Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malmo and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Malmo: $2,046 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $24,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Malmo
🇸🇪 Sweden
$2,046
/mo nomad
London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$4,086
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malmo and in London

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

A single person spends $2,046 per month in Malmo vs $4,086 in London, rent included.

  • Malmo $2,046
  • London $4,086

A couple spends around $3,083 per month in Malmo vs $5,816 in London, rent included.

  • Malmo $3,083
  • London $5,816

A family of three spends $4,121 per month in Malmo vs $7,546 in London, rent included.

  • Malmo $4,121
  • London $7,546

Malmo is about 50% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Malmo and London sit above the global median – Malmo by 53%, London by 205%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Malmo
London
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$14.90 SEK 149
$26.62 £20.11
-44.03%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$74.0 SEK 740
$108 £81.3
-31.18%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.18 SEK 122
$10.39 £7.85
17.23%
Cappuccino
$4.83 SEK 48.23
$5.79 £4.38
-16.58%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.35 SEK 33.52
$3.01 £2.27
11.30%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.70 SEK 26.97
$2.15 £1.63
25.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.46 SEK 84.5
$9.35 £7.06
-9.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$9.10 SEK 90.9
$7.84 £5.93
16.07%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Malmo
London
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.73 SEK 17.26
$1.79 £1.35
-3.35%
White Bread (500g)
$2.87 SEK 28.67
$2.06 £1.56
39.32%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.32 SEK 33.22
$2.31 £1.74
43.72%
Eggs
$4.11 SEK 41.10
$5.05 £3.82
-18.61%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.74 SEK 127
$12.57 £9.50
1.35%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.86 SEK 119
$10.66 £8.05
11.26%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$21.61 SEK 216
$17.13 £12.94
26.15%
Apples (1kg)
$2.99 SEK 29.93
$3.03 £2.29
-1.32%
Banana (1kg)
$2.58 SEK 25.82
$1.41 £1.07
82.98%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.96 SEK 29.61
$3.05 £2.31
-2.95%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.15 SEK 41.43
$3.38 £2.56
22.78%
Potato (1kg)
$1.66 SEK 16.62
$1.67 £1.26
-0.60%
Onion (1kg)
$1.53 SEK 15.29
$1.73 £1.31
-11.56%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.47 SEK 24.65
$1.41 £1.07
75.18%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.23 SEK 12.24
$1.79 £1.35
-31.28%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.72 SEK 77.1
$23.22 £17.55
-66.75%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.53 SEK 115
$12.99 £9.82
-11.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.01 SEK 20.05
$3.18 £2.40
-36.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.34 SEK 23.43
$4.41 £3.33
-46.94%
🚌 Getting Around
Malmo
London
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.15 SEK 31.45
$3.87 £2.93
-18.60%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$63.5 SEK 635
$250 £189
-74.59%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.00 SEK 59.9
$5.71 £4.31
5.08%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.41 SEK 24.07
$3.33 £2.51
-27.63%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$49.13 SEK 491
$57.9 £43.76
-15.16%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.74 SEK 17.36
$2.04 £1.54
-14.71%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.3K SEK 322.6K
$37.5K £28.4K
-14.04%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.2K SEK 331.5K
$40.9K £30.9K
-18.90%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Malmo
London
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$138 SEK 1,380
$376 £284
-63.27%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.21 SEK 262
$17.88 £13.51
46.59%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$36.07 SEK 361
$40.01 £30.24
-9.85%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Malmo
London
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.93 SEK 399
$61.2 £46.22
-34.71%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.69 SEK 287
$21.07 £15.93
36.17%
Cinema Ticket
$17.17 SEK 172
$17.95 £13.57
-4.35%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Malmo
London
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$167 SEK 1,666
$2,865 £2,165
-94.18%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,311 SEK 33.1K
$35.3K £26.7K
-90.63%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Malmo
London
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$98.0 SEK 979
$116 £87.7
-15.53%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.19 SEK 442
$54.1 £40.87
-18.29%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$113 SEK 1,125
$127 £95.7
-11.06%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$152 SEK 1,520
$159 £120
-4.53%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Malmo
London
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,063 SEK 10.6K
$2,853 £2,156
-62.74%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$818 SEK 8,173
$2,301 £1,739
-64.47%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,720 SEK 17.2K
$5,201 £3,931
-66.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,354 SEK 13.5K
$3,723 £2,813
-63.64%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,026 SEK 40.2K
$19.0K £14.4K
-78.82%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,166 SEK 31.6K
$7,881 £5,955
-59.83%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Malmo
London
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,045 SEK 30.4K
$4,818 £3,641
-36.79%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.05
4.65
-34.41%

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

Last update for Malmo: October 5, 2026

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Malmo
$818
London
$2.3K 181% $1.5K
Groceries & Markets
Malmo
$372
London
$349 6% $22
Eating Out
Malmo
$298
London
$397 32.9% $98
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Malmo
$200
London
$434 117% $234
Clothing & Footwear
Malmo
$183
London
$205 12.1% $22
Getting Around
Malmo
$94
London
$288 206% $194
Sport & Entertainment
Malmo
$74
London
$97 30.7% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,063 in Malmo versus $2,853 in London. 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 58% higher in London, 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 $74.0 in Malmo versus $108 in London. Groceries tell a different story – $372 in Malmo vs $349 in London – so London wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇸🇪 Malmo
🇬🇧 London
🕒 Local time
03:37 3:37 AM
02:37 2:37 AM
1 h behind Malmo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
316,588
8,908,083 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.99 SEK (1 SEK = 0.1 USD). 1 EUR = 11.21 SEK (100 SEK = 8.92 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Malmo London 980 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Malmo
  • London

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 London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Malmo and in London compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $2,046 in Malmo, $4,086 in London – roughly 100% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.
What salary covers living expenses in Malmo compared to London?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,069 per month in Malmo and $6,129 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Malmo and London?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Malmo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Interestingly, groceries are about 6% cheaper in London – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Malmo and $108 in London. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Malmo, where all-in costs run around $2,046, than in London at $4,086. In Malmo it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Malmo and London?
It depends on your priorities. Malmo has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,046 in Malmo to $4,086 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How do I decide between Malmo and London?
If budget matters most, go with Malmo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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