Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Ludvika

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $1,544 in Ludvika, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. The total is higher in Ludvika despite lower rent and utilities.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Ludvika
Learn more

Ludvika Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Ludvika

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,544

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Ludvika

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,544 in Ludvika.

Bucharest $1,340
Ludvika $1,544

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $2,587 in Ludvika.

Bucharest $2,037
Ludvika $2,587

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $3,629 in Ludvika.

Bucharest $2,734
Ludvika $3,629

Living in Bucharest costs roughly 13% less than in Ludvika, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% below, Ludvika is 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$13.65 SEK 135

6.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$65.3 SEK 647

-11.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$9.70 SEK 96.2

-22.89%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$4.29 SEK 42.50

-19.81%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$2.54 SEK 25.17

-6.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$2.22 SEK 21.97

3.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$6.88 SEK 68.2

-46.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$7.00 SEK 69.3

-40.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$1.68 SEK 16.63

-0.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$2.69 SEK 26.61

-49.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$3.80 SEK 37.67

-54.74%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$5.05 SEK 50.0

-27.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$13.20 SEK 131

-31.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$12.86 SEK 127

-46.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$27.00 SEK 268

-55.56%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$3.12 SEK 30.87

-60.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$3.41 SEK 33.83

-52.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$3.52 SEK 34.84

-55.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$4.19 SEK 41.49

-39.38%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$1.40 SEK 13.92

-43.57%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$1.72 SEK 17.00

-55.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$2.18 SEK 21.63

-60.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$1.45 SEK 14.41

-31.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$7.15 SEK 70.8

-11.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$10.05 SEK 99.6

-38.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.92 SEK 18.99

-38.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$2.25 SEK 22.31

-30.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$13.11 SEK 130

-95.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$1.96 SEK 19.43

-69.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$79.6 SEK 789

-91.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$1.76 SEK 17.39

11.36%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$33.5K SEK 331.8K

-13.41%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$32.1K SEK 318.0K

-16.99%

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

$196 RON 927

$97.8 SEK 969

100.21%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$19.65 SEK 195

-59.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$46.53 SEK 461

-79.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$29.93 SEK 297

67.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$49.60 SEK 492

-48.93%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$16.10 SEK 160

-49.38%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$216 SEK 2,138

191.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$99.6 SEK 987

-10.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$52.5 SEK 520

-26.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$93.8 SEK 929

-15.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$213 SEK 2,113

-57.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$448 SEK 4,439

51.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$428 SEK 4,241

4.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$945 SEK 9,362

14.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$980 SEK 9,712

-26.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$3,711 SEK 36.8K

-64.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

2.8

141.07%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ludvika: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Ludvika

$428 27.7% 4.5% $20

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Ludvika

$257 16.7% 14.2% $32

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Ludvika

$403 26.1% 79.1% $178

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Ludvika

$164 10.6% 23.1% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Ludvika

$207 13.4% 54.3% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Ludvika

$62 4% 6.6% $4.4

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Ludvika

$23 * 1.5% 18.8% $5.3

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $448 in Ludvika. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ludvika pays 179% 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 $65.0 in Ludvika for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $403 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇸🇪 Ludvika

🕒 Local time

18:53 6:53 PM

17:53 5:53 PM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

26,343

💱 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 Ludvika 1,910 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Ludvika

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 Ludvika: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Ludvika differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $1,544 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 179% lower in Ludvika. 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 $448 in Ludvika. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 79% higher in Ludvika. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,340 per month in Bucharest versus $1,544 in Ludvika – a 15% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,544 in Ludvika, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Ludvika. 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.

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