Cost of Living · MY vs SE
🇲🇾 Kuala Lumpur vs 🇸🇪 Stockholm: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $594 in Malaysia vs $1,862 in Sweden — 213.39% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Sweden
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: 45%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 45.65%
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): 45.69%
Closest to Malaysia prices
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +273.16%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +273.16%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +273.15%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Malaysia | Sweden | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $350 | $1,307 (12,840 SEK) | +273.15% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $280 | $1,046 (10,272 SEK) | +273.16% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $641 | $2,391 (23,479 SEK) | +273.16% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $5.09 | $14.31 (141 SEK) | +181.14% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $21.19 | $59.64 (586 SEK) | +181.45% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $3.49 | $8.93 (88 SEK) | +155.87% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.44 | $0.93 (9 SEK) | +111.36% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $1.28 | $2.71 (27 SEK) | +111.72% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $1.36 | $2.88 (28 SEK) | +111.76% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $3.99 | $8.47 (83 SEK) | +112.28% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $1.60 | $3.39 (33 SEK) | +111.87% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $1.91 | $4.06 (40 SEK) | +112.57% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $4.79 | $10.16 (100 SEK) | +112.11% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $0.80 | $1.69 (17 SEK) | +111.25% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $1.70 | $4.77 (47 SEK) | +180.59% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $5.05 | $7.36 (72 SEK) | +45.74% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $1.41 | $3.98 (39 SEK) | +182.27% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $0.92 | $1.95 (19 SEK) | +111.96% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $20.61 | $52.78 (518 SEK) | +156.09% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $0.87 | $2.23 (22 SEK) | +156.32% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $1.13 | $3.18 (31 SEK) | +181.42% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $0.51 | $1.43 (14 SEK) | +180.39% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.60 | $0.87 (9 SEK) | +45% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $63.40 | $162 (1,595 SEK) | +156.15% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $22.19 | $56.84 (558 SEK) | +156.15% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $14.27 | $36.54 (359 SEK) | +156.06% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $14.13 | $39.76 (390 SEK) | +181.39% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $3.96 | $11.13 (109 SEK) | +181.06% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $8.48 | $23.86 (234 SEK) | +181.37% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $34.74 | $50.60 (497 SEK) | +45.65% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $56.84 | $82.81 (813 SEK) | +45.69% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $70.65 | $199 (1,953 SEK) | +181.42% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- How much more expensive is Sweden than Malaysia?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,862 in Sweden versus $594 in Malaysia — 213.39% more. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Sweden?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $4.77 in Sweden (≈ 46.85 SEK), versus about $1.70 in Malaysia.
- How much is rent in Sweden compared to Malaysia?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $1,307/month in Sweden versus $350/month in Malaysia (+273.15%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.