Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malmo and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,589 a month against $2,046 in Malmo, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Malmo
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Malmo Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Malmo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,046

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malmo and in Medellin

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

A single person spends $2,046 per month in Malmo vs $1,589 in Medellin, rent included.

Malmo $2,046
Medellin $1,589

A couple spends around $3,083 per month in Malmo vs $2,364 in Medellin, rent included.

Malmo $3,083
Medellin $2,364

A family of three spends $4,121 per month in Malmo vs $3,139 in Medellin, rent included.

Malmo $4,121
Medellin $3,139

Malmo costs about 29% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Malmo and Medellin sit above the global median – Malmo by 53%, Medellin by 19%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.90 SEK 149

$8.01 COP 25.5K

86.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.0 SEK 740

$46.55 COP 148.3K

59.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.18 SEK 122

$9.43 COP 30.1K

29.16%

Cappuccino

$4.83 SEK 48.23

$2.91 COP 9,277

65.98%

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

$3.35 SEK 33.52

$1.75 COP 5,585

91.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 SEK 26.97

$1.32 COP 4,218

104.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.46 SEK 84.5

$3.13 COP 9,969

170.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.10 SEK 90.9

$5.55 COP 17.7K

63.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 SEK 17.26

$1.41 COP 4,495

22.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 SEK 28.67

$2.44 COP 7,777

17.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.32 SEK 33.22

$1.63 COP 5,191

103.68%

Eggs

$4.11 SEK 41.10

$2.82 COP 8,990

45.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.74 SEK 127

$9.69 COP 30.9K

31.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.86 SEK 119

$9.32 COP 29.7K

27.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.61 SEK 216

$13.46 COP 42.9K

60.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 SEK 29.93

$4.00 COP 12.8K

-25.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.58 SEK 25.82

$1.48 COP 4,719

74.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 SEK 29.61

$2.12 COP 6,768

39.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 SEK 41.43

$2.25 COP 7,178

84.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 SEK 16.62

$1.91 COP 6,092

-13.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 SEK 15.29

$1.62 COP 5,160

-5.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 SEK 24.65

$1.15 COP 3,658

114.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 SEK 12.24

$1.26 COP 4,021

-2.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.72 SEK 77.1

$3.82 COP 12.2K

102.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.53 SEK 115

$13.11 COP 41.8K

-12.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 SEK 20.05

$1.60 COP 5,083

25.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 SEK 23.43

$2.26 COP 7,188

3.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.15 SEK 31.45

$1.17 COP 3,731

169.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.5 SEK 635

$75.0 COP 239.0K

-15.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.00 SEK 59.9

$1.27 COP 4,056

372.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.41 SEK 24.07

$2.05 COP 6,531

17.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.13 SEK 491

$8.20 COP 26.1K

499.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 SEK 17.36

$1.27 COP 4,046

37.01%

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

$32.3K SEK 322.6K

$26.8K COP 85.3M

20.55%

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

$33.2K SEK 331.5K

$34.4K COP 109.6M

-3.60%

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

$138 SEK 1,380

$162 COP 516.9K

-14.84%

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

$26.21 SEK 262

$13.12 COP 41.8K

99.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.07 SEK 361

$28.09 COP 89.5K

28.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.93 SEK 399

$44.33 COP 141.2K

-9.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.69 SEK 287

$16.33 COP 52.0K

75.69%

Cinema Ticket

$17.17 SEK 172

$6.09 COP 19.4K

181.94%

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

$167 SEK 1,666

$764 COP 2.4M

-78.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,311 SEK 33.1K

$8,904 COP 28.4M

-62.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.0 SEK 979

$85.0 COP 270.8K

15.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.19 SEK 442

$57.5 COP 183.2K

-23.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 SEK 1,125

$132 COP 419.8K

-14.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 SEK 1,520

$95.8 COP 305.1K

58.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,063 SEK 10.6K

$1,028 COP 3.3M

3.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$818 SEK 8,173

$604 COP 1.9M

35.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,720 SEK 17.2K

$1,802 COP 5.7M

-4.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,354 SEK 13.5K

$993 COP 3.2M

36.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,026 SEK 40.2K

$3,921 COP 12.5M

2.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,166 SEK 31.6K

$1,639 COP 5.2M

93.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,045 SEK 30.4K

$626 COP 2.0M

386.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.05

10.94

-72.12%

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

Last update for Malmo: October 5, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malmo

$818 40.1%

Medellin

$604 38.3% 26.1% $213

Groceries & Markets

Malmo

$372 18.2%

Medellin

$288 18.3% 22.4% $83

Eating Out

Malmo

$298 14.6%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 44.3% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malmo

$200 9.8%

Medellin

$203 12.9% 1.5% $3

Clothing & Footwear

Malmo

$183 9%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 9.1% $17

Getting Around

Malmo

$94 4.6%

Medellin

$91 5.8% 3.1% $3

Sport & Entertainment

Malmo

$74 3.6%

Medellin

$57 3.6% 23.9% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,063 in Malmo versus $1,028 in Medellin. 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 386% 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 $74.0 in Malmo versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $372 vs $288 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Malmo

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

03:39 3:39 AM

20:39 8:39 PM

7 h behind Malmo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

316,588

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.01 USD

100 SEK = 8.92 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

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).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,574 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Malmo Medellin 9,340 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Malmo
Medellin

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 Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Malmo costs about 29% more than Medellin, 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 $3,069 per month in Malmo and $2,384 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $167 per month in Malmo and $764 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Malmo, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,589, than in Malmo at $2,046. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Malmo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medellin costs $1,589 versus $2,046 in Malmo. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Malmo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.