Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stockholm and Kalmar

For one person, living is cheaper in Kalmar: $1,953 a month against $2,531 in Stockholm, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Stockholm
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Stockholm Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in Kalmar
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Kalmar Living Index

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Stockholm

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,531

/mo nomad

Kalmar

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,953

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Stockholm and in Kalmar

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Stockholm and in Kalmar actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,531 per month in Stockholm vs $1,953 in Kalmar, rent included.

Stockholm $2,531
Kalmar $1,953

A couple spends around $3,823 per month in Stockholm vs $2,895 in Kalmar, rent included.

Stockholm $3,823
Kalmar $2,895

A family of three spends $5,114 per month in Stockholm vs $3,837 in Kalmar, rent included.

Stockholm $5,114
Kalmar $3,837

Stockholm costs about 30% more than Kalmar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Stockholm and Kalmar sit above the global median – Stockholm by 86%, Kalmar by 44%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.91 SEK 177

$15.36 SEK 152

16.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 SEK 1,008

$71.1 SEK 703

43.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 SEK 116

$10.47 SEK 104

12.32%

Cappuccino

$5.17 SEK 51.1

$4.67 SEK 46.20

10.71%

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

$3.66 SEK 36.23

$2.81 SEK 27.82

30.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 SEK 30.38

$2.55 SEK 25.22

20.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.86 SEK 77.7

$9.69 SEK 95.8

-18.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.11 SEK 90.0

$7.25 SEK 71.7

25.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 SEK 16.32

$1.48 SEK 14.58

11.49%

White Bread (500g)

$3.91 SEK 38.66

$3.01 SEK 29.80

29.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.72 SEK 36.74

$3.07 SEK 30.37

21.17%

Eggs

$5.09 SEK 50.3

$4.65 SEK 46.00

9.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.83 SEK 127

$16.58 SEK 164

-22.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.77 SEK 126

$10.89 SEK 108

17.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.47 SEK 222

$22.80 SEK 225

-1.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 SEK 35.13

$2.49 SEK 24.59

42.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.87 SEK 28.40

$2.77 SEK 27.34

3.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 SEK 32.21

$3.57 SEK 35.29

-8.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.36 SEK 43.08

$4.46 SEK 44.11

-2.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 SEK 17.42

$1.67 SEK 16.54

5.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 SEK 17.67

$2.27 SEK 22.46

-21.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 SEK 24.23

$1.93 SEK 19.04

26.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 SEK 23.45

$1.67 SEK 16.53

41.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.68 SEK 85.8

$7.79 SEK 77.0

11.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.16 SEK 120

$9.14 SEK 90.3

33.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 SEK 21.03

$1.93 SEK 19.10

10.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 SEK 24.98

$2.54 SEK 25.15

-0.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.27 SEK 42.24

$3.21 SEK 31.74

33.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 SEK 1,053

$78.4 SEK 775

35.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.05 SEK 59.8

$10.03 SEK 99.2

-39.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 SEK 15.24

$1.72 SEK 17.02

-10.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$55.7 SEK 550

$47.45 SEK 469

17.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 SEK 17.95

$1.71 SEK 16.86

6.43%

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

$32.8K SEK 323.8K

$30.2K SEK 298.3K

8.57%

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

$33.7K SEK 333.2K

$29.3K SEK 289.9K

14.95%

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

$254 SEK 2,511

$144 SEK 1,428

75.86%

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

$21.66 SEK 214

$27.58 SEK 273

-21.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.33 SEK 408

$32.34 SEK 320

27.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.32 SEK 458

$30.33 SEK 300

52.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.99 SEK 385

$26.38 SEK 261

47.80%

Cinema Ticket

$18.53 SEK 183

$14.58 SEK 144

27.09%

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

$160 SEK 1,578

$142 SEK 1,399

12.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K SEK 160.2K

$4,986 SEK 49.3K

225.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 SEK 1,099

$49.41 SEK 488

125.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.7 SEK 590

$44.31 SEK 438

34.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$133 SEK 1,315

$79.2 SEK 783

67.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$183 SEK 1,813

$100 SEK 990

83.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 SEK 16.0K

$908 SEK 8,977

77.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,031 SEK 10.2K

$778 SEK 7,687

32.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,614 SEK 25.8K

$1,325 SEK 13.1K

97.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,677 SEK 16.6K

$1,123 SEK 11.1K

49.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.8K SEK 116.7K

$4,073 SEK 40.3K

190.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,816 SEK 67.4K

$2,733 SEK 27.0K

149.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,521 SEK 34.8K

$2,864 SEK 28.3K

22.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.33

3.93

-15.27%

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

Last update for Stockholm: October 24, 2026

Last update for Kalmar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stockholm

$1K 40.8%

Kalmar

$778 39.8% 24.6% $253

Groceries & Markets

Stockholm

$418 16.5%

Kalmar

$384 19.7% 8% $33

Eating Out

Stockholm

$325 12.9%

Kalmar

$295 15.1% 9.3% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stockholm

$317 12.5%

Kalmar

$204 10.5% 35.5% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Stockholm

$219 8.7%

Kalmar

$123 6.3% 44% $96

Getting Around

Stockholm

$137 5.4%

Kalmar

$110 5.6% 20% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Stockholm

$83 3.3%

Kalmar

$59 3.1% 28.6% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,614 in Stockholm versus $908 in Kalmar. 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 23% 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 $102 in Stockholm versus $71 in Kalmar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $418 vs $384 – making Kalmar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Stockholm

🇸🇪 Kalmar

🕒 Local time

19:10 7:10 PM

Same time as Stockholm

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

984,748 Capital

35,170

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.12 USD

100 SEK = 9.07 EUR

100 SEK = 10.12 USD

100 SEK = 9.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Stockholm Kalmar 310 km

From you

Stockholm
Kalmar

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

Stockholm vs Kalmar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,531 in Stockholm, $1,953 in Kalmar – Kalmar comes out roughly 23% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,796 per month in Stockholm and $2,930 in Kalmar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kalmar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $908 there versus $1,614 in Stockholm.

Kindergarten costs $160 per month in Stockholm and $142 in Kalmar. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% more in Stockholm, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,531 in Stockholm and $1,953 in Kalmar, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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