Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malmo and Sala, Sweden

For one person, living is cheaper in Sala: $1,555 a month against $2,092 in Malmo, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in Malmo
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Malmo Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Sala
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Sala Living Index

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Malmo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,092

/mo nomad

Sala

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,555

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malmo and in Sala

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

A single person spends $2,092 per month in Malmo vs $1,555 in Sala, rent included.

Malmo $2,092
Sala $1,555

A couple spends around $3,149 per month in Malmo vs $2,301 in Sala, rent included.

Malmo $3,149
Sala $2,301

A family of three spends $4,206 per month in Malmo vs $3,046 in Sala, rent included.

Malmo $4,206
Sala $3,046

Malmo costs about 35% more than Sala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Malmo and Sala sit above the global median – Malmo by 54%, Sala by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.17 SEK 149

$12.16 SEK 119

24.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.1 SEK 747

$60.1 SEK 590

26.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.18 SEK 120

$9.87 SEK 97.0

23.40%

Cappuccino

$4.94 SEK 48.47

$3.04 SEK 29.86

62.50%

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

$3.50 SEK 34.38

$1.74 SEK 17.06

101.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 SEK 26.53

$2.24 SEK 21.98

20.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.69 SEK 85.3

$7.19 SEK 70.6

20.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.11 SEK 89.5

$7.24 SEK 71.1

25.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 SEK 16.37

$1.72 SEK 16.90

-2.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.84 SEK 27.93

$2.57 SEK 25.27

10.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.44 SEK 33.78

$3.42 SEK 33.63

0.58%

Eggs

$4.12 SEK 40.44

$5.26 SEK 51.6

-21.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.17 SEK 129

$11.30 SEK 111

16.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.85 SEK 116

$12.99 SEK 128

-8.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.25 SEK 209

$22.54 SEK 221

-5.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 SEK 29.13

$2.90 SEK 28.45

2.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.63 SEK 25.78

$2.67 SEK 26.23

-1.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.94 SEK 28.87

$2.68 SEK 26.34

9.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.26 SEK 41.80

$4.59 SEK 45.08

-7.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 SEK 15.98

$1.45 SEK 14.22

12.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 SEK 15.27

$1.13 SEK 11.11

37.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.51 SEK 24.67

$2.53 SEK 24.83

-0.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 SEK 11.55

$1.03 SEK 10.15

14.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.17 SEK 80.3

$6.96 SEK 68.3

17.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.38 SEK 112

$6.01 SEK 59.1

89.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 SEK 20.13

$2.01 SEK 19.71

1.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 SEK 23.30

$1.76 SEK 17.32

34.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.22 SEK 31.67

$2.98 SEK 29.27

8.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.9 SEK 628

$20.73 SEK 204

208.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.05 SEK 59.4

$5.86 SEK 57.5

3.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.48 SEK 24.39

$1.78 SEK 17.49

39.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.44 SEK 486

$81.0 SEK 796

-38.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 SEK 17.57

$1.70 SEK 16.71

5.29%

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

$32.6K SEK 320.5K

$33.9K SEK 332.8K

-3.69%

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

$33.3K SEK 326.7K

$33.6K SEK 330.2K

-1.07%

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

$144 SEK 1,412

$178 SEK 1,743

-18.97%

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

$25.21 SEK 248

$19.84 SEK 195

27.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.19 SEK 395

$39.07 SEK 384

2.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.31 SEK 386

$45.69 SEK 449

-13.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.48 SEK 289

$19.95 SEK 196

47.77%

Cinema Ticket

$17.12 SEK 168

$16.33 SEK 160

4.84%

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

$168 SEK 1,652

$221 SEK 2,165

-23.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,352 SEK 32.9K

$1,219 SEK 12.0K

175.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 SEK 1,002

$44.53 SEK 437

129.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.62 SEK 448

$34.85 SEK 342

30.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 SEK 1,087

$52.4 SEK 515

111.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$156 SEK 1,534

$55.0 SEK 540

183.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 SEK 10.8K

$716 SEK 7,032

53.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$852 SEK 8,369

$516 SEK 5,069

65.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,765 SEK 17.3K

$921 SEK 9,041

91.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,343 SEK 13.2K

$713 SEK 7,006

88.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 SEK 40.2K

$3,986 SEK 39.1K

2.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,158 SEK 31.0K

$2,798 SEK 27.5K

12.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,979 SEK 29.2K

$2,432 SEK 23.9K

22.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.05

2.8

8.93%

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

Last update for Malmo: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sala: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malmo

$852 40.8%

Sala

$516 33.2% 39.4% $336

Groceries & Markets

Malmo

$371 17.8%

Sala

$363 23.4% 2.2% $8.3

Eating Out

Malmo

$304 14.5%

Sala

$230 14.8% 24.3% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malmo

$209 10%

Sala

$236 15.2% 13% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Malmo

$187 8.9%

Sala

$84 5.4% 54.9% $102

Getting Around

Malmo

$95 4.6%

Sala

$47 3.1% 50.2% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Malmo

$74 3.5%

Sala

$78 5% 6.5% $4.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,100 in Malmo versus $716 in Sala. 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 23% 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 $76 in Malmo versus $60 in Sala. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $371 vs $363 – making Sala the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Malmo

🇸🇪 Sala

🕒 Local time

02:45 2:45 AM

Same time as Malmo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

316,588

22,994

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.18 USD

100 SEK = 9.12 EUR

100 SEK = 10.18 USD

100 SEK = 9.12 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Malmo Sala 530 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Malmo
Sala

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 Sala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Malmo costs about 35% more than Sala, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,138 per month in Malmo and $2,333 in Sala. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sala, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $1,100 in Malmo.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in Malmo and $60 in Sala. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 68% less in Sala. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,092 in Malmo and $1,555 in Sala. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Malmo has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,555 in Sala to $2,092 in Malmo. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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