Malmö at a glance
- Malmö ranks 8th of 10 priced cities in Sweden on cost: $1,653 a month in essentials, 29% above Umeå, the cheapest.
- The average net salary of $3,191 covers that 1.9×.
- 96.9 men per 100 women aged 20–39, measured at kommun level.
- PM2.5 averages 7.1 µg/m³ a year, 1× the WHO guideline of 5.
Green is the better side of each figure. Every line is computed from the tables below.
Monthly cost breakdown
Rent outside centre plus utilities, groceries, dining and local transport make up the essentials figure. Not a full lifestyle budget. The middle column is the median across the 10 Sweden cities we track, so every row says whether Malmö is the cheap side of its own market or the dear one. Green is the better side of each row.
| Essentials, monthlyrent outside centre + bills + food + transit | $1,653 | $1,477 | $176 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $844 | $692 | $152 |
| Rent, 1-bed city centremonthly, USD | $1,029 | $926 | $102 |
| Groceriesmonthly, one person | $205 | $212 | $6 |
| Dining outmonthly, one person | $355 | $350 | $4 |
| Utilitiesmonthly: power, water, heating, internet | $183 | $154 | $28 |
| Local transportmonthly pass or fare equivalent | $66 | $78 | $12 |
| Average net salarymonthly, after tax; average, not median | $3,191 | $3,094 | $97 |
| Rent, 3-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $1,443 | $1,220 | $224 |
| Rent, 3-bed city centremonthly, USD | $1,835 | $1,616 | $220 |
Single person, USD. Data updated August 6, 2026.
Everyday prices
What single items cost in Malmö, in USD. The monthly figures above are built from these. Cheaper side of each row in green.
Eating out
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $15.73 | $15.34 | $0.39 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal for 2, mid-range, three courses | $79.26 | $83.88 | $4.62 |
| McMeal at McDonald's | $12.58 | $12.58 | same |
| Cappuccino, regular | $5.04 | $4.94 | $0.10 |
| Domestic beer, 0.5 L draught | $8.86 | $8.21 | $0.65 |
| Imported beer, 0.33 L bottle | $9.33 | $7.60 | $1.73 |
| Coke/Pepsi, 0.33 L | $3.56 | $3.15 | $0.42 |
| Water, 0.33 L bottle | $2.78 | $2.50 | $0.28 |
Groceries
| Milk, 1 L | $1.79 | $1.76 | $0.03 |
|---|---|---|---|
| White bread, 500 g | $2.95 | $2.98 | $0.03 |
| White rice, 1 kg | $3.57 | $3.84 | $0.27 |
| Eggs, 12 | $4.21 | $4.34 | $0.13 |
| Local cheese, 1 kg | $13.69 | $12.71 | $0.97 |
| Chicken fillets, 1 kg | $12.68 | $12.46 | $0.21 |
| Apples, 1 kg | $3.20 | $3.20 | $0.00 |
| Bananas, 1 kg | $2.72 | $2.72 | same |
| Tomatoes, 1 kg | $4.42 | $4.64 | $0.22 |
| Potatoes, 1 kg | $1.84 | $1.83 | $0.01 |
| Onions, 1 kg | $1.65 | $1.75 | $0.10 |
| Water, 1.5 L bottle | $1.30 | $1.70 | 1.31× as much |
Transport & bills
| One-way ticket, local transport | $3.36 | $3.41 | $0.05 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly transit pass | $66.47 | $78.25 | $11.78 |
| Taxi start | $6.53 | $6.19 | $0.34 |
| Taxi, 1 km | $2.57 | $1.90 | 1.35× as much |
| Gasoline, 1 L | $1.84 | $1.84 | same |
| Basic utilities, 85 m² flat | $145.54 | $118.66 | $26.88 |
| Internet, 60 Mbps+ | $37.23 | $39.93 | $2.70 |
| Mobile plan, monthly | $26.65 | $27.81 | $1.16 |
Leisure
| Gym, monthly | $43.14 | $40.61 | $2.53 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cinema, one seat | $18.24 | $17.04 | $1.20 |
Dating-age sex ratio
Malmö has 96.9 men per 100 women aged 20–39 (kommun level). That is the 9th-highest of 10 Sweden cities we track. Sweden's national figure is 107.2, so Malmö runs 10 below the country as a whole.
A supply figure, 20–39. The dating-pool model is in Pro.
How Malmö ranks against every city we track
Malmö sits ahead of 86% of the 534 cities we track on salary against local costs. On clean air it is ahead of 82% of 898. Its weakest measure is safety, ahead of only 20% of 562.
Longer is better on every row: bar length is where Malmö sits among all the cities carrying that measure, which is why the count differs by row.
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Photo: This image was produced by me, David Castor (user:dcastor). The pictures I submit to the Wikipedia Project are released , CC0.
