Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Stenungsund

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,354 a month against $1,887 in Stenungsund, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Bucharest, Romania
Stenungsund, Sweden
Bucharest
🇷🇴 Romania
$1,354
/mo nomad
Stenungsund
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,887
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Stenungsund

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,354 in Bucharest versus $1,887 in Stenungsund.

  • Bucharest $1,354
  • Stenungsund $1,887

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,043 in Bucharest versus $2,880 in Stenungsund.

  • Bucharest $2,043
  • Stenungsund $2,880

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,733 in Bucharest versus $3,872 in Stenungsund.

  • Bucharest $2,733
  • Stenungsund $3,872

Living in Bucharest costs roughly 28% less than in Stenungsund, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bucharest
Stenungsund
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$14.66 RON 70.5
$14.02 SEK 139
4.56%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$57.7 RON 277
$66.8 SEK 664
-13.66%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.52 RON 36.13
$8.64 SEK 85.8
-12.96%
Cappuccino
$3.56 RON 17.09
$4.40 SEK 43.67
-19.09%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.47 RON 11.88
$1.47 SEK 14.60
68.03%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.18 RON 10.50
$2.22 SEK 22.03
-1.80%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.69 RON 17.72
$7.03 SEK 69.9
-47.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.28 RON 20.57
$6.89 SEK 68.5
-37.88%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bucharest
Stenungsund
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.67 RON 8.04
$1.43 SEK 14.21
16.78%
White Bread (500g)
$1.35 RON 6.49
$3.15 SEK 31.26
-57.14%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.78 RON 8.53
$5.60 SEK 55.7
-68.21%
Eggs
$3.56 RON 17.12
$5.23 SEK 51.9
-31.93%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.12 RON 43.84
$13.62 SEK 135
-33.04%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.82 RON 32.76
$13.38 SEK 133
-49.03%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.13 RON 58.3
$16.96 SEK 168
-28.48%
Apples (1kg)
$1.26 RON 6.08
$3.24 SEK 32.14
-61.11%
Banana (1kg)
$1.62 RON 7.80
$2.67 SEK 26.49
-39.33%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.56 RON 7.49
$2.05 SEK 20.39
-23.90%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.54 RON 12.21
$4.62 SEK 45.91
-45.02%
Potato (1kg)
$0.78 RON 3.76
$1.43 SEK 14.19
-45.45%
Onion (1kg)
$0.77 RON 3.72
$1.74 SEK 17.32
-55.75%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.89 RON 4.27
$2.26 SEK 22.44
-60.62%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.90 RON 4.32
$1.82 SEK 18.04
-50.55%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.55 RON 31.48
$7.35 SEK 73.0
-10.88%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.37 RON 30.60
$8.14 SEK 80.8
-21.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 RON 5.97
$2.00 SEK 19.89
-38.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.62 RON 7.79
$2.21 SEK 21.93
-26.70%
🚌 Getting Around
Bucharest
Stenungsund
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.85 RON 4.10
$2.57 SEK 25.52
-66.93%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$20.71 RON 99.6
$77.9 SEK 773
-73.40%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.61 RON 2.95
$13.37 SEK 133
-95.44%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.61 RON 2.95
$2.05 SEK 20.41
-70.24%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.16 RON 29.62
$81.3 SEK 808
-92.42%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.00 RON 9.60
$1.76 SEK 17.48
13.64%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.9K RON 134.3K
$32.7K SEK 324.5K
-14.47%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.3K RON 121.7K
$33.8K SEK 335.9K
-25.13%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bucharest
Stenungsund
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$192 RON 923
$178 SEK 1,768
7.92%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$7.92 RON 38.05
$28.89 SEK 287
-72.59%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$8.96 RON 43.05
$47.61 SEK 473
-81.18%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bucharest
Stenungsund
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.99 RON 240
$37.19 SEK 369
34.42%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.81 RON 119
$26.84 SEK 267
-7.56%
Cinema Ticket
$8.51 RON 40.88
$17.15 SEK 170
-50.38%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bucharest
Stenungsund
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$686 RON 3,296
$219 SEK 2,176
213.01%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.4K RON 69.3K
$5,035 SEK 50.0K
186.32%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bucharest
Stenungsund
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$90.2 RON 434
$98.0 SEK 973
-7.88%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.74 RON 186
$53.0 SEK 527
-26.95%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$78.9 RON 379
$95.1 SEK 944
-17.01%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$92.1 RON 442
$218 SEK 2,169
-57.84%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bucharest
Stenungsund
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$711 RON 3,418
$813 SEK 8,071
-12.49%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$462 RON 2,220
$606 SEK 6,014
-23.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,053 RON 5,063
$1,378 SEK 13.7K
-23.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$723 RON 3,473
$1,002 SEK 9,947
-27.86%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,634 RON 17.5K
$3,961 SEK 39.3K
-8.26%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,173 RON 10.4K
$2,832 SEK 28.1K
-23.27%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bucharest
Stenungsund
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,354 RON 6,506
$1,935 SEK 19.2K
-30.02%
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 26, 2026

Last update for Stenungsund: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Bucharest
$462
Stenungsund
$606 31.1% $144
Eating Out
Bucharest
$228
Stenungsund
$255 11.6% $26
Groceries & Markets
Bucharest
$225
Stenungsund
$381 69.3% $156
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bucharest
$209
Stenungsund
$254 21.8% $46
Clothing & Footwear
Bucharest
$135
Stenungsund
$209 54.8% $74
Sport & Entertainment
Bucharest
$67
Stenungsund
$72 6.7% $4.5
Getting Around
Bucharest
$28
Stenungsund
$112 302% $84

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $711 in Bucharest and $813 in Stenungsund. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stenungsund pays 43% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $58 in Bucharest vs $67 in Stenungsund for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $381 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇷🇴 Bucharest
🇸🇪 Stenungsund
🕒 Local time
14:55 2:55 PM
13:55 1:55 PM
1 h behind Bucharest
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,883,425 Capital
27,842
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.81 RON (1 RON = 0.208 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.93 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.05 SEK (100 SEK = 9.05 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bucharest Stenungsund 1,800 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Bucharest
  • Stenungsund

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 Stenungsund: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Bucharest and in Stenungsund?
Bucharest and Stenungsund differ by about 39% in total monthly costs ($1,354 vs $1,887 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 30% lower in Bucharest. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Bucharest and in Stenungsund?
Rent for a central apartment: $711 in Bucharest versus $813 in Stenungsund. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city is more expensive overall: Bucharest or Stenungsund?
All in, you’ll spend $1,354 per month in Bucharest versus $1,887 in Stenungsund – a 39% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
How do commuting costs compare in Bucharest and in Stenungsund?
A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 73% less than in Stenungsund. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.
How does quality of life compare between Bucharest and Stenungsund?
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.
Where should expats move: Bucharest or Stenungsund?
Expats usually find Bucharest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Stenungsund. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Bucharest vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?