Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Sundsvall

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $1,722 in Sundsvall, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 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
82

Cost of Living Index in Sundsvall
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Sundsvall Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Sundsvall

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,722

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Sundsvall

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,351 in Bucharest versus $1,722 in Sundsvall.

Bucharest $1,351
Sundsvall $1,722

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,033 in Bucharest versus $2,622 in Sundsvall.

Bucharest $2,033
Sundsvall $2,622

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,715 in Bucharest versus $3,523 in Sundsvall.

Bucharest $2,715
Sundsvall $3,523

Living in Bucharest costs roughly 22% less than in Sundsvall, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bucharest 1% above, Sundsvall 28% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 RON 68.4

$14.99 SEK 150

-3.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 273

$81.2 SEK 812

-29.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 RON 35.46

$10.97 SEK 110

-31.63%

Cappuccino

$3.43 RON 16.20

$4.56 SEK 45.58

-24.78%

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

$2.46 RON 11.63

$2.40 SEK 23.97

2.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.01

$1.84 SEK 18.35

26.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 RON 17.97

$8.55 SEK 85.5

-55.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.41

$7.62 SEK 76.1

-46.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.79

$1.49 SEK 14.91

10.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.39

$2.95 SEK 29.48

-54.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.42

$3.47 SEK 34.66

-48.70%

Eggs

$3.66 RON 17.33

$3.40 SEK 34.02

7.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 RON 40.54

$9.29 SEK 92.8

-7.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RON 32.17

$9.63 SEK 96.3

-29.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 RON 55.4

$17.36 SEK 174

-32.49%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.11

$2.61 SEK 26.10

-50.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.37

$2.31 SEK 23.05

-32.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.28

$2.43 SEK 24.31

-36.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 RON 11.75

$4.00 SEK 40.01

-38.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.92

$1.40 SEK 14.02

-40.71%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.77

$1.35 SEK 13.47

-40.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 3.98

$1.78 SEK 17.75

-52.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 RON 4.39

$0.94 SEK 9.43

-1.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 RON 30.45

$7.34 SEK 73.3

-12.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 RON 29.91

$9.00 SEK 90.0

-29.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.94

$1.71 SEK 17.04

-26.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 RON 7.59

$1.38 SEK 13.77

15.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.85

$3.24 SEK 32.35

-75.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.13 RON 99.9

$84.1 SEK 840

-74.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$6.08 SEK 60.8

-90.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.91

$5.81 SEK 58.1

-89.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.19

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.27

$1.66 SEK 16.55

18.07%

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

$28.1K RON 133.1K

$31.1K SEK 311.1K

-9.56%

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

$26.3K RON 124.3K

$30.1K SEK 300.9K

-12.68%

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

$197 RON 931

$99.6 SEK 996

97.56%

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

$8.34 RON 39.44

$28.61 SEK 286

-70.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.19 RON 43.47

$36.42 SEK 364

-74.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.87 RON 236

$40.61 SEK 406

22.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 118

$15.70 SEK 157

59.17%

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 RON 40.01

$13.86 SEK 139

-38.96%

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

$639 RON 3,023

$134 SEK 1,340

376.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 RON 429

$92.2 SEK 921

-1.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 RON 180

$19.76 SEK 197

92.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 RON 377

$67.3 SEK 672

18.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 RON 441

$123 SEK 1,228

-24.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 RON 3,184

$659 SEK 6,583

2.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 RON 2,123

$591 SEK 5,908

-24.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 RON 5,195

$1,184 SEK 11.8K

-7.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 RON 3,448

$877 SEK 8,767

-16.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,740 RON 17.7K

$2,411 SEK 24.1K

55.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 RON 10.4K

$1,689 SEK 16.9K

29.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,323 RON 6,259

$2,993 SEK 29.9K

-55.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

3.88

73.71%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Last update for Sundsvall: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$449 33.5%

Sundsvall

$591 35.1% 31.7% $142

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.8%

Sundsvall

$282 16.8% 25.2% $57

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$222 16.5%

Sundsvall

$311 18.5% 40.4% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 16%

Sundsvall

$165 9.8% 23.2% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$136 10.1%

Sundsvall

$136 8.1% 0.2% $0.3

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Sundsvall

$68 4.1% 2.3% $1.5

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Sundsvall

$132 7.8% 371% $104

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $673 in Bucharest and $659 in Sundsvall. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sundsvall pays 126% 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 $81.0 in Sundsvall for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $311 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇸🇪 Sundsvall

🕒 Local time

12:04 12:04 PM

11:04 11:04 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

57,606

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bucharest Sundsvall 2,080 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Sundsvall

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 Sundsvall: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Sundsvall differ by about 27% in total monthly costs ($1,351 vs $1,722 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 126% lower in Sundsvall. 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 $659 in Sundsvall. 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 $1,722 in Sundsvall – a 27% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 298% less than in Sundsvall. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $1,722 in Sundsvall, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Sundsvall. 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 Sundsvall 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 27% less than in Sundsvall. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.