Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Karlskrona

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $1,617 in Karlskrona, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. The total is higher in Karlskrona despite lower rent and utilities.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Karlskrona
Learn more

Karlskrona Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Karlskrona

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,617

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Karlskrona

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 Karlskrona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,617 in Karlskrona.

Bucharest $1,340
Karlskrona $1,617

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $2,525 in Karlskrona.

Bucharest $2,037
Karlskrona $2,525

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $3,434 in Karlskrona.

Bucharest $2,734
Karlskrona $3,434

Living in Bucharest costs roughly 17% less than in Karlskrona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% below, Karlskrona is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$12.71 SEK 126

14.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$63.9 SEK 633

-9.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$8.79 SEK 87.1

-14.90%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$3.96 SEK 39.23

-13.13%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$1.30 SEK 12.90

82.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$2.19 SEK 21.71

5.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$7.04 SEK 69.8

-47.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$5.09 SEK 50.5

-18.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$1.45 SEK 14.36

15.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$2.78 SEK 27.50

-50.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$3.60 SEK 35.72

-52.22%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$4.38 SEK 43.41

-16.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$10.82 SEK 107

-16.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$13.33 SEK 132

-48.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$17.14 SEK 170

-29.99%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$2.98 SEK 29.52

-58.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$2.43 SEK 24.06

-32.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$2.97 SEK 29.43

-47.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$4.41 SEK 43.65

-42.40%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$1.47 SEK 14.59

-46.26%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$1.53 SEK 15.20

-49.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$2.10 SEK 20.82

-58.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$1.36 SEK 13.43

-27.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$7.19 SEK 71.2

-12.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$12.29 SEK 122

-49.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.99 SEK 19.74

-40.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.69 SEK 16.77

-7.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$2.92 SEK 28.94

-70.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$69.8 SEK 691

-69.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$12.92 SEK 128

-95.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$2.02 SEK 20.00

-70.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$80.5 SEK 798

-92.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$1.73 SEK 17.18

13.29%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$33.4K SEK 330.6K

-13.10%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$32.8K SEK 324.7K

-18.72%

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

$196 RON 927

$51.5 SEK 510

280.74%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$27.15 SEK 269

-70.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$37.02 SEK 367

-74.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$41.67 SEK 413

20.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$16.12 SEK 160

-49.44%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$159 SEK 1,572

295.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$98.3 SEK 973

-8.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$20.03 SEK 198

91.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$79.0 SEK 783

0.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$171 SEK 1,698

-47.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$664 SEK 6,583

2.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$564 SEK 5,585

-20.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$1,078 SEK 10.7K

0.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$946 SEK 9,373

-23.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$2,898 SEK 28.7K

29.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$2,466 SEK 24.4K

-10.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$2,479 SEK 24.6K

-46.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

4.22

59.95%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Karlskrona: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Karlskrona

$564 34.9% 25.7% $115

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Karlskrona

$235 14.5% 4.3% $9.8

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Karlskrona

$358 22.2% 59.2% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Karlskrona

$116 7.2% 45.8% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Karlskrona

$166 10.3% 23.9% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Karlskrona

$74 4.6% 11.1% $7.4

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Karlskrona

$104 6.5% 270% $76

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $664 in Karlskrona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Karlskrona pays 86% 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 $64.0 in Karlskrona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $358 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇸🇪 Karlskrona

🕒 Local time

06:26 6:26 AM

05:26 5:26 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

35,212

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Bucharest Karlskrona 1,500 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Karlskrona

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 Karlskrona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Karlskrona differ by about 21% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $1,617 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 86% lower in Karlskrona. 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 $664 in Karlskrona. 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 $1,617 in Karlskrona – a 21% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 231% less than in Karlskrona. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,617 in Karlskrona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Karlskrona. 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 Karlskrona 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 21% less than in Karlskrona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.