Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Marsta

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $1,642 in Marsta, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Marsta
Learn more

Marsta Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Marsta

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,642

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Marsta

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,642 in Marsta.

Bucharest $1,340
Marsta $1,642

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $2,549 in Marsta.

Bucharest $2,037
Marsta $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $3,456 in Marsta.

Bucharest $2,734
Marsta $3,456

Living in Bucharest costs roughly 18% less than in Marsta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% below, Marsta is 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$13.20 SEK 131

9.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$65.8 SEK 652

-11.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$10.22 SEK 101

-26.81%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$4.42 SEK 43.82

-22.17%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$2.00 SEK 19.85

18.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$1.75 SEK 17.30

31.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$7.12 SEK 70.6

-48.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$6.78 SEK 67.2

-38.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$1.69 SEK 16.77

-1.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$3.04 SEK 30.15

-54.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$5.64 SEK 55.9

-69.50%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$3.57 SEK 35.39

1.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$13.48 SEK 134

-32.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$8.95 SEK 88.7

-23.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$16.90 SEK 167

-28.99%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$3.03 SEK 30.05

-59.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$2.67 SEK 26.49

-38.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.96 SEK 19.43

-19.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$3.72 SEK 36.89

-31.72%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$1.41 SEK 13.98

-43.97%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$1.48 SEK 14.66

-47.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$1.95 SEK 19.31

-55.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$1.83 SEK 18.10

-45.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$7.15 SEK 70.9

-11.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$10.10 SEK 100

-38.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.87 SEK 18.56

-36.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$2.03 SEK 20.13

-22.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$3.36 SEK 33.27

-74.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$75.8 SEK 751

-72.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$13.16 SEK 130

-95.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$2.00 SEK 19.86

-70.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$56.4 SEK 559

-88.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$1.74 SEK 17.20

12.64%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$32.4K SEK 321.1K

-10.53%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$32.5K SEK 321.9K

-18.01%

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

$196 RON 927

$60.2 SEK 597

225.24%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$27.96 SEK 277

-71.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$39.22 SEK 389

-76.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$37.67 SEK 373

33.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$26.55 SEK 263

-4.60%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$16.03 SEK 159

-49.16%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$216 SEK 2,137

191.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$5,033 SEK 49.9K

179.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$49.36 SEK 489

81.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$30.13 SEK 299

27.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$89.4 SEK 885

-11.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$100 SEK 995

-10.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$802 SEK 7,943

-15.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$610 SEK 6,042

-26.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$1,347 SEK 13.3K

-19.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$1,005 SEK 9,954

-27.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$3,974 SEK 39.4K

-5.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$2,757 SEK 27.3K

-20.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$4,563 SEK 45.2K

-70.87%

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 Marsta: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Marsta

$610 37.1% 36% $162

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Marsta

$254 15.4% 12.6% $28

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Marsta

$348 21.2% 54.8% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Marsta

$127 7.8% 40.3% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Marsta

$121 7.4% 9.5% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Marsta

$70 4.3% 4.8% $3.2

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Marsta

$112 6.8% 298% $84

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $802 in Marsta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Marsta pays 243% 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 $66.0 in Marsta for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $348 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇸🇪 Marsta

🕒 Local time

12:25 12:25 PM

11:25 11:25 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

24,068

💱 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 Marsta 1,780 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Marsta

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 Marsta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Marsta differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $1,642 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 243% lower in Marsta. 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 $802 in Marsta. 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 $1,642 in Marsta – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 259% less than in Marsta. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,642 in Marsta, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Marsta. 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 Marsta 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 23% less than in Marsta. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.