Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malmo and Varberg

For one person, living is cheaper in Varberg: $1,635 a month against $2,092 in Malmo, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
79

Cost of Living Index in Varberg
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Varberg Living Index

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Malmo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,092

/mo nomad

Varberg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,635

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malmo and in Varberg

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

A single person spends $2,092 per month in Malmo vs $1,635 in Varberg, rent included.

Malmo $2,092
Varberg $1,635

A couple spends around $3,149 per month in Malmo vs $2,623 in Varberg, rent included.

Malmo $3,149
Varberg $2,623

A family of three spends $4,206 per month in Malmo vs $3,610 in Varberg, rent included.

Malmo $4,206
Varberg $3,610

Malmo costs about 28% more than Varberg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Malmo and Varberg sit above the global median – Malmo by 54%, Varberg by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.17 SEK 151

$15.35 SEK 153

-1.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.1 SEK 757

$76.3 SEK 760

-0.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.18 SEK 121

$10.20 SEK 102

19.41%

Cappuccino

$4.94 SEK 49.12

$3.83 SEK 38.12

28.98%

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

$3.50 SEK 34.85

$1.19 SEK 11.84

194.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 SEK 26.88

$1.02 SEK 10.15

164.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.69 SEK 86.5

$6.18 SEK 61.5

40.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.11 SEK 90.7

$7.42 SEK 73.9

22.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 SEK 16.59

$1.43 SEK 14.20

16.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.84 SEK 28.31

$2.96 SEK 29.49

-4.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.44 SEK 34.23

Eggs

$4.12 SEK 40.99

$4.13 SEK 41.08

-0.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.17 SEK 131

$12.77 SEK 127

3.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.85 SEK 118

$10.88 SEK 108

8.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.25 SEK 211

$19.85 SEK 198

7.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 SEK 29.52

$2.97 SEK 29.56

Banana (1kg)

$2.63 SEK 26.12

$2.53 SEK 25.15

3.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.94 SEK 29.26

$2.95 SEK 29.31

-0.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.26 SEK 42.37

$4.21 SEK 41.88

1.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 SEK 16.20

$1.47 SEK 14.63

10.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 SEK 15.47

$1.49 SEK 14.78

4.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.51 SEK 25.00

$2.53 SEK 25.21

-0.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 SEK 11.71

$0.97 SEK 9.67

21.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.17 SEK 81.3

$6.77 SEK 67.4

20.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.38 SEK 113

$10.24 SEK 102

11.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 SEK 20.40

$2.07 SEK 20.59

-0.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 SEK 23.62

$1.18 SEK 11.74

100.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.22 SEK 32.09

$2.94 SEK 29.22

9.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.9 SEK 636

$77.8 SEK 774

-17.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.05 SEK 60.2

$4.93 SEK 49.11

22.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.48 SEK 24.72

$2.41 SEK 23.94

2.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.44 SEK 492

$49.63 SEK 494

-0.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 SEK 17.80

$1.81 SEK 18.04

-1.10%

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

$32.6K SEK 324.8K

$33.0K SEK 328.3K

-1.05%

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

$33.3K SEK 331.1K

$33.6K SEK 334.2K

-0.94%

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

$144 SEK 1,432

$141 SEK 1,403

2.06%

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

$25.21 SEK 251

$19.92 SEK 198

26.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.19 SEK 400

$29.69 SEK 295

35.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.31 SEK 391

$40.37 SEK 402

-2.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.48 SEK 293

$40.39 SEK 402

-27.01%

Cinema Ticket

$17.12 SEK 170

$15.84 SEK 158

8.08%

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

$168 SEK 1,675

$149 SEK 1,481

13.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,352 SEK 33.4K

$3,455 SEK 34.4K

-2.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 SEK 1,015

$70.9 SEK 705

43.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.62 SEK 454

$40.23 SEK 400

13.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 SEK 1,101

$108 SEK 1,079

2.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$156 SEK 1,555

$149 SEK 1,482

4.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 SEK 10.9K

$798 SEK 7,943

37.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$852 SEK 8,482

$495 SEK 4,926

72.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,765 SEK 17.6K

$1,221 SEK 12.1K

44.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,343 SEK 13.4K

$915 SEK 9,106

46.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 SEK 40.8K

$6,532 SEK 65.0K

-37.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,158 SEK 31.4K

$3,568 SEK 35.5K

-11.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,979 SEK 29.6K

$3,103 SEK 30.9K

-4.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.05

1.9

60.53%

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

Last update for Malmo: October 25, 2026

Last update for Varberg: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malmo

$852 40.8%

Varberg

$495 30.3% 41.9% $357

Groceries & Markets

Malmo

$371 17.8%

Varberg

$352 21.5% 5.3% $20

Eating Out

Malmo

$304 14.5%

Varberg

$254 15.5% 16.4% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malmo

$209 10%

Varberg

$191 11.7% 8.9% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Malmo

$187 8.9%

Varberg

$166 10.1% 11.1% $21

Getting Around

Malmo

$95 4.6%

Varberg

$107 6.5% 11.8% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Malmo

$74 3.5%

Varberg

$72 4.4% 2% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,100 in Malmo versus $798 in Varberg. 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 4% higher in Varberg, 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 $76 in Varberg. Groceries tell a different story – $371 in Malmo vs $352 in Varberg – so Varberg wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Malmo

🇸🇪 Varberg

🕒 Local time

12:55 12:55 PM

Same time as Malmo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

316,588

27,602

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.05 USD

100 SEK = 9.03 EUR

100 SEK = 10.05 USD

100 SEK = 9.03 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Malmo Varberg 170 km

From you

Malmo
Varberg

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 Varberg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Malmo costs about 28% more than Varberg, 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 $2,453 in Varberg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Varberg, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $798 there versus $1,100 in Malmo.

Public transport costs about 18% less in Malmo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Malmo, 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 Varberg, where all-in costs run around $1,635, than in Malmo at $2,092. In Varberg it covers expenses comfortably, while in Malmo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Varberg – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.