Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malmo and Karlstad

For one person, living is cheaper in Karlstad: $1,727 a month against $2,092 in Malmo, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
83

Cost of Living Index in Karlstad
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Karlstad Living Index

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Malmo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,092

/mo nomad

Karlstad

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,727

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malmo and in Karlstad

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

A single person spends $2,092 per month in Malmo vs $1,727 in Karlstad, rent included.

Malmo $2,092
Karlstad $1,727

A couple spends around $3,149 per month in Malmo vs $2,665 in Karlstad, rent included.

Malmo $3,149
Karlstad $2,665

A family of three spends $4,206 per month in Malmo vs $3,603 in Karlstad, rent included.

Malmo $4,206
Karlstad $3,603

Malmo costs about 21% more than Karlstad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Malmo and Karlstad sit above the global median – Malmo by 54%, Karlstad by 27%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.17 SEK 149

$15.14 SEK 149

0.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.1 SEK 747

$80.5 SEK 791

-5.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.18 SEK 120

$10.07 SEK 98.9

20.95%

Cappuccino

$4.94 SEK 48.47

$4.86 SEK 47.71

1.65%

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

$3.50 SEK 34.38

$2.45 SEK 24.02

42.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 SEK 26.53

$2.16 SEK 21.26

25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.69 SEK 85.3

$8.08 SEK 79.3

7.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.11 SEK 89.5

$6.60 SEK 64.8

38.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 SEK 16.37

$1.45 SEK 14.23

15.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.84 SEK 27.93

$2.83 SEK 27.82

0.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.44 SEK 33.78

$3.68 SEK 36.16

-6.52%

Eggs

$4.12 SEK 40.44

$4.37 SEK 42.88

-5.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.17 SEK 129

$10.17 SEK 99.9

29.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.85 SEK 116

$13.96 SEK 137

-15.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.25 SEK 209

$17.73 SEK 174

19.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 SEK 29.13

$2.95 SEK 28.93

0.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.63 SEK 25.78

$2.68 SEK 26.36

-1.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.94 SEK 28.87

$3.03 SEK 29.73

-2.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.26 SEK 41.80

$5.40 SEK 53.0

-21.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 SEK 15.98

$1.92 SEK 18.81

-15.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 SEK 15.27

$1.72 SEK 16.85

-9.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.51 SEK 24.67

$2.64 SEK 25.89

-4.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 SEK 11.55

$1.30 SEK 12.75

-9.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.17 SEK 80.3

$6.96 SEK 68.3

17.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.38 SEK 112

$10.17 SEK 99.9

11.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 SEK 20.13

$2.42 SEK 23.81

-15.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 SEK 23.30

$2.04 SEK 19.99

16.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.22 SEK 31.67

$3.13 SEK 30.72

2.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.9 SEK 628

$80.4 SEK 789

-20.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.05 SEK 59.4

$5.46 SEK 53.6

10.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.48 SEK 24.39

$1.29 SEK 12.68

92.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.44 SEK 486

$60.4 SEK 593

-18.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 SEK 17.57

$1.72 SEK 16.91

4.07%

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

$32.6K SEK 320.5K

$32.6K SEK 320.6K

-0.02%

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

$33.3K SEK 326.7K

$33.8K SEK 331.4K

-1.43%

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

$144 SEK 1,412

$99.4 SEK 976

44.74%

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

$25.21 SEK 248

$15.73 SEK 154

60.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.19 SEK 395

$43.76 SEK 430

-8.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.31 SEK 386

$45.27 SEK 445

-13.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.48 SEK 289

$16.66 SEK 164

76.95%

Cinema Ticket

$17.12 SEK 168

$14.08 SEK 138

21.59%

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

$168 SEK 1,652

$126 SEK 1,237

33.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,352 SEK 32.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 SEK 1,002

$106 SEK 1,038

-3.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.62 SEK 448

$39.85 SEK 391

14.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 SEK 1,087

$75.9 SEK 745

45.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$156 SEK 1,534

$141 SEK 1,385

10.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 SEK 10.8K

$868 SEK 8,524

26.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$852 SEK 8,369

$575 SEK 5,642

48.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,765 SEK 17.3K

$1,184 SEK 11.6K

49.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,343 SEK 13.2K

$867 SEK 8,510

54.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 SEK 40.2K

$3,849 SEK 37.8K

6.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,158 SEK 31.0K

$2,779 SEK 27.3K

13.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,979 SEK 29.2K

$3,203 SEK 31.4K

-6.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.05

4.09

-25.43%

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

Last update for Malmo: October 25, 2026

Last update for Karlstad: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malmo

$852 40.8%

Karlstad

$575 33.3% 32.6% $278

Groceries & Markets

Malmo

$371 17.8%

Karlstad

$370 21.4% 0.3% $1.1

Eating Out

Malmo

$304 14.5%

Karlstad

$282 16.3% 7.2% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malmo

$209 10%

Karlstad

$159 9.2% 24.1% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Malmo

$187 8.9%

Karlstad

$163 9.5% 12.6% $23

Getting Around

Malmo

$95 4.6%

Karlstad

$105 6.1% 10% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

Malmo

$74 3.5%

Karlstad

$73 4.3% 0.1% $0.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,100 in Malmo versus $868 in Karlstad. 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 8% higher in Karlstad, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in Malmo versus $81 in Karlstad. Groceries tell a different story – $371 in Malmo vs $370 in Karlstad – so Karlstad wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Malmo

🇸🇪 Karlstad

🕒 Local time

05:02 5:02 AM

Same time as Malmo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

316,588

62,797

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Malmo Karlstad 420 km

From you

Malmo
Karlstad

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 Karlstad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Malmo is pricier by about 21%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,138 per month in Malmo and $2,590 in Karlstad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Karlstad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $868 there versus $1,100 in Malmo.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,092 in Malmo and $1,727 in Karlstad. That makes Karlstad about 17% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $168 per month in Malmo and $126 in Karlstad. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,092 in Malmo and $1,727 in Karlstad, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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