Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Tumba

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,354 a month against $1,896 in Tumba, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 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
91

Cost of Living Index in Tumba
Learn more

Tumba Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,354

/mo nomad

Tumba

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,896

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Tumba

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,354 in Bucharest versus $1,896 in Tumba.

Bucharest $1,354
Tumba $1,896

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,043 in Bucharest versus $2,899 in Tumba.

Bucharest $2,043
Tumba $2,899

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,733 in Bucharest versus $3,901 in Tumba.

Bucharest $2,733
Tumba $3,901

Living in Bucharest costs roughly 29% less than in Tumba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.66 RON 70.5

$14.20 SEK 141

3.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 277

$64.9 SEK 645

-11.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 RON 36.13

$9.95 SEK 98.8

-24.42%

Cappuccino

$3.56 RON 17.09

$4.29 SEK 42.62

-17.02%

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

$2.47 RON 11.88

$2.65 SEK 26.32

-6.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 RON 10.50

$2.21 SEK 21.98

-1.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 RON 17.72

$7.17 SEK 71.2

-48.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 RON 20.57

$6.91 SEK 68.6

-38.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 8.04

$1.79 SEK 17.74

-6.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.49

$3.05 SEK 30.32

-55.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.53

$3.75 SEK 37.26

-52.53%

Eggs

$3.56 RON 17.12

$5.03 SEK 49.99

-29.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.12 RON 43.84

$13.00 SEK 129

-29.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.82 RON 32.76

$13.25 SEK 132

-48.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.13 RON 58.3

$17.49 SEK 174

-30.65%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 RON 6.08

$3.25 SEK 32.26

-61.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 RON 7.80

$2.68 SEK 26.65

-39.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.49

$2.06 SEK 20.45

-24.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.21

$4.50 SEK 44.71

-43.56%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 RON 3.76

$1.45 SEK 14.40

-46.21%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.72

$1.80 SEK 17.92

-57.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 RON 4.27

$2.30 SEK 22.87

-61.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 RON 4.32

$1.88 SEK 18.70

-52.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 RON 31.48

$7.15 SEK 71.0

-8.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.37 RON 30.60

$10.04 SEK 99.7

-36.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 RON 5.97

$2.01 SEK 19.99

-38.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 RON 7.79

$2.25 SEK 22.37

-28.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 RON 4.10

$4.26 SEK 42.31

-80.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.71 RON 99.6

$103 SEK 1,022

-79.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 RON 2.95

$5.79 SEK 57.5

-89.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.95

$1.48 SEK 14.67

-58.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.16 RON 29.62

$57.1 SEK 567

-89.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 RON 9.60

$1.81 SEK 17.99

10.50%

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

$27.9K RON 134.3K

$33.4K SEK 332.0K

-16.41%

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

$25.3K RON 121.7K

$34.0K SEK 337.3K

-25.42%

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

$192 RON 923

$176 SEK 1,746

9.25%

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

$7.92 RON 38.05

$21.42 SEK 213

-63.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.96 RON 43.05

$48.20 SEK 479

-81.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.99 RON 240

$40.34 SEK 401

23.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 RON 119

$26.36 SEK 262

-5.88%

Cinema Ticket

$8.51 RON 40.88

$16.89 SEK 168

-49.62%

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

$686 RON 3,296

$158 SEK 1,569

334.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 69.3K

$5,131 SEK 51.0K

180.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.2 RON 434

$113 SEK 1,123

-20.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.74 RON 186

$53.6 SEK 532

-27.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.9 RON 379

$94.8 SEK 941

-16.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 RON 442

$186 SEK 1,843

-50.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$711 RON 3,418

$792 SEK 7,866

-10.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 RON 2,220

$599 SEK 5,953

-22.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 RON 5,063

$1,375 SEK 13.7K

-23.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$723 RON 3,473

$1,011 SEK 10.0K

-28.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,634 RON 17.5K

$3,992 SEK 39.6K

-8.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,173 RON 10.4K

$2,784 SEK 27.6K

-21.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,354 RON 6,506

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 Tumba: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$462 34.1%

Tumba

$599 31.6% 29.8% $138

Eating Out

Bucharest

$228 16.9%

Tumba

$264 13.9% 15.7% $36

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.6%

Tumba

$379 20% 68.5% $154

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$209 15.4%

Tumba

$245 12.9% 17.5% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$135 10%

Tumba

$201 10.6% 49% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Tumba

$74 3.9% 10.6% $7.1

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Tumba

$133 7% 379% $105

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $711 in Bucharest and $792 in Tumba. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $58 in Bucharest vs $65 in Tumba for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $379 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇸🇪 Tumba

🕒 Local time

15:48 3:48 PM

14:48 2:48 PM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

42,344

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

100 SEK = 10.07 USD

100 SEK = 9.05 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 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).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Tumba 1,730 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Tumba

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 Tumba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Tumba differ by about 40% in total monthly costs ($1,354 vs $1,896 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,030 in Bucharest and $2,844 in Tumba to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $711 in Bucharest versus $792 in Tumba. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,354 per month in Bucharest versus $1,896 in Tumba – a 40% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 80% less than in Tumba. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your 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 29% less than in Tumba. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.