Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malmo and Ostersund

For one person, living is cheaper in Ostersund: $1,761 a month against $2,120 in Malmo, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in Malmo
Learn more

Malmo Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Ostersund
Learn more

Ostersund Living Index

Jump to prices

Malmo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,120

/mo nomad

Ostersund

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,761

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malmo and in Ostersund

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

A single person spends $2,120 per month in Malmo vs $1,761 in Ostersund, rent included.

Malmo $2,120
Ostersund $1,761

A couple spends around $3,205 per month in Malmo vs $2,732 in Ostersund, rent included.

Malmo $3,205
Ostersund $2,732

A family of three spends $4,290 per month in Malmo vs $3,703 in Ostersund, rent included.

Malmo $4,290
Ostersund $3,703

Malmo costs about 20% more than Ostersund, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Malmo and Ostersund sit above the global median – Malmo by 57%, Ostersund by 30%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.53 SEK 152

$14.51 SEK 142

7.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.4 SEK 766

$68.6 SEK 670

14.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 SEK 122

$9.03 SEK 88.2

37.98%

Cappuccino

$4.94 SEK 48.27

$4.35 SEK 42.54

13.56%

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

$3.39 SEK 33.12

$2.57 SEK 25.11

31.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 SEK 26.06

$2.03 SEK 19.81

31.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.77 SEK 85.7

$7.80 SEK 76.3

12.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.94 SEK 87.4

$7.36 SEK 72.0

21.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 SEK 16.71

$1.44 SEK 14.08

18.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.86 SEK 27.97

$3.03 SEK 29.62

-5.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.51 SEK 34.29

$4.78 SEK 46.71

-26.57%

Eggs

$3.88 SEK 37.92

$3.34 SEK 32.59

16.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.92 SEK 126

$13.80 SEK 135

-6.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.47 SEK 122

$11.78 SEK 115

5.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.74 SEK 212

$15.72 SEK 154

38.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 SEK 30.16

$4.30 SEK 42.05

-28.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.66 SEK 26.01

$2.92 SEK 28.55

-8.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.11 SEK 30.39

$3.53 SEK 34.50

-11.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.49 SEK 43.92

$4.21 SEK 41.11

6.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 SEK 15.89

$1.61 SEK 15.72

1.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 SEK 15.30

$1.61 SEK 15.78

-2.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.57 SEK 25.13

$2.33 SEK 22.77

10.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 SEK 11.88

$1.56 SEK 15.25

-21.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 SEK 78.5

$7.70 SEK 75.3

4.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.84 SEK 116

$10.05 SEK 98.2

17.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 SEK 20.38

$2.15 SEK 20.99

-2.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 SEK 22.75

$2.27 SEK 22.23

2.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.30 SEK 32.23

$3.26 SEK 31.88

1.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.7 SEK 632

$76.3 SEK 746

-15.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.21 SEK 60.7

$6.12 SEK 59.8

1.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.45 SEK 23.94

$1.69 SEK 16.51

44.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$52.0 SEK 508

$60.8 SEK 594

-14.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 SEK 17.30

$1.78 SEK 17.40

-0.56%

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

$33.5K SEK 327.0K

$30.7K SEK 299.8K

9.07%

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

$34.2K SEK 334.6K

$36.5K SEK 356.6K

-6.17%

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

$146 SEK 1,431

$118 SEK 1,150

24.46%

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

$22.36 SEK 218

$23.84 SEK 233

-6.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.56 SEK 387

$39.29 SEK 384

0.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.65 SEK 368

$37.62 SEK 368

0.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.39 SEK 307

$26.52 SEK 259

18.36%

Cinema Ticket

$17.02 SEK 166

$15.13 SEK 148

12.49%

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

$172 SEK 1,685

$127 SEK 1,238

36.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,146 SEK 30.7K

$5,587 SEK 54.6K

-43.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 SEK 1,013

$93.2 SEK 911

11.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.60 SEK 446

$42.48 SEK 415

7.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 SEK 1,128

$79.4 SEK 776

45.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$156 SEK 1,528

$142 SEK 1,389

9.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,097 SEK 10.7K

$812 SEK 7,939

35.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$868 SEK 8,481

$610 SEK 5,963

42.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,800 SEK 17.6K

$1,394 SEK 13.6K

29.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,387 SEK 13.6K

$1,038 SEK 10.1K

33.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,139 SEK 40.4K

$3,784 SEK 37.0K

9.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,172 SEK 31.0K

$2,495 SEK 24.4K

27.12%

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 Ostersund: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malmo

$868 40.9%

Ostersund

$610 34.6% 29.7% $258

Groceries & Markets

Malmo

$380 17.9%

Ostersund

$370 21% 2.4% $9.2

Eating Out

Malmo

$307 14.5%

Ostersund

$268 15.2% 12.8% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malmo

$208 9.8%

Ostersund

$181 10.3% 13.2% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Malmo

$189 8.9%

Ostersund

$161 9.1% 15.2% $29

Getting Around

Malmo

$96 4.6%

Ostersund

$104 5.9% 7.8% $7.5

Sport & Entertainment

Malmo

$72 3.4%

Ostersund

$68 3.9% 5.3% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,097 in Malmo versus $812 in Ostersund. 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 $69 in Ostersund. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $380 vs $370 – making Ostersund the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Malmo

🇸🇪 Ostersund

🕒 Local time

00:55 12:55 AM

Same time as Malmo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

316,588

44,000

💱 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 Ostersund 850 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Malmo
Ostersund

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 Ostersund: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Malmo costs about 20% more than Ostersund, 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 $2,642 in Ostersund. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ostersund, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $812 there versus $1,097 in Malmo.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78 in Malmo and $69 in Ostersund. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 15% less in Malmo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,120 in Malmo and $1,761 in Ostersund, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ostersund costs $1,761 versus $2,120 in Malmo. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.