a month against $2,092 in Malmo, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in Malmo
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Malmo Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in Kalmar
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Kalmar Living Index

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Malmo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,092

/mo nomad

Kalmar

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,953

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malmo and in Kalmar

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

A single person spends $2,092 per month in Malmo vs $1,953 in Kalmar, rent included.

Malmo $2,092
Kalmar $1,953

A couple spends around $3,149 per month in Malmo vs $2,895 in Kalmar, rent included.

Malmo $3,149
Kalmar $2,895

A family of three spends $4,206 per month in Malmo vs $3,837 in Kalmar, rent included.

Malmo $4,206
Kalmar $3,837

Malmo costs about 7% more than Kalmar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Malmo and Kalmar sit above the global median – Malmo by 54%, Kalmar by 44%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.17 SEK 150

$15.36 SEK 152

-1.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.1 SEK 752

$71.1 SEK 703

6.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.18 SEK 120

$10.47 SEK 104

16.33%

Cappuccino

$4.94 SEK 48.79

$4.67 SEK 46.20

5.78%

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

$3.50 SEK 34.61

$2.81 SEK 27.82

24.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 SEK 26.70

$2.55 SEK 25.22

5.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.69 SEK 85.9

$9.69 SEK 95.8

-10.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.11 SEK 90.1

$7.25 SEK 71.7

25.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 SEK 16.47

$1.48 SEK 14.58

12.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.84 SEK 28.12

$3.01 SEK 29.80

-5.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.44 SEK 34.00

$3.07 SEK 30.37

12.05%

Eggs

$4.12 SEK 40.71

$4.65 SEK 46.00

-11.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.17 SEK 130

$16.58 SEK 164

-20.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.85 SEK 117

$10.89 SEK 108

8.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.25 SEK 210

$22.80 SEK 225

-6.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 SEK 29.32

$2.49 SEK 24.59

19.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.63 SEK 25.95

$2.77 SEK 27.34

-5.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.94 SEK 29.06

$3.57 SEK 35.29

-17.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.26 SEK 42.08

$4.46 SEK 44.11

-4.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 SEK 16.09

$1.67 SEK 16.54

-2.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 SEK 15.37

$2.27 SEK 22.46

-31.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.51 SEK 24.83

$1.93 SEK 19.04

30.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 SEK 11.63

$1.67 SEK 16.53

-29.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.17 SEK 80.8

$7.79 SEK 77.0

4.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.38 SEK 112

$9.14 SEK 90.3

24.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 SEK 20.26

$1.93 SEK 19.10

6.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 SEK 23.46

$2.54 SEK 25.15

-6.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.22 SEK 31.88

$3.21 SEK 31.74

0.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.9 SEK 632

$78.4 SEK 775

-18.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.05 SEK 59.8

$10.03 SEK 99.2

-39.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.48 SEK 24.55

$1.72 SEK 17.02

44.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.44 SEK 489

$47.45 SEK 469

4.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 SEK 17.68

$1.71 SEK 16.86

4.68%

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

$32.6K SEK 322.6K

$30.2K SEK 298.3K

8.17%

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

$33.3K SEK 328.9K

$29.3K SEK 289.9K

13.44%

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

$144 SEK 1,422

$144 SEK 1,428

-0.40%

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

$25.21 SEK 249

$27.58 SEK 273

-8.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.19 SEK 397

$32.34 SEK 320

24.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.31 SEK 389

$30.33 SEK 300

29.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.48 SEK 291

$26.38 SEK 261

11.75%

Cinema Ticket

$17.12 SEK 169

$14.58 SEK 144

17.42%

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

$168 SEK 1,663

$142 SEK 1,399

18.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,352 SEK 33.1K

$4,986 SEK 49.3K

-32.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 SEK 1,008

$49.41 SEK 488

106.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.62 SEK 451

$44.31 SEK 438

2.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 SEK 1,094

$79.2 SEK 783

39.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$156 SEK 1,544

$100 SEK 990

55.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 SEK 10.9K

$908 SEK 8,977

21.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$852 SEK 8,424

$778 SEK 7,687

9.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,765 SEK 17.4K

$1,325 SEK 13.1K

33.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,343 SEK 13.3K

$1,123 SEK 11.1K

19.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 SEK 40.5K

$4,073 SEK 40.3K

0.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,158 SEK 31.2K

$2,733 SEK 27.0K

15.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,979 SEK 29.4K

$2,864 SEK 28.3K

4.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.05

3.93

-22.39%

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

Last update for Malmo: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kalmar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malmo

$852 40.8%

Kalmar

$778 39.8% 8.8% $75

Groceries & Markets

Malmo

$371 17.8%

Kalmar

$384 19.7% 3.5% $13

Eating Out

Malmo

$304 14.5%

Kalmar

$295 15.1% 2.9% $8.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malmo

$209 10%

Kalmar

$204 10.5% 2.3% $4.9

Clothing & Footwear

Malmo

$187 8.9%

Kalmar

$123 6.3% 34.1% $64

Getting Around

Malmo

$95 4.6%

Kalmar

$110 5.6% 15.3% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Malmo

$74 3.5%

Kalmar

$59 3.1% 19.1% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,100 in Malmo versus $908 in Kalmar. 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 4% higher in Malmo, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in Malmo versus $71 in Kalmar. Groceries tell a different story – $371 in Malmo vs $384 in Kalmar – so Malmo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Malmo

🇸🇪 Kalmar

🕒 Local time

14:56 2:56 PM

Same time as Malmo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

316,588

35,170

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.12 USD

100 SEK = 9.07 EUR

100 SEK = 10.12 USD

100 SEK = 9.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Malmo Kalmar 240 km

From you

Malmo
Kalmar

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 Kalmar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,092 in Malmo, $1,953 in Kalmar – Kalmar comes out roughly 7% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,138 per month in Malmo and $2,930 in Kalmar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kalmar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $908 there versus $1,100 in Malmo.

Kindergarten costs $168 per month in Malmo and $142 in Kalmar. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Malmo – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,092 in Malmo and $1,953 in Kalmar, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Kalmar – 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 Kalmar. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Malmo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.