Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Stockholm

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $2,548 in Stockholm, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Stockholm
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Stockholm Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Stockholm

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Stockholm

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,351 in Bucharest versus $2,548 in Stockholm.

Bucharest $1,351
Stockholm $2,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,033 in Bucharest versus $3,806 in Stockholm.

Bucharest $2,033
Stockholm $3,806

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,715 in Bucharest versus $5,064 in Stockholm.

Bucharest $2,715
Stockholm $5,064

Living in Bucharest costs roughly 47% less than in Stockholm, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bucharest 1% above, Stockholm 90% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 RON 68.4

$18.26 SEK 182

-20.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 273

$97.8 SEK 978

-41.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 RON 35.46

$11.71 SEK 117

-35.95%

Cappuccino

$3.43 RON 16.20

$4.89 SEK 48.92

-29.86%

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

$2.46 RON 11.63

$3.72 SEK 37.15

-33.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.01

$3.03 SEK 30.29

-23.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 RON 17.97

$8.16 SEK 81.5

-53.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.41

$8.96 SEK 89.5

-54.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.79

$1.81 SEK 18.05

-8.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.39

$3.84 SEK 38.41

-64.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.42

$3.75 SEK 37.52

-52.53%

Eggs

$3.66 RON 17.33

$5.04 SEK 50.4

-27.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 RON 40.54

$12.90 SEK 129

-33.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RON 32.17

$12.70 SEK 127

-46.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 RON 55.4

$21.70 SEK 217

-45.99%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.11

$3.61 SEK 36.03

-64.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.37

$2.80 SEK 27.97

-44.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.28

$3.14 SEK 31.36

-50.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 RON 11.75

$4.36 SEK 43.52

-43.12%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.92

$1.70 SEK 16.99

-51.18%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.77

$1.78 SEK 17.83

-55.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 3.98

$2.51 SEK 25.06

-66.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 RON 4.39

$2.43 SEK 24.33

-61.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 RON 30.45

$8.52 SEK 85.1

-24.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 RON 29.91

$11.83 SEK 118

-46.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.94

$2.03 SEK 20.29

-37.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 RON 7.59

$2.55 SEK 25.49

-37.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.85

$4.31 SEK 43.11

-81.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.13 RON 99.9

$106 SEK 1,059

-80.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$5.83 SEK 58.3

-89.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.91

$1.51 SEK 15.09

-59.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.19

$56.0 SEK 560

-88.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.27

$1.79 SEK 17.90

9.50%

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

$28.1K RON 133.1K

$33.3K SEK 332.8K

-15.48%

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

$26.3K RON 124.3K

$34.1K SEK 340.4K

-22.81%

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

$197 RON 931

$248 SEK 2,479

-20.64%

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

$8.34 RON 39.44

$21.17 SEK 212

-60.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.19 RON 43.47

$39.91 SEK 399

-76.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.87 RON 236

$47.51 SEK 475

4.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 118

$38.80 SEK 388

-35.59%

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 RON 40.01

$19.19 SEK 192

-55.91%

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

$639 RON 3,023

$159 SEK 1,585

302.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.1K

$16.4K SEK 163.7K

-12.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 RON 429

$112 SEK 1,119

-19.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 RON 180

$57.4 SEK 574

-33.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 RON 377

$134 SEK 1,340

-40.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 RON 441

$181 SEK 1,809

-48.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 RON 3,184

$1,694 SEK 16.9K

-60.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 RON 2,123

$1,088 SEK 10.9K

-58.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 RON 5,195

$2,985 SEK 29.8K

-63.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 RON 3,448

$1,782 SEK 17.8K

-59.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,740 RON 17.7K

$11.1K SEK 111.4K

-66.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 RON 10.4K

$6,326 SEK 63.2K

-65.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,323 RON 6,259

$3,501 SEK 35.0K

-62.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

3.37

100.00%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Last update for Stockholm: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$449 33.5%

Stockholm

$1.1K 42.2% 142% $639

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.8%

Stockholm

$326 12.6% 44.3% $100

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$222 16.5%

Stockholm

$415 16.1% 87.1% $193

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 16%

Stockholm

$309 12% 44.2% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$136 10.1%

Stockholm

$218 8.5% 60.7% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Stockholm

$86 3.3% 28.6% $19

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Stockholm

$137 5.3% 387% $109

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $673 in Bucharest and $1,694 in Stockholm. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stockholm pays 165% 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 $98.0 in Stockholm for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $415 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇸🇪 Stockholm

🕒 Local time

11:22 11:22 AM

10:22 10:22 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

984,748 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

100 SEK = 10.01 USD

100 SEK = 8.92 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.99 SEK (1 SEK = 0.1 USD). 1 EUR = 11.21 SEK (100 SEK = 8.92 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Stockholm 1,740 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Stockholm

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 Stockholm: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Stockholm differ by about 89% in total monthly costs ($1,351 vs $2,548 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 165% lower in Stockholm. 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: $673 in Bucharest versus $1,694 in Stockholm. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,351 per month in Bucharest versus $2,548 in Stockholm – a 89% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 402% less than in Stockholm. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $2,548 in Stockholm, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Stockholm. 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 Stockholm 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 89% less than in Stockholm. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.