Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malmo and Umea

For one person, living is cheaper in Umea: $1,646 a month against $2,092 in Malmo, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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
80

Cost of Living Index in Umea
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Umea Living Index

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Malmo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,092

/mo nomad

Umea

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,646

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malmo and in Umea

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

A single person spends $2,092 per month in Malmo vs $1,646 in Umea, rent included.

Malmo $2,092
Umea $1,646

A couple spends around $3,149 per month in Malmo vs $2,615 in Umea, rent included.

Malmo $3,149
Umea $2,615

A family of three spends $4,206 per month in Malmo vs $3,583 in Umea, rent included.

Malmo $4,206
Umea $3,583

Malmo costs about 27% more than Umea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Malmo and Umea sit above the global median – Malmo by 54%, Umea by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.17 SEK 148

$14.95 SEK 146

1.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.1 SEK 742

$79.0 SEK 771

-3.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.18 SEK 119

$11.93 SEK 116

2.10%

Cappuccino

$4.94 SEK 48.15

$3.96 SEK 38.62

24.75%

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

$3.50 SEK 34.16

$3.15 SEK 30.74

11.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 SEK 26.35

$2.47 SEK 24.10

9.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.69 SEK 84.8

$8.62 SEK 84.1

0.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.11 SEK 88.9

$7.44 SEK 72.5

22.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 SEK 16.26

$1.74 SEK 16.99

-4.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.84 SEK 27.75

$3.42 SEK 33.32

-16.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.44 SEK 33.56

$4.09 SEK 39.92

-15.89%

Eggs

$4.12 SEK 40.18

$4.06 SEK 39.59

1.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.17 SEK 128

$11.38 SEK 111

15.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.85 SEK 116

$10.74 SEK 105

10.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.25 SEK 207

$16.82 SEK 164

26.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 SEK 28.94

$2.58 SEK 25.18

15.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.63 SEK 25.61

$2.18 SEK 21.23

20.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.94 SEK 28.68

$2.72 SEK 26.57

8.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.26 SEK 41.53

$4.30 SEK 41.94

-0.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 SEK 15.88

$1.65 SEK 16.07

-1.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 SEK 15.17

$1.69 SEK 16.46

-8.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.51 SEK 24.51

$2.49 SEK 24.29

0.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 SEK 11.48

$1.33 SEK 12.93

-11.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.17 SEK 79.7

$7.09 SEK 69.2

15.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.38 SEK 111

$10.19 SEK 99.5

11.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 SEK 19.99

$2.31 SEK 22.51

-11.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 SEK 23.15

$2.44 SEK 23.81

-2.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.22 SEK 31.46

$2.89 SEK 28.19

11.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.9 SEK 623

$57.8 SEK 564

10.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.05 SEK 59.0

$7.08 SEK 69.1

-14.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.48 SEK 24.23

$4.99 SEK 48.64

-50.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.44 SEK 482

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 SEK 17.45

$1.68 SEK 16.37

6.55%

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

$32.6K SEK 318.4K

$33.8K SEK 329.7K

-3.43%

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

$33.3K SEK 324.6K

$33.2K SEK 323.9K

0.21%

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

$144 SEK 1,403

$84.7 SEK 827

69.78%

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

$25.21 SEK 246

$32.54 SEK 317

-22.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.19 SEK 392

$27.49 SEK 268

46.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.31 SEK 384

$48.29 SEK 471

-18.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.48 SEK 288

$35.41 SEK 345

-16.75%

Cinema Ticket

$17.12 SEK 167

$16.40 SEK 160

4.39%

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

$168 SEK 1,642

$139 SEK 1,360

20.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,352 SEK 32.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 SEK 995

$99.7 SEK 972

2.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.62 SEK 445

$37.16 SEK 363

22.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 SEK 1,079

$119 SEK 1,159

-6.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$156 SEK 1,524

$141 SEK 1,371

11.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 SEK 10.7K

$742 SEK 7,237

48.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$852 SEK 8,314

$505 SEK 4,928

68.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,765 SEK 17.2K

$1,104 SEK 10.8K

59.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,343 SEK 13.1K

$842 SEK 8,214

59.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 SEK 40.0K

$4,640 SEK 45.3K

-11.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,158 SEK 30.8K

$3,050 SEK 29.8K

3.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,979 SEK 29.1K

$2,692 SEK 26.3K

10.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.05

3.65

-16.44%

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

Last update for Malmo: October 25, 2026

Last update for Umea: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malmo

$852 40.8%

Umea

$505 30.7% 40.7% $347

Groceries & Markets

Malmo

$371 17.8%

Umea

$352 21.4% 5.3% $20

Eating Out

Malmo

$304 14.5%

Umea

$283 17.2% 6.7% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malmo

$209 10%

Umea

$145 8.8% 30.8% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Malmo

$187 8.9%

Umea

$178 10.8% 4.4% $8.2

Getting Around

Malmo

$95 4.6%

Umea

$101 6.2% 6.4% $6.1

Sport & Entertainment

Malmo

$74 3.5%

Umea

$81 4.9% 10.2% $7.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,100 in Malmo versus $742 in Umea. 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 11% 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 $79 in Umea. Groceries tell a different story – $371 in Malmo vs $352 in Umea – so Umea wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Malmo

🇸🇪 Umea

🕒 Local time

17:45 5:45 PM

Same time as Malmo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

316,588

79,594

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.25 USD

100 SEK = 9.19 EUR

100 SEK = 10.25 USD

100 SEK = 9.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Malmo Umea 1,000 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Malmo
Umea

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 Umea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Malmo costs about 27% more than Umea, 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 $3,138 per month in Malmo and $2,469 in Umea. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Umea, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $742 there versus $1,100 in Malmo.

Kindergarten costs $168 per month in Malmo and $139 in Umea. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Malmo, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,092 in Malmo and $1,646 in Umea, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Umea costs $1,646 versus $2,092 in Malmo. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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