Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malmo and Lund

For one person, living is cheaper in Lund: $1,754 a month against $2,031 in Malmo, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Malmo
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Malmo Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Lund
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Lund Living Index

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Malmo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,031

/mo nomad

Lund

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,754

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malmo and in Lund

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,031 in Malmo versus $1,754 in Lund.

Malmo $2,031
Lund $1,754

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,108 in Malmo versus $2,901 in Lund.

Malmo $3,108
Lund $2,901

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,185 in Malmo versus $4,049 in Lund.

Malmo $4,185
Lund $4,049

Living in Malmo is roughly 16% more expensive than in Lund, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Malmo 50% above, Lund 30% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.01 SEK 149

$12.84 SEK 127

16.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.8 SEK 741

$89.1 SEK 883

-16.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.13 SEK 120

$11.91 SEK 118

1.85%

Cappuccino

$4.98 SEK 49.36

$4.78 SEK 47.40

4.18%

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

$3.44 SEK 34.07

$2.80 SEK 27.72

22.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 SEK 26.24

$2.04 SEK 20.18

29.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.49 SEK 84.1

$7.74 SEK 76.7

9.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 SEK 89.3

$6.82 SEK 67.5

32.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 SEK 16.38

$1.69 SEK 16.76

-2.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.80 SEK 27.74

$2.55 SEK 25.28

9.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.44 SEK 34.08

$3.40 SEK 33.66

1.18%

Eggs

$3.98 SEK 39.43

$4.54 SEK 45.03

-12.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.86 SEK 127

$12.29 SEK 122

4.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.07 SEK 120

$11.47 SEK 114

5.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.13 SEK 209

$15.45 SEK 153

36.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 SEK 29.53

$3.09 SEK 30.62

-3.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.59 SEK 25.63

$2.58 SEK 25.60

0.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.98 SEK 29.50

$2.80 SEK 27.71

6.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 SEK 42.46

$4.64 SEK 45.94

-7.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 SEK 16.12

$1.70 SEK 16.82

-4.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 SEK 15.03

$1.42 SEK 14.08

7.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 SEK 24.20

$2.58 SEK 25.55

-5.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 SEK 11.56

$1.53 SEK 15.18

-23.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.83 SEK 77.6

$7.85 SEK 77.8

-0.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.49 SEK 114

$11.04 SEK 109

4.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 SEK 19.21

$1.84 SEK 18.26

5.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 SEK 23.04

$2.67 SEK 26.47

-12.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.12 SEK 30.89

$3.17 SEK 31.46

-1.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.3 SEK 637

$63.7 SEK 631

0.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.36 SEK 63.1

$5.06 SEK 50.1

25.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.47 SEK 24.48

$1.06 SEK 10.52

133.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.15 SEK 487

$40.70 SEK 403

20.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 SEK 17.68

$1.73 SEK 17.11

2.89%

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

$32.7K SEK 323.9K

$32.5K SEK 322.1K

0.55%

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

$33.3K SEK 330.1K

$32.9K SEK 326.2K

1.19%

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

$139 SEK 1,377

$78.3 SEK 776

77.49%

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

$25.01 SEK 248

$28.05 SEK 278

-10.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.88 SEK 385

$41.44 SEK 411

-6.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.60 SEK 402

$37.30 SEK 370

8.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.04 SEK 288

$27.43 SEK 272

5.87%

Cinema Ticket

$16.99 SEK 168

$14.73 SEK 146

15.34%

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

$168 SEK 1,667

$157 SEK 1,553

7.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,337 SEK 33.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$97.8 SEK 969

$79.6 SEK 789

22.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 SEK 438

$56.9 SEK 563

-22.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 SEK 1,097

$101 SEK 996

10.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$151 SEK 1,493

$120 SEK 1,192

25.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,059 SEK 10.5K

$827 SEK 8,194

28.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 SEK 7,989

$671 SEK 6,647

20.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,720 SEK 17.0K

$1,746 SEK 17.3K

-1.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,354 SEK 13.4K

$1,388 SEK 13.7K

-2.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,083 SEK 40.5K

$6,176 SEK 61.2K

-33.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,100 SEK 30.7K

$3,468 SEK 34.4K

-10.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,978 SEK 29.5K

$2,918 SEK 28.9K

2.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.05

3.03

0.66%

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

Last update for Malmo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lund: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malmo

$806 39.7%

Lund

$671 38.2% 16.8% $136

Groceries & Markets

Malmo

$369 18.2%

Lund

$353 20.2% 4.3% $16

Eating Out

Malmo

$301 14.8%

Lund

$268 15.3% 11.1% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malmo

$203 10%

Lund

$148 8.4% 27.1% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Malmo

$181 8.9%

Lund

$161 9.2% 11.4% $21

Getting Around

Malmo

$96 4.7%

Lund

$87 5% 9.1% $8.7

Sport & Entertainment

Malmo

$75 3.7%

Lund

$67 3.8% 10.5% $7.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,059 in Malmo and $827 in Lund. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Malmo pays 2% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $75.0 in Malmo vs $89.0 in Lund. Groceries flip the comparison at $369 vs $353, with Lund cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Malmo

🇸🇪 Lund

🕒 Local time

01:08 1:08 AM

Same time as Malmo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

316,588

82,800

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Malmo Lund 16 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 Lund: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lund wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Malmo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lund the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 2% higher in Malmo, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,059 in Malmo versus $827 in Lund. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,031 per month in Malmo versus $1,754 in Lund – a 16% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Lund runs roughly 1% less than in Malmo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,754 in Lund versus $2,031 in Malmo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lund but tight or insufficient in Malmo. The gap between the two cities makes Lund the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Lund delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,754 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lund hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Malmo and Lund are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Lund gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Malmo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.