Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malmo and Stockholm

For one person, living is cheaper in Malmo: $2,031 a month against $2,574 in Stockholm, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 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
125

Cost of Living Index in Stockholm
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Stockholm Living Index

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Malmo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,031

/mo nomad

Stockholm

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,574

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malmo and in Stockholm

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

A single person spends $2,031 per month in Malmo vs $2,574 in Stockholm, rent included.

Malmo $2,031
Stockholm $2,574

A couple spends around $3,108 per month in Malmo vs $3,871 in Stockholm, rent included.

Malmo $3,108
Stockholm $3,871

A family of three spends $4,185 per month in Malmo vs $5,167 in Stockholm, rent included.

Malmo $4,185
Stockholm $5,167

Malmo is about 21% cheaper than Stockholm, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Malmo and Stockholm sit above the global median – Malmo by 50%, Stockholm by 91%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.01 SEK 149

$18.12 SEK 180

-17.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.8 SEK 741

$99.6 SEK 986

-24.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.13 SEK 120

$11.76 SEK 117

3.15%

Cappuccino

$4.98 SEK 49.36

$4.95 SEK 49.03

0.61%

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

$3.44 SEK 34.07

$3.68 SEK 36.46

-6.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 SEK 26.24

$3.16 SEK 31.28

-16.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.49 SEK 84.1

$8.05 SEK 79.8

5.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 SEK 89.3

$8.82 SEK 87.4

2.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 SEK 16.38

$1.80 SEK 17.80

-8.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.80 SEK 27.74

$3.88 SEK 38.43

-27.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.44 SEK 34.08

$3.83 SEK 37.99

-10.18%

Eggs

$3.98 SEK 39.43

$5.14 SEK 50.9

-22.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.86 SEK 127

$12.45 SEK 123

3.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.07 SEK 120

$12.63 SEK 125

-4.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.13 SEK 209

$21.90 SEK 217

-3.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 SEK 29.53

$3.47 SEK 34.41

-14.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.59 SEK 25.63

$2.74 SEK 27.15

-5.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.98 SEK 29.50

$3.08 SEK 30.54

-3.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 SEK 42.46

$4.48 SEK 44.41

-4.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 SEK 16.12

$1.77 SEK 17.54

-7.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 SEK 15.03

$1.79 SEK 17.70

-15.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 SEK 24.20

$2.40 SEK 23.76

1.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 SEK 11.56

$2.37 SEK 23.50

-50.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.83 SEK 77.6

$8.72 SEK 86.4

-10.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.49 SEK 114

$11.99 SEK 119

-4.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 SEK 19.21

$2.11 SEK 20.90

-8.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 SEK 23.04

$2.56 SEK 25.34

-8.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.12 SEK 30.89

$4.34 SEK 42.96

-28.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.3 SEK 637

$107 SEK 1,063

-40.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.36 SEK 63.1

$5.74 SEK 56.9

10.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.47 SEK 24.48

$1.47 SEK 14.58

68.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.15 SEK 487

$57.1 SEK 566

-13.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 SEK 17.68

$1.80 SEK 17.86

-1.11%

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

$32.7K SEK 323.9K

$32.4K SEK 321.2K

0.84%

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

$33.3K SEK 330.1K

$33.6K SEK 332.8K

-0.82%

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

$139 SEK 1,377

$249 SEK 2,469

-44.24%

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

$25.01 SEK 248

$21.60 SEK 214

15.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.88 SEK 385

$40.18 SEK 398

-3.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.60 SEK 402

$46.98 SEK 466

-13.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.04 SEK 288

$38.15 SEK 378

-23.88%

Cinema Ticket

$16.99 SEK 168

$19.09 SEK 189

-11.00%

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

$168 SEK 1,667

$158 SEK 1,569

6.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,337 SEK 33.1K

$16.4K SEK 162.0K

-79.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$97.8 SEK 969

$111 SEK 1,104

-12.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 SEK 438

$59.0 SEK 584

-25.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 SEK 1,097

$138 SEK 1,364

-19.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$151 SEK 1,493

$186 SEK 1,847

-19.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,059 SEK 10.5K

$1,658 SEK 16.4K

-36.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 SEK 7,989

$1,079 SEK 10.7K

-25.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,720 SEK 17.0K

$2,982 SEK 29.5K

-42.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,354 SEK 13.4K

$1,746 SEK 17.3K

-22.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,083 SEK 40.5K

$11.3K SEK 111.8K

-63.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,100 SEK 30.7K

$6,332 SEK 62.7K

-51.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,978 SEK 29.5K

$3,583 SEK 35.5K

-16.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.05

3.37

-9.50%

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

Last update for Malmo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Stockholm: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malmo

$806 39.7%

Stockholm

$1.1K 41.9% 33.8% $273

Groceries & Markets

Malmo

$369 18.2%

Stockholm

$414 16.1% 12.1% $45

Eating Out

Malmo

$301 14.8%

Stockholm

$325 12.6% 7.9% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malmo

$203 10%

Stockholm

$311 12.1% 53.3% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Malmo

$181 8.9%

Stockholm

$222 8.6% 22.6% $41

Getting Around

Malmo

$96 4.7%

Stockholm

$138 5.4% 44.2% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Malmo

$75 3.7%

Stockholm

$85 3.3% 14.2% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,059 in Malmo versus $1,658 in Stockholm. 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 20% higher in Stockholm, 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 $75.0 in Malmo versus $100 in Stockholm. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $369 vs $414 – making Malmo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Malmo

🇸🇪 Stockholm

🕒 Local time

06:32 6:32 AM

Same time as Malmo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

316,588

984,748 Capital

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Malmo Stockholm 510 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Malmo
Stockholm

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 Stockholm: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Stockholm costs about 27% more than Malmo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,047 per month in Malmo and $3,861 in Stockholm. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $168 per month in Malmo and $158 in Stockholm. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 12% more in Stockholm, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Malmo, where all-in costs run around $2,031, than in Stockholm at $2,574. In Malmo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Stockholm it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Malmo costs $2,031 versus $2,574 in Stockholm. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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