Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malmo and Karlskrona

For one person, living is cheaper in Karlskrona: $1,636 a month against $2,092 in Malmo, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
79

Cost of Living Index in Karlskrona
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Karlskrona Living Index

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Malmo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,092

/mo nomad

Karlskrona

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,636

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malmo and in Karlskrona

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

A single person spends $2,092 per month in Malmo vs $1,636 in Karlskrona, rent included.

Malmo $2,092
Karlskrona $1,636

A couple spends around $3,149 per month in Malmo vs $2,545 in Karlskrona, rent included.

Malmo $3,149
Karlskrona $2,545

A family of three spends $4,206 per month in Malmo vs $3,453 in Karlskrona, rent included.

Malmo $4,206
Karlskrona $3,453

Malmo costs about 28% more than Karlskrona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Malmo and Karlskrona sit above the global median – Malmo by 54%, Karlskrona by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.17 SEK 149

$12.82 SEK 126

18.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.1 SEK 747

$66.2 SEK 650

14.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.18 SEK 120

$8.81 SEK 86.5

38.25%

Cappuccino

$4.94 SEK 48.47

$4.09 SEK 40.19

20.78%

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

$3.50 SEK 34.38

$1.33 SEK 13.08

163.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 SEK 26.53

$2.25 SEK 22.08

20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.69 SEK 85.3

$6.93 SEK 68.0

25.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.11 SEK 89.5

$5.00 SEK 49.14

82.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 SEK 16.37

$1.46 SEK 14.31

14.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.84 SEK 27.93

$2.67 SEK 26.23

6.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.44 SEK 33.78

$3.66 SEK 35.98

-6.01%

Eggs

$4.12 SEK 40.44

$4.41 SEK 43.26

-6.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.17 SEK 129

$11.01 SEK 108

19.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.85 SEK 116

$13.05 SEK 128

-9.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.25 SEK 209

$17.37 SEK 171

22.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 SEK 29.13

$3.07 SEK 30.12

-3.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.63 SEK 25.78

$2.32 SEK 22.75

13.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.94 SEK 28.87

$3.03 SEK 29.80

-2.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.26 SEK 41.80

$4.40 SEK 43.23

-3.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 SEK 15.98

$1.49 SEK 14.68

9.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 SEK 15.27

$1.49 SEK 14.68

4.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.51 SEK 24.67

$2.18 SEK 21.38

15.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 SEK 11.55

$1.42 SEK 13.98

-16.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.17 SEK 80.3

$6.99 SEK 68.6

16.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.38 SEK 112

$12.80 SEK 126

-11.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 SEK 20.13

$2.04 SEK 20.02

0.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 SEK 23.30

$1.63 SEK 16.01

45.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.22 SEK 31.67

$2.94 SEK 28.86

9.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.9 SEK 628

$70.8 SEK 695

-9.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.05 SEK 59.4

$13.17 SEK 129

-54.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.48 SEK 24.39

$2.06 SEK 20.27

20.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.44 SEK 486

$80.5 SEK 790

-38.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 SEK 17.57

$1.77 SEK 17.37

1.13%

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

$32.6K SEK 320.5K

$32.7K SEK 321.2K

-0.23%

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

$33.3K SEK 326.7K

$33.2K SEK 326.4K

0.10%

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

$144 SEK 1,412

$51.1 SEK 502

181.49%

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

$25.21 SEK 248

$28.03 SEK 275

-10.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.19 SEK 395

$36.39 SEK 357

10.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.31 SEK 386

$41.03 SEK 403

-4.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.48 SEK 289

Cinema Ticket

$17.12 SEK 168

$16.13 SEK 158

6.14%

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

$168 SEK 1,652

$160 SEK 1,574

5.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,352 SEK 32.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 SEK 1,002

$97.6 SEK 958

4.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.62 SEK 448

$20.06 SEK 197

127.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 SEK 1,087

$79.6 SEK 782

39.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$156 SEK 1,534

$179 SEK 1,759

-12.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 SEK 10.8K

$681 SEK 6,684

61.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$852 SEK 8,369

$576 SEK 5,652

48.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,765 SEK 17.3K

$1,097 SEK 10.8K

60.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,343 SEK 13.2K

$937 SEK 9,202

43.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 SEK 40.2K

$2,929 SEK 28.8K

39.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,158 SEK 31.0K

$2,526 SEK 24.8K

25.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,979 SEK 29.2K

$2,463 SEK 24.2K

20.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.05

4.22

-27.73%

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

Last update for Malmo: October 25, 2026

Last update for Karlskrona: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malmo

$852 40.8%

Karlskrona

$576 35.2% 32.5% $277

Groceries & Markets

Malmo

$371 17.8%

Karlskrona

$360 22% 3.2% $12

Eating Out

Malmo

$304 14.5%

Karlskrona

$237 14.5% 21.9% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malmo

$209 10%

Karlskrona

$116 7.1% 44.8% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Malmo

$187 8.9%

Karlskrona

$169 10.4% 9.2% $17

Getting Around

Malmo

$95 4.6%

Karlskrona

$106 6.5% 11.3% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Malmo

$74 3.5%

Karlskrona

$73 4.5% 0.4% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,100 in Malmo versus $681 in Karlskrona. 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 21% 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 $66 in Karlskrona. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $371 vs $360 – making Karlskrona the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Malmo

🇸🇪 Karlskrona

🕒 Local time

02:45 2:45 AM

Same time as Malmo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

316,588

35,212

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.18 USD

100 SEK = 9.12 EUR

100 SEK = 10.18 USD

100 SEK = 9.12 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Malmo Karlskrona 170 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 Karlskrona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Malmo is pricier by about 28%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,138 per month in Malmo and $2,455 in Karlskrona. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Karlskrona, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $681 there versus $1,100 in Malmo.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in Malmo and $66 in Karlskrona. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,092 in Malmo and $1,636 in Karlskrona. That makes Karlskrona about 22% cheaper.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,092 in Malmo and $1,636 in Karlskrona, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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