Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Umea and Malmo

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.

80

Cost of Living Index in Umea
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Umea Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in Malmo
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Malmo Living Index

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Umea

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,646

/mo nomad

Malmo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,092

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Umea 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 Umea and in Malmo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Umea $1,646
Malmo $2,092

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

Umea $2,615
Malmo $3,149

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

Umea $3,583
Malmo $4,206

Umea is about 21% cheaper than Malmo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.95 SEK 146

$15.17 SEK 148

-1.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.0 SEK 771

$76.1 SEK 742

3.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.93 SEK 116

$12.18 SEK 119

-2.05%

Cappuccino

$3.96 SEK 38.62

$4.94 SEK 48.15

-19.84%

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

$3.15 SEK 30.74

$3.50 SEK 34.16

-10.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 SEK 24.10

$2.70 SEK 26.35

-8.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.62 SEK 84.1

$8.69 SEK 84.8

-0.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.44 SEK 72.5

$9.11 SEK 88.9

-18.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 SEK 16.99

$1.67 SEK 16.26

4.19%

White Bread (500g)

$3.42 SEK 33.32

$2.84 SEK 27.75

20.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.09 SEK 39.92

$3.44 SEK 33.56

18.90%

Eggs

$4.06 SEK 39.59

$4.12 SEK 40.18

-1.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.38 SEK 111

$13.17 SEK 128

-13.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.74 SEK 105

$11.85 SEK 116

-9.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.82 SEK 164

$21.25 SEK 207

-20.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 SEK 25.18

$2.97 SEK 28.94

-13.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 SEK 21.23

$2.63 SEK 25.61

-17.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 SEK 26.57

$2.94 SEK 28.68

-7.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.30 SEK 41.94

$4.26 SEK 41.53

0.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.65 SEK 16.07

$1.63 SEK 15.88

1.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 SEK 16.46

$1.55 SEK 15.17

9.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.49 SEK 24.29

$2.51 SEK 24.51

-0.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 SEK 12.93

$1.18 SEK 11.48

12.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.09 SEK 69.2

$8.17 SEK 79.7

-13.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 SEK 99.5

$11.38 SEK 111

-10.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 SEK 22.51

$2.05 SEK 19.99

12.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 SEK 23.81

$2.37 SEK 23.15

2.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.89 SEK 28.19

$3.22 SEK 31.46

-10.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.8 SEK 564

$63.9 SEK 623

-9.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.08 SEK 69.1

$6.05 SEK 59.0

17.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.99 SEK 48.64

$2.48 SEK 24.23

101.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.44 SEK 482

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.68 SEK 16.37

$1.79 SEK 17.45

-6.15%

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

$33.8K SEK 329.7K

$32.6K SEK 318.4K

3.55%

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

$33.2K SEK 323.9K

$33.3K SEK 324.6K

-0.21%

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

$84.7 SEK 827

$144 SEK 1,403

-41.10%

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

$32.54 SEK 317

$25.21 SEK 246

29.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.49 SEK 268

$40.19 SEK 392

-31.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.29 SEK 471

$39.31 SEK 384

22.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.41 SEK 345

$29.48 SEK 288

20.12%

Cinema Ticket

$16.40 SEK 160

$17.12 SEK 167

-4.21%

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

$139 SEK 1,360

$168 SEK 1,642

-17.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,352 SEK 32.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.7 SEK 972

$102 SEK 995

-2.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.16 SEK 363

$45.62 SEK 445

-18.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 SEK 1,159

$111 SEK 1,079

7.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 SEK 1,371

$156 SEK 1,524

-10.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 SEK 7,237

$1,100 SEK 10.7K

-32.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 SEK 4,928

$852 SEK 8,314

-40.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,104 SEK 10.8K

$1,765 SEK 17.2K

-37.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$842 SEK 8,214

$1,343 SEK 13.1K

-37.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,640 SEK 45.3K

$4,098 SEK 40.0K

13.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,050 SEK 29.8K

$3,158 SEK 30.8K

-3.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,692 SEK 26.3K

$2,979 SEK 29.1K

-9.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.65

3.05

19.67%

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

Last update for Umea: October 27, 2026

Last update for Malmo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Umea

$505 30.7%

Malmo

$852 40.8% 68.7% $347

Groceries & Markets

Umea

$352 21.4%

Malmo

$371 17.8% 5.6% $20

Eating Out

Umea

$283 17.2%

Malmo

$304 14.5% 7.1% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Umea

$178 10.8%

Malmo

$187 8.9% 4.6% $8.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Umea

$145 8.8%

Malmo

$209 10% 44.6% $64

Getting Around

Umea

$101 6.2%

Malmo

$95 4.6% 6% $6.1

Sport & Entertainment

Umea

$81 4.9%

Malmo

$74 3.5% 9.3% $7.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $742 in Umea versus $1,100 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 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 $79 in Umea versus $76 in Malmo. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Umea vs $371 in Malmo – so Umea wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Umea

🇸🇪 Malmo

🕒 Local time

16:55 4:55 PM

Same time as Umea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,594

316,588

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Umea
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

Umea vs Malmo: 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 $2,469 per month in Umea and $3,138 in Malmo. 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 $139 per month in Umea 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 6% more in Malmo, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,646 in Umea and $2,092 in Malmo, 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.