---
title: "Malmö vs Uppsala for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/malmo-vs-uppsala
description: "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."
dataset: 2026.10.7 (2026-10-13)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# 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.

## 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 | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 34 | 16 | Malmö |
| Safety | 83 | 83 | tie |
| Healthcare | 88 | 88 | tie |
| Internet | 86 | 91 | Uppsala |
| Visa ease | 61 | 61 | tie |
| Getting there & around | 88 | 81 | Malmö |
| Climate | 25 | 25 | tie |
| Air quality | 95 | 100 | Uppsala |
| Quality of life | 97 | 97 | tie |

## Cost

| Metric | Malmö | Uppsala | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $1,957 | $3,125 | Malmö |
| Central one-bedroom rent | $1,009 | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Malmö | Uppsala | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 0.87 | 0.87 | tie |
| Political stability (0–100) | 80.5 | 80.5 | tie |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 85 | 85 | tie |
| Life expectancy | 82.7 yrs | 82.7 yrs | tie |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Malmö | Uppsala | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 84.9 Mbps | 96.9 Mbps | Uppsala |
| Upload | 41.3 Mbps | 88.5 Mbps | Uppsala |

## Visa

| Metric | Malmö | Uppsala | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data | — |
| Entry, US passport | 90 days | 90 days | tie |
| Entry, EU passport | unlimited | unlimited | tie |
| Entry, UK passport | 90 days | 90 days | tie |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Malmö | Uppsala | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 203 | 165 | Malmö |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 5 | 4 | Malmö |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 4 | 4 | tie |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Malmö | Uppsala | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 3 | 3 | tie |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 7.3 µg/m³ | 4.2 µg/m³ | Uppsala |

## FAQ

### 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).

City pages: [Malmö](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/malmo) · [Uppsala](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/uppsala). 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.

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/malmo-vs-uppsala