Malmö vs Uppsala
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Malmö edges it, 73 to 71, winning 2 of the 9 factors. Malmö is stronger on cost of living; Uppsala on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Sweden's youngest city, a bridge from Copenhagen
Full Malmö profile →Where to stay in Malmö →Sweden's oldest university city, 18 minutes from Arlanda
Full Uppsala profile →Where to stay in Uppsala →Where they differ
- Cost of living. Malmö leads on cost of living, 34 to 16, against Uppsala. Monthly cost, one person: $1,957 vs $3,125.
- Getting there & around. Malmö leads on getting there & around, 88 to 81, against Uppsala. Non-stop airport destinations: 203 vs 165.
- Air quality. Uppsala leads on air quality, 100 to 95, against Malmö. PM2.5: 7.3 µg/m³ vs 4.2 µg/m³.
Where they are close. Within five points on internet, safety, healthcare, visa ease, climate, quality of life.
Pick Malmö if you want
- to spend about $1,168 less a month
Pick Uppsala if you want
- nothing in particular over Malmö: it trails on every factor the data covers
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Malmö | Uppsala |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 34 ✓ | 16 |
| Safety | 83 | 83 |
| Healthcare | 88 | 88 |
| Internet | 86 | 91 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 61 | 61 |
| Getting there & around | 88 ✓ | 81 |
| Climate | 25 | 25 |
| Air quality | 95 | 100 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 97 | 97 |
Cost
| Metric | Malmö | Uppsala |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one person | $1,957 ✓ | $3,125 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | $1,009 | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Malmö | Uppsala |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Malmö | Uppsala |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 84.9 Mbps | 96.9 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 41.3 Mbps | 88.5 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Malmö | Uppsala |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Malmö | Uppsala |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 203 ✓ | 165 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 5 ✓ | 4 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 4 | 4 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Malmö | Uppsala |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 3 | 3 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 7.3 µg/m³ | 4.2 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Malmö or Uppsala?
- Malmö is cheaper: about $1,957 per month versus $3,125 for one person.
- Is Malmö or Uppsala safer?
- Malmö scores higher on safety (83 vs 83), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Malmö or Uppsala?
- Uppsala: a measured median of 96.9 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); WhereNext city cost estimates 2026 (city pages); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.10.7. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.