Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malmo and Ystad

For one person, living is cheaper in Ystad: $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
79

Cost of Living Index in Ystad
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Ystad Living Index

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Malmo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,092

/mo nomad

Ystad

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,646

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malmo and in Ystad

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

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

Malmo $2,092
Ystad $1,646

A couple spends around $3,149 per month in Malmo vs $2,592 in Ystad, rent included.

Malmo $3,149
Ystad $2,592

A family of three spends $4,206 per month in Malmo vs $3,538 in Ystad, rent included.

Malmo $4,206
Ystad $3,538

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.17 SEK 151

$12.15 SEK 121

24.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.1 SEK 757

$86.1 SEK 857

-11.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.18 SEK 121

$10.23 SEK 102

19.06%

Cappuccino

$4.94 SEK 49.12

$3.06 SEK 30.48

61.44%

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

$3.50 SEK 34.85

$2.98 SEK 29.66

17.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 SEK 26.88

$2.27 SEK 22.57

18.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.69 SEK 86.5

$6.99 SEK 69.6

24.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.11 SEK 90.7

$7.39 SEK 73.5

23.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 SEK 16.59

$1.71 SEK 16.98

-2.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.84 SEK 28.31

$2.80 SEK 27.86

1.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.44 SEK 34.23

$3.15 SEK 31.31

9.21%

Eggs

$4.12 SEK 40.99

$3.10 SEK 30.82

32.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.17 SEK 131

$11.51 SEK 115

14.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.85 SEK 118

$8.84 SEK 88.0

34.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.25 SEK 211

$16.46 SEK 164

29.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 SEK 29.52

$2.99 SEK 29.76

-0.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.63 SEK 26.12

$2.44 SEK 24.32

7.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.94 SEK 29.26

$2.93 SEK 29.20

0.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.26 SEK 42.37

$4.52 SEK 44.94

-5.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 SEK 16.20

$1.54 SEK 15.36

5.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 SEK 15.47

$1.70 SEK 16.87

-8.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.51 SEK 25.00

$1.96 SEK 19.46

28.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 SEK 11.71

$1.66 SEK 16.50

-28.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.17 SEK 81.3

$8.19 SEK 81.5

-0.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.38 SEK 113

$12.05 SEK 120

-5.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 SEK 20.40

$2.05 SEK 20.39

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 SEK 23.62

$2.28 SEK 22.73

3.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.22 SEK 32.09

$3.36 SEK 33.42

-4.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.9 SEK 636

$79.1 SEK 787

-19.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.05 SEK 60.2

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.48 SEK 24.72

$1.74 SEK 17.31

42.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.44 SEK 492

$59.2 SEK 589

-16.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 SEK 17.80

$1.77 SEK 17.61

1.13%

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

$32.6K SEK 324.8K

$29.9K SEK 297.7K

9.12%

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

$33.3K SEK 331.1K

$33.3K SEK 331.4K

-0.09%

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

$144 SEK 1,432

$105 SEK 1,044

37.13%

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

$25.21 SEK 251

$19.69 SEK 196

28.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.19 SEK 400

$30.14 SEK 300

33.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.31 SEK 391

$37.44 SEK 373

4.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.48 SEK 293

$26.36 SEK 262

11.84%

Cinema Ticket

$17.12 SEK 170

$12.15 SEK 121

40.91%

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

$168 SEK 1,675

$180 SEK 1,789

-6.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,352 SEK 33.4K

$4,351 SEK 43.3K

-22.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 SEK 1,015

$51.3 SEK 510

98.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.62 SEK 454

$33.38 SEK 332

36.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 SEK 1,101

$87.4 SEK 870

26.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$156 SEK 1,555

$133 SEK 1,328

17.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 SEK 10.9K

$792 SEK 7,883

38.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$852 SEK 8,482

$612 SEK 6,096

39.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,765 SEK 17.6K

$1,354 SEK 13.5K

30.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,343 SEK 13.4K

$1,023 SEK 10.2K

31.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 SEK 40.8K

$4,023 SEK 40.0K

1.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,158 SEK 31.4K

$2,767 SEK 27.5K

14.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,979 SEK 29.6K

$1,881 SEK 18.7K

58.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.05

3.06

-0.33%

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

Last update for Malmo: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ystad: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malmo

$852 40.8%

Ystad

$612 37.2% 28.1% $240

Groceries & Markets

Malmo

$371 17.8%

Ystad

$337 20.5% 9.3% $35

Eating Out

Malmo

$304 14.5%

Ystad

$235 14.3% 22.5% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malmo

$209 10%

Ystad

$155 9.4% 26.1% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Malmo

$187 8.9%

Ystad

$137 8.4% 26.3% $49

Getting Around

Malmo

$95 4.6%

Ystad

$107 6.5% 12.6% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Malmo

$74 3.5%

Ystad

$62 3.8% 16.1% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,100 in Malmo versus $792 in Ystad. 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 58% higher in Malmo. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in Malmo versus $86 in Ystad. Groceries tell a different story – $371 in Malmo vs $337 in Ystad – so Ystad wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Malmo

🇸🇪 Ystad

🕒 Local time

14:00 2:00 PM

Same time as Malmo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

316,588

18,350

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Malmo Ystad 55 km

From you

Malmo
Ystad

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 Ystad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Malmo costs about 27% more than Ystad, 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 Ystad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ystad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $792 there versus $1,100 in Malmo.

Kindergarten costs $168 per month in Malmo and $180 in Ystad. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 10% 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 Ystad, where all-in costs run around $1,646, than in Malmo at $2,092. In Ystad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Malmo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Malmo has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,646 in Ystad to $2,092 in Malmo. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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