Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bålsta and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $1,547 in Bålsta, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Bålsta
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Bålsta Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index

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Bålsta

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,547

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bålsta and in Bucharest

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bålsta and in Bucharest actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,547 in Bålsta versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Bålsta $1,547
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,416 in Bålsta versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Bålsta $2,416
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,286 in Bålsta versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Bålsta $3,286
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Bålsta is roughly 15% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bålsta is 15% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.80 SEK 137

$14.49 RON 68.6

-4.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.1 SEK 645

$58.1 RON 275

11.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.62 SEK 85.5

$7.48 RON 35.40

15.24%

Cappuccino

$3.89 SEK 38.56

$3.44 RON 16.29

13.08%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 SEK 26.21

$2.37 RON 11.22

11.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 SEK 22.00

$2.30 RON 10.88

-3.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.90 SEK 68.4

$3.70 RON 17.51

86.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.82 SEK 67.6

$4.16 RON 19.69

63.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 SEK 15.16

$1.67 RON 7.90

-8.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 SEK 20.04

$1.37 RON 6.50

47.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.56 SEK 35.31

$1.72 RON 8.14

106.98%

Eggs

$3.62 SEK 35.86

$3.64 RON 17.22

-0.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.93 SEK 108

$9.08 RON 42.98

20.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.00 SEK 119

$6.84 RON 32.35

75.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.92 SEK 108

$12.00 RON 56.8

-9.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.44 SEK 24.15

$1.23 RON 5.80

98.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.55 SEK 25.30

$1.63 RON 7.73

56.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 SEK 19.13

$1.57 RON 7.45

22.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.73 SEK 27.06

$2.54 RON 12.01

7.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 SEK 14.42

$0.79 RON 3.75

84.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 SEK 12.07

$0.77 RON 3.66

58.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 SEK 14.94

$0.87 RON 4.13

73.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 SEK 9.70

$0.99 RON 4.70

-1.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.18 SEK 71.2

$6.31 RON 29.86

13.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.74 SEK 96.5

$6.20 RON 29.34

57.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 SEK 15.16

$1.19 RON 5.63

28.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 SEK 19.88

$1.57 RON 7.45

28.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.19 SEK 31.62

$0.86 RON 4.08

270.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.0 SEK 773

$21.10 RON 99.8

269.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.81 SEK 57.6

$0.64 RON 3.05

807.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 SEK 15.00

$0.60 RON 2.86

151.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$78.0 SEK 773

$6.43 RON 30.43

1113.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 SEK 17.37

$1.96 RON 9.25

-10.71%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$32.9K SEK 325.8K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

13.39%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$32.0K SEK 317.3K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

20.22%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$49.58 SEK 491

$196 RON 927

-74.69%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$20.01 SEK 198

$8.04 RON 38.04

148.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.64 SEK 393

$9.35 RON 44.21

323.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.01 SEK 377

$50.2 RON 238

-24.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.77 SEK 255

$25.33 RON 120

1.74%

Cinema Ticket

$12.98 SEK 129

$8.15 RON 38.55

59.26%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$121 SEK 1,194

$628 RON 2,971

-80.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,908 SEK 48.6K

$14.1K RON 66.6K

-65.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 SEK 701

$89.6 RON 424

-21.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$10.12 SEK 100

$38.32 RON 181

-73.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.0 SEK 803

$79.3 RON 375

2.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 SEK 1,087

$90.4 RON 428

21.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$794 SEK 7,862

$678 RON 3,209

16.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$602 SEK 5,966

$448 RON 2,121

34.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,359 SEK 13.5K

$1,083 RON 5,125

25.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 SEK 10.1K

$725 RON 3,430

39.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,972 SEK 39.4K

$3,751 RON 17.7K

5.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,805 SEK 27.8K

$2,195 RON 10.4K

27.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,866 SEK 38.3K

$1,329 RON 6,290

190.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.8

6.75

-58.52%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Bålsta: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Bålsta

$602 38.9%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 25.5% $154

Groceries & Markets

Bålsta

$294 19%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 23.6% $69

Eating Out

Bålsta

$251 16.2%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 10.1% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Bålsta

$122 7.9%

Bucharest

$134 10% 9.6% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bålsta

$109 7.1%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 95.3% $104

Getting Around

Bålsta

$104 6.7%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 72.9% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Bålsta

$64 4.1%

Bucharest

$67 5% 4% $2.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $794 in Bålsta and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bålsta pays 191% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $65.0 in Bålsta vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $294 vs $225 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Bålsta

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

09:03 9:03 AM

10:03 10:03 AM

1 h ahead of Bålsta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,138

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bålsta Bucharest 1,780 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Bålsta
Bucharest

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Bålsta vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Bålsta. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bucharest the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 191% higher in Bålsta, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $794 in Bålsta versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,547 per month in Bålsta versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 15% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 270% less than in Bålsta. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,547 in Bålsta, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Bålsta. The gap between the two cities makes Bucharest the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bucharest delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,340 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bucharest hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Bålsta and Bucharest are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bucharest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Bålsta. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.