Lund vs Malmö
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Malmö edges it, 73 to 71, winning 2 of the 9 factors. Lund is stronger on nothing outright; Malmö on cost of living. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Tiny medieval university town between Malmö and Copenhagen
Full Lund profile →Where to stay in Lund →Sweden's youngest city, a bridge from Copenhagen
Full Malmö profile →Where to stay in Malmö →Where they differ
- Cost of living. Malmö leads on cost of living, 34 to 17, against Lund. Monthly cost, one person: $3,050 vs $1,957.
- Getting there & around. Malmö leads on getting there & around, 88 to 83, against Lund. Non-stop airport destinations: 203 vs 203.
Where they are close. Within five points on internet, air quality, safety, healthcare, visa ease, climate, quality of life.
Pick Lund if you want
- faster internet (102.8 Mbps measured)
Pick Malmö if you want
- to spend about $1,093 less a month
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Lund | Malmö |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 17 | 34 ✓ |
| Safety | 83 | 83 |
| Healthcare | 88 | 88 |
| Internet | 89 ✓ | 86 |
| Visa ease | 61 | 61 |
| Getting there & around | 83 | 88 ✓ |
| Climate | 25 | 25 |
| Air quality | 97 ✓ | 95 |
| Quality of life | 97 | 97 |
Cost
| Metric | Lund | Malmö |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $3,050 | $1,957 ✓ |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | $1,009 |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Lund | Malmö |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 0.87 | 0.87 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 80.5 | 80.5 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 85 | 85 |
| Life expectancy | 82.7 yrs | 82.7 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Lund | Malmö |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 102.8 Mbps ✓ | 84.9 Mbps |
| Upload | 50.6 Mbps ✓ | 41.3 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Lund | Malmö |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | 90 days | 90 days |
| Entry, EU passport | unlimited | unlimited |
| Entry, UK passport | 90 days | 90 days |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Lund | Malmö |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 203 | 203 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 5 | 5 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 4 ✓ |
Climate and air
| Metric | Lund | Malmö |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 3 | 3 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 6.3 µg/m³ ✓ | 7.3 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Lund or Malmö?
- Malmö is cheaper: about $1,957 per month versus $3,050 for one person.
- Is Lund or Malmö safer?
- Lund scores higher on safety (83 vs 83), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Lund or Malmö?
- Lund: a measured median of 102.8 Mbps versus 84.9 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.10.7. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.