Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malmo and Kista

For one person, living is cheaper in Kista: $1,683 a month against $2,120 in Malmo, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 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 Kista
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Kista Living Index

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Malmo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,120

/mo nomad

Kista

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,683

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malmo and in Kista

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

A single person spends $2,120 per month in Malmo vs $1,683 in Kista, rent included.

Malmo $2,120
Kista $1,683

A couple spends around $3,205 per month in Malmo vs $2,678 in Kista, rent included.

Malmo $3,205
Kista $2,678

A family of three spends $4,290 per month in Malmo vs $3,674 in Kista, rent included.

Malmo $4,290
Kista $3,674

Malmo costs about 26% more than Kista, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Malmo and Kista sit above the global median – Malmo by 57%, Kista by 24%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.53 SEK 152

$13.69 SEK 134

13.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.4 SEK 766

$78.5 SEK 767

-0.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 SEK 122

$10.26 SEK 100

21.44%

Cappuccino

$4.94 SEK 48.27

$4.63 SEK 45.28

6.70%

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

$3.39 SEK 33.12

$2.70 SEK 26.43

25.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 SEK 26.06

$2.28 SEK 22.25

17.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.77 SEK 85.7

$7.39 SEK 72.2

18.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.94 SEK 87.4

$6.95 SEK 67.9

28.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 SEK 16.71

$1.70 SEK 16.57

0.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.86 SEK 27.97

$2.78 SEK 27.18

2.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.51 SEK 34.29

$3.88 SEK 37.91

-9.54%

Eggs

$3.88 SEK 37.92

$4.21 SEK 41.11

-7.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.92 SEK 126

$11.16 SEK 109

15.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.47 SEK 122

$12.61 SEK 123

-1.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.74 SEK 212

$17.78 SEK 174

22.27%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 SEK 30.16

$3.43 SEK 33.50

-9.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.66 SEK 26.01

$2.48 SEK 24.24

7.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.11 SEK 30.39

$3.02 SEK 29.55

2.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.49 SEK 43.92

$4.55 SEK 44.46

-1.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 SEK 15.89

$1.48 SEK 14.46

10.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 SEK 15.30

$1.56 SEK 15.27

0.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.57 SEK 25.13

$2.13 SEK 20.79

20.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 SEK 11.88

$1.41 SEK 13.78

-13.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 SEK 78.5

$7.74 SEK 75.6

3.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.84 SEK 116

$9.61 SEK 93.9

23.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 SEK 20.38

$1.94 SEK 18.92

7.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 SEK 22.75

$2.18 SEK 21.28

6.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.30 SEK 32.23

$3.26 SEK 31.83

1.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.7 SEK 632

$76.7 SEK 750

-15.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.21 SEK 60.7

$5.75 SEK 56.2

8.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.45 SEK 23.94

$1.91 SEK 18.70

28.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$52.0 SEK 508

$53.7 SEK 525

-3.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 SEK 17.30

$1.92 SEK 18.78

-7.81%

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

$33.5K SEK 327.0K

$35.0K SEK 342.4K

-4.51%

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

$34.2K SEK 334.6K

$38.7K SEK 378.0K

-11.48%

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

$146 SEK 1,431

$105 SEK 1,021

40.10%

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

$22.36 SEK 218

$23.32 SEK 228

-4.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.56 SEK 387

$39.95 SEK 390

-0.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.65 SEK 368

$36.57 SEK 357

2.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.39 SEK 307

$28.57 SEK 279

9.87%

Cinema Ticket

$17.02 SEK 166

$16.61 SEK 162

2.47%

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

$172 SEK 1,685

$149 SEK 1,453

15.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,146 SEK 30.7K

$4,520 SEK 44.2K

-30.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 SEK 1,013

$96.6 SEK 944

7.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.60 SEK 446

$39.95 SEK 390

14.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 SEK 1,128

$84.2 SEK 822

37.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$156 SEK 1,528

$158 SEK 1,545

-1.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,097 SEK 10.7K

$739 SEK 7,220

48.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$868 SEK 8,481

$543 SEK 5,304

59.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,800 SEK 17.6K

$1,447 SEK 14.1K

24.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,387 SEK 13.6K

$963 SEK 9,408

44.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,139 SEK 40.4K

$3,520 SEK 34.4K

17.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,172 SEK 31.0K

$2,740 SEK 26.8K

15.78%

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 Kista: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malmo

$868 40.9%

Kista

$543 32.3% 37.5% $325

Groceries & Markets

Malmo

$380 17.9%

Kista

$360 21.4% 5.1% $19

Eating Out

Malmo

$307 14.5%

Kista

$267 15.9% 13.1% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malmo

$208 9.8%

Kista

$168 10% 19.5% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Malmo

$189 8.9%

Kista

$170 10.1% 10% $19

Getting Around

Malmo

$96 4.6%

Kista

$105 6.2% 9% $8.7

Sport & Entertainment

Malmo

$72 3.4%

Kista

$70 4.2% 2.7% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,097 in Malmo versus $739 in Kista. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78 in Malmo versus $79 in Kista. Groceries tell a different story – $380 in Malmo vs $360 in Kista – so Kista wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Malmo

🇸🇪 Kista

🕒 Local time

23:34 11:34 PM

Same time as Malmo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

316,588

10,254

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Malmo Kista 520 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Malmo
Kista

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 Kista: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Malmo costs about 26% more than Kista, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,180 per month in Malmo and $2,524 in Kista. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kista, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $739 there versus $1,097 in Malmo.

Public transport costs about 16% less in Malmo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 5% more in Malmo, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kista, where all-in costs run around $1,683, than in Malmo at $2,120. In Kista it covers expenses comfortably, while in Malmo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kista costs $1,683 versus $2,120 in Malmo. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.