Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malmo and Skovde

For one person, living is cheaper in Skovde: $1,761 a month against $2,092 in Malmo, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Malmo, Sweden
Skovde, Sweden
Malmo
🇸🇪 Sweden
$2,092
/mo nomad
Skovde
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,761
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malmo and in Skovde

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

A single person spends $2,092 per month in Malmo vs $1,761 in Skovde, rent included.

  • Malmo $2,092
  • Skovde $1,761

A couple spends around $3,149 per month in Malmo vs $2,768 in Skovde, rent included.

  • Malmo $3,149
  • Skovde $2,768

A family of three spends $4,206 per month in Malmo vs $3,776 in Skovde, rent included.

  • Malmo $4,206
  • Skovde $3,776

Malmo costs about 19% more than Skovde, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Malmo and Skovde sit above the global median – Malmo by 54%, Skovde by 29%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Malmo
Skovde
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.17 SEK 149
$13.25 SEK 130
14.49%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$76.1 SEK 747
$81.4 SEK 799
-6.58%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.18 SEK 120
$10.21 SEK 100
19.29%
Cappuccino
$4.94 SEK 48.47
$4.19 SEK 41.10
17.90%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.50 SEK 34.38
$3.02 SEK 29.63
15.89%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.70 SEK 26.53
$2.39 SEK 23.49
12.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.69 SEK 85.3
$8.08 SEK 79.4
7.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$9.11 SEK 89.5
$9.93 SEK 97.5
-8.26%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Malmo
Skovde
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.67 SEK 16.37
$1.43 SEK 14.02
16.78%
White Bread (500g)
$2.84 SEK 27.93
$2.85 SEK 27.99
-0.35%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.44 SEK 33.78
$4.56 SEK 44.73
-24.56%
Eggs
$4.12 SEK 40.44
$3.68 SEK 36.10
11.96%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.17 SEK 129
$9.99 SEK 98.1
31.83%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.85 SEK 116
$13.20 SEK 130
-10.23%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$21.25 SEK 209
$18.04 SEK 177
17.79%
Apples (1kg)
$2.97 SEK 29.13
$4.15 SEK 40.73
-28.43%
Banana (1kg)
$2.63 SEK 25.78
$2.76 SEK 27.12
-4.71%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.94 SEK 28.87
$3.50 SEK 34.41
-16.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.26 SEK 41.80
$5.17 SEK 50.8
-17.60%
Potato (1kg)
$1.63 SEK 15.98
$1.54 SEK 15.11
5.84%
Onion (1kg)
$1.55 SEK 15.27
$1.69 SEK 16.56
-8.28%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.51 SEK 24.67
$2.57 SEK 25.25
-2.33%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 SEK 11.55
$1.32 SEK 12.99
-10.61%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$8.17 SEK 80.3
$8.10 SEK 79.6
0.86%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.38 SEK 112
$7.81 SEK 76.7
45.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.05 SEK 20.13
$2.51 SEK 24.67
-18.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.37 SEK 23.30
$2.56 SEK 25.17
-7.42%
🚌 Getting Around
Malmo
Skovde
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.22 SEK 31.67
$3.71 SEK 36.39
-13.21%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$63.9 SEK 628
$83.8 SEK 823
-23.74%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.05 SEK 59.4
$5.27 SEK 51.7
14.80%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 SEK 24.39
$1.29 SEK 12.71
92.25%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$49.44 SEK 486
$60.6 SEK 595
-18.36%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.79 SEK 17.57
$1.79 SEK 17.55
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.6K SEK 320.5K
$33.7K SEK 330.8K
-3.12%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.3K SEK 326.7K
$33.7K SEK 331.2K
-1.35%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Malmo
Skovde
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$144 SEK 1,412
$111 SEK 1,092
29.36%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.21 SEK 248
$10.90 SEK 107
131.28%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.19 SEK 395
$48.39 SEK 475
-16.95%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Malmo
Skovde
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.31 SEK 386
$36.63 SEK 360
7.32%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$29.48 SEK 289
$29.70 SEK 292
-0.74%
Cinema Ticket
$17.12 SEK 168
$17.99 SEK 177
-4.84%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Malmo
Skovde
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$168 SEK 1,652
$126 SEK 1,234
33.92%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,352 SEK 32.9K
$4,824 SEK 47.4K
-30.52%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Malmo
Skovde
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 SEK 1,002
$104 SEK 1,019
-1.68%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.62 SEK 448
$29.95 SEK 294
52.32%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$111 SEK 1,087
$59.9 SEK 588
84.79%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$156 SEK 1,534
$200 SEK 1,960
-21.72%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Malmo
Skovde
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,100 SEK 10.8K
$803 SEK 7,880
37.01%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$852 SEK 8,369
$592 SEK 5,813
43.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,765 SEK 17.3K
$1,359 SEK 13.3K
29.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,343 SEK 13.2K
$1,003 SEK 9,853
33.85%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,098 SEK 40.2K
$4,027 SEK 39.5K
1.76%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,158 SEK 31.0K
$2,847 SEK 28.0K
10.92%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Malmo
Skovde
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,979 SEK 29.2K
$3,253 SEK 31.9K
-8.43%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.05
3
1.67%

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

Last update for Malmo: October 25, 2026

Last update for Skovde: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Malmo
$852
Skovde
$592 30.5% $260
Groceries & Markets
Malmo
$371
Skovde
$370 0.3% $0.9
Eating Out
Malmo
$304
Skovde
$269 11.5% $35
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Malmo
$209
Skovde
$170 18.5% $39
Clothing & Footwear
Malmo
$187
Skovde
$177 5.2% $9.6
Getting Around
Malmo
$95
Skovde
$110 15.8% $15
Sport & Entertainment
Malmo
$74
Skovde
$73 1.3% $1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,100 in Malmo versus $803 in Skovde. 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 9% higher in Skovde, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in Malmo versus $81 in Skovde. Groceries tell a different story – $371 in Malmo vs $370 in Skovde – so Skovde wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇸🇪 Malmo
🇸🇪 Skovde
🕒 Local time
13:27 1:27 PM
13:27 1:27 PM
Same time as Malmo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
316,588
34,466
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.82 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 SEK (100 SEK = 9.13 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Malmo Skovde 310 km
From you
  • Malmo
  • Skovde

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 Skovde: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Malmo or Skovde?
Malmo costs about 19% more than Skovde, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Malmo and in Skovde?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,138 per month in Malmo and $2,642 in Skovde. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Malmo or Skovde?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Skovde, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $803 there versus $1,100 in Malmo.
How do dining costs compare in Malmo and in Skovde?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in Malmo and $81 in Skovde. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How expensive is transport in Malmo compared to Skovde?
Public transport costs about 24% less in Malmo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Malmo or in Skovde?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Skovde, where all-in costs run around $1,761, than in Malmo at $2,092. In Skovde it covers expenses comfortably, while in Malmo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Skovde – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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