Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Umea

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $1,608 in Umea, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. The total is higher in Umea despite lower rent and utilities.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Umea
Learn more

Umea Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Umea

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Umea

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,351 in Bucharest versus $1,608 in Umea.

Bucharest $1,351
Umea $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,033 in Bucharest versus $2,579 in Umea.

Bucharest $2,033
Umea $2,579

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,715 in Bucharest versus $3,550 in Umea.

Bucharest $2,715
Umea $3,550

Living in Bucharest costs roughly 16% less than in Umea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bucharest 1% above, Umea 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 RON 68.4

$15.02 SEK 150

-3.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 273

$79.3 SEK 793

-27.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 RON 35.46

$12.00 SEK 120

-37.50%

Cappuccino

$3.43 RON 16.20

$3.99 SEK 39.90

-14.04%

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

$2.46 RON 11.63

$3.20 SEK 31.99

-23.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.01

$2.36 SEK 23.59

-1.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 RON 17.97

$8.30 SEK 83.0

-54.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.41

$7.40 SEK 74.0

-44.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.79

$1.63 SEK 16.29

1.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.39

$3.44 SEK 34.42

-60.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.42

$4.07 SEK 40.68

-56.27%

Eggs

$3.66 RON 17.33

$3.90 SEK 38.95

-6.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 RON 40.54

$11.24 SEK 112

-23.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RON 32.17

$10.73 SEK 107

-36.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 RON 55.4

$17.23 SEK 172

-31.98%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.11

$2.46 SEK 24.57

-47.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.37

$2.26 SEK 22.63

-30.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.28

$2.82 SEK 28.16

-45.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 RON 11.75

$4.30 SEK 43.00

-42.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.92

$1.64 SEK 16.35

-49.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.77

$1.66 SEK 16.60

-51.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 3.98

$2.49 SEK 24.90

-66.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 RON 4.39

$1.28 SEK 12.83

-27.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 RON 30.45

$6.89 SEK 68.9

-6.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 RON 29.91

$9.89 SEK 98.9

-36.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.94

$2.27 SEK 22.66

-44.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 RON 7.59

$2.44 SEK 24.40

-34.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.85

$2.92 SEK 29.16

-72.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.13 RON 99.9

$56.9 SEK 568

-62.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$6.80 SEK 68.0

-91.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.91

$5.02 SEK 50.2

-87.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.19

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.27

$1.74 SEK 17.37

12.64%

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

$28.1K RON 133.1K

$33.0K SEK 330.0K

-14.76%

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

$26.3K RON 124.3K

$33.6K SEK 336.3K

-21.87%

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

$197 RON 931

$86.0 SEK 860

128.79%

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

$8.34 RON 39.44

$32.39 SEK 324

-74.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.19 RON 43.47

$27.15 SEK 271

-66.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.87 RON 236

$48.96 SEK 489

1.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 118

$35.34 SEK 353

-29.29%

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 RON 40.01

$16.17 SEK 162

-47.68%

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

$639 RON 3,023

$137 SEK 1,368

367.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 RON 429

$99.5 SEK 995

-8.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 RON 180

$36.44 SEK 364

4.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 RON 377

$117 SEK 1,166

-31.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 RON 441

$141 SEK 1,405

-33.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 RON 3,184

$736 SEK 7,357

-8.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 RON 2,123

$504 SEK 5,040

-10.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 RON 5,195

$1,105 SEK 11.0K

-0.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 RON 3,448

$823 SEK 8,227

-11.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,740 RON 17.7K

$4,542 SEK 45.4K

-17.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 RON 10.4K

$3,043 SEK 30.4K

-28.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,323 RON 6,259

$2,674 SEK 26.7K

-50.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

3.65

84.66%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Last update for Umea: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$449 33.5%

Umea

$504 30.7% 12.3% $55

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.8%

Umea

$283 17.2% 25.2% $57

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$222 16.5%

Umea

$350 21.3% 57.8% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 16%

Umea

$146 8.9% 32.1% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$136 10.1%

Umea

$177 10.8% 30.4% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Umea

$81 5% 21.7% $15

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Umea

$100 6.1% 258% $72

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $673 in Bucharest and $736 in Umea. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Umea pays 102% 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 $79.0 in Umea for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $350 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇸🇪 Umea

🕒 Local time

09:11 9:11 AM

08:11 8:11 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

79,594

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Bucharest Umea 2,190 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Umea

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 Umea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Umea differ by about 19% in total monthly costs ($1,351 vs $1,608 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 102% lower in Umea. 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 $736 in Umea. 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 $1,608 in Umea – a 19% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 169% less than in Umea. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $1,608 in Umea, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Umea. 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 Umea 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 19% less than in Umea. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.