Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stockholm and Malmo

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.

125

Cost of Living Index in Stockholm
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Stockholm Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Malmo
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Malmo Living Index

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Stockholm

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,574

/mo nomad

Malmo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,031

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Stockholm and in Malmo

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

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

Stockholm $2,574
Malmo $2,031

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

Stockholm $3,871
Malmo $3,108

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

Stockholm $5,167
Malmo $4,185

Stockholm costs about 27% more than Malmo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.12 SEK 180

$15.01 SEK 149

20.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.6 SEK 986

$74.8 SEK 741

33.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 SEK 117

$12.13 SEK 120

-3.05%

Cappuccino

$4.95 SEK 49.03

$4.98 SEK 49.36

-0.60%

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

$3.68 SEK 36.46

$3.44 SEK 34.07

6.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 SEK 31.28

$2.65 SEK 26.24

19.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 SEK 79.8

$8.49 SEK 84.1

-5.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.82 SEK 87.4

$9.01 SEK 89.3

-2.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 SEK 17.80

$1.65 SEK 16.38

9.09%

White Bread (500g)

$3.88 SEK 38.43

$2.80 SEK 27.74

38.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.83 SEK 37.99

$3.44 SEK 34.08

11.34%

Eggs

$5.14 SEK 50.9

$3.98 SEK 39.43

29.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.45 SEK 123

$12.86 SEK 127

-3.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.63 SEK 125

$12.07 SEK 120

4.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.90 SEK 217

$21.13 SEK 209

3.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.47 SEK 34.41

$2.98 SEK 29.53

16.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 SEK 27.15

$2.59 SEK 25.63

5.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 SEK 30.54

$2.98 SEK 29.50

3.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.48 SEK 44.41

$4.29 SEK 42.46

4.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 SEK 17.54

$1.63 SEK 16.12

8.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 SEK 17.70

$1.52 SEK 15.03

17.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 SEK 23.76

$2.44 SEK 24.20

-1.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 SEK 23.50

$1.17 SEK 11.56

102.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.72 SEK 86.4

$7.83 SEK 77.6

11.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.99 SEK 119

$11.49 SEK 114

4.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 SEK 20.90

$1.94 SEK 19.21

8.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 SEK 25.34

$2.33 SEK 23.04

9.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.34 SEK 42.96

$3.12 SEK 30.89

39.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 SEK 1,063

$64.3 SEK 637

66.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.74 SEK 56.9

$6.36 SEK 63.1

-9.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 SEK 14.58

$2.47 SEK 24.48

-40.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.1 SEK 566

$49.15 SEK 487

16.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 SEK 17.86

$1.78 SEK 17.68

1.12%

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

$32.4K SEK 321.2K

$32.7K SEK 323.9K

-0.83%

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

$33.6K SEK 332.8K

$33.3K SEK 330.1K

0.83%

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

$249 SEK 2,469

$139 SEK 1,377

79.36%

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

$21.60 SEK 214

$25.01 SEK 248

-13.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.18 SEK 398

$38.88 SEK 385

3.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.98 SEK 466

$40.60 SEK 402

15.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.15 SEK 378

$29.04 SEK 288

31.37%

Cinema Ticket

$19.09 SEK 189

$16.99 SEK 168

12.36%

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

$158 SEK 1,569

$168 SEK 1,667

-5.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K SEK 162.0K

$3,337 SEK 33.1K

389.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 SEK 1,104

$97.8 SEK 969

13.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.0 SEK 584

$44.17 SEK 438

33.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 SEK 1,364

$111 SEK 1,097

24.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$186 SEK 1,847

$151 SEK 1,493

23.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,658 SEK 16.4K

$1,059 SEK 10.5K

56.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,079 SEK 10.7K

$806 SEK 7,989

33.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,982 SEK 29.5K

$1,720 SEK 17.0K

73.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,746 SEK 17.3K

$1,354 SEK 13.4K

29.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.3K SEK 111.8K

$4,083 SEK 40.5K

176.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,332 SEK 62.7K

$3,100 SEK 30.7K

104.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,583 SEK 35.5K

$2,978 SEK 29.5K

20.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.37

3.05

10.49%

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

Last update for Stockholm: October 13, 2026

Last update for Malmo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stockholm

$1.1K 41.9%

Malmo

$806 39.7% 25.3% $273

Groceries & Markets

Stockholm

$414 16.1%

Malmo

$369 18.2% 10.8% $45

Eating Out

Stockholm

$325 12.6%

Malmo

$301 14.8% 7.3% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stockholm

$311 12.1%

Malmo

$203 10% 34.8% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Stockholm

$222 8.6%

Malmo

$181 8.9% 18.4% $41

Getting Around

Stockholm

$138 5.4%

Malmo

$96 4.7% 30.6% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Stockholm

$85 3.3%

Malmo

$75 3.7% 12.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

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

Good to know

🇸🇪 Stockholm

🇸🇪 Malmo

🕒 Local time

08:29 8:29 AM

Same time as Stockholm

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

984,748 Capital

316,588

💱 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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Between locations

Stockholm Malmo 510 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Stockholm
Malmo

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 Malmo: 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 $3,861 per month in Stockholm and $3,047 in Malmo. 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 $158 per month in Stockholm and $168 in Malmo. 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.