Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Gavle

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $1,422 in Gavle, rent and utilities included – about $980 less a year. The total is higher in Gavle despite lower rent and utilities.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Gavle
Learn more

Gavle Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Gavle

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,422

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Gavle

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,422 in Gavle.

Bucharest $1,340
Gavle $1,422

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $2,261 in Gavle.

Bucharest $2,037
Gavle $2,261

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $3,101 in Gavle.

Bucharest $2,734
Gavle $3,101

Living in Bucharest costs roughly 6% less than in Gavle, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% below, Gavle is 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$13.57 SEK 134

6.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$78.8 SEK 781

-26.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$9.47 SEK 93.8

-21.01%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$4.43 SEK 43.85

-22.35%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$1.96 SEK 19.45

20.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$1.95 SEK 19.36

17.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$7.79 SEK 77.2

-52.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$7.86 SEK 77.9

-47.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$1.67 SEK 16.56

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$2.60 SEK 25.75

-47.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$3.80 SEK 37.61

-54.74%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$3.81 SEK 37.79

-4.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$9.46 SEK 93.7

-4.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$10.38 SEK 103

-34.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$18.60 SEK 184

-35.48%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$3.11 SEK 30.78

-60.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$2.84 SEK 28.13

-42.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$3.19 SEK 31.61

-50.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$4.45 SEK 44.08

-42.92%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$1.74 SEK 17.21

-54.60%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$1.71 SEK 16.99

-54.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$2.47 SEK 24.49

-64.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$1.94 SEK 19.21

-48.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$8.03 SEK 79.5

-21.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$11.16 SEK 111

-44.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.56 SEK 15.50

-23.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.53 SEK 15.14

2.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$3.17 SEK 31.38

-72.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$58.4 SEK 578

-63.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$4.44 SEK 43.98

-85.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$1.45 SEK 14.41

-58.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$33.41 SEK 331

-80.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$1.79 SEK 17.71

9.50%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$26.3K SEK 260.5K

10.28%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$28.3K SEK 280.4K

-5.86%

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

$196 RON 927

$54.0 SEK 535

262.56%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$21.30 SEK 211

-62.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$39.32 SEK 390

-76.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$47.80 SEK 474

5.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$15.06 SEK 149

-45.88%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$130 SEK 1,289

382.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$14.9K SEK 147.4K

-5.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$68.5 SEK 679

30.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$58.6 SEK 580

-34.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$50.1 SEK 497

58.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$88.6 SEK 878

1.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$560 SEK 5,547

21.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$415 SEK 4,109

8.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$767 SEK 7,600

41.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$647 SEK 6,411

12.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$1,875 SEK 18.6K

100.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$1,327 SEK 13.1K

65.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$3,114 SEK 30.9K

-57.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

3.37

100.30%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Gavle: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Gavle

$415 29.2% 7.5% $34

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Gavle

$260 18.3% 15.7% $35

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Gavle

$352 24.7% 56.3% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Gavle

$115 8.1% 46.2% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Gavle

$120 8.4% 10.7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Gavle

$78 5.5% 17.1% $11

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Gavle

$83 5.8% 193% $55

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $560 in Gavle. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gavle pays 134% 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: $58.0 in Bucharest vs $79.0 in Gavle for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $352 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇸🇪 Gavle

🕒 Local time

13:58 1:58 PM

12:58 12:58 PM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

100,000

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

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).

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).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Gavle 1,900 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Gavle

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

Bucharest vs Gavle: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Gavle differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $1,422 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 134% lower in Gavle. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $678 in Bucharest versus $560 in Gavle. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,340 per month in Bucharest versus $1,422 in Gavle – a 6% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 177% less than in Gavle. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,422 in Gavle, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Gavle. The gap between the two cities makes Bucharest the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Bucharest and Gavle 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 6% less than in Gavle. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.