Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Uppsala

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $1,978 in Uppsala, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 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
96

Cost of Living Index in Uppsala
Learn more

Uppsala Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Uppsala

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,978

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Uppsala

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,978 in Uppsala.

Bucharest $1,340
Uppsala $1,978

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $3,051 in Uppsala.

Bucharest $2,037
Uppsala $3,051

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $4,124 in Uppsala.

Bucharest $2,734
Uppsala $4,124

Living in Bucharest costs roughly 32% less than in Uppsala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% below, Uppsala is 46% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$14.90 SEK 148

-2.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$81.0 SEK 802

-28.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$9.87 SEK 97.8

-24.21%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$4.98 SEK 49.39

-30.92%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$3.05 SEK 30.25

-22.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$2.40 SEK 23.74

-4.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$7.96 SEK 78.9

-53.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$9.87 SEK 97.8

-57.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$1.81 SEK 17.91

-7.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$2.78 SEK 27.57

-50.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$4.59 SEK 45.48

-62.53%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$5.05 SEK 50.1

-27.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$10.12 SEK 100

-10.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$14.77 SEK 146

-53.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$17.86 SEK 177

-32.81%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$4.18 SEK 41.42

-70.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$2.73 SEK 27.06

-40.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$3.49 SEK 34.63

-55.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$5.12 SEK 50.7

-50.39%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$1.94 SEK 19.20

-59.28%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$1.70 SEK 16.80

-54.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$2.64 SEK 26.21

-67.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$1.28 SEK 12.68

-22.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$7.96 SEK 78.9

-20.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$9.91 SEK 98.2

-37.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$2.47 SEK 24.51

-51.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$2.52 SEK 24.94

-37.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$3.92 SEK 38.80

-78.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$111 SEK 1,103

-81.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$5.33 SEK 52.8

-87.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$1.32 SEK 13.13

-54.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$61.3 SEK 607

-89.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$1.77 SEK 17.54

10.73%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$33.2K SEK 329.1K

-12.70%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$32.1K SEK 318.3K

-17.09%

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

$196 RON 927

$109 SEK 1,077

80.16%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$15.95 SEK 158

-49.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$47.42 SEK 470

-80.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$39.13 SEK 388

28.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$23.27 SEK 231

8.85%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$18.61 SEK 184

-56.21%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$126 SEK 1,248

398.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$105 SEK 1,037

-14.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$48.48 SEK 480

-20.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$94.4 SEK 935

-16.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$200 SEK 1,982

-54.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$892 SEK 8,836

-23.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$707 SEK 7,009

-36.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$1,750 SEK 17.3K

-38.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$1,138 SEK 11.3K

-36.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$5,186 SEK 51.4K

-27.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$2,595 SEK 25.7K

-15.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$3,008 SEK 29.8K

-55.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

3.8

77.63%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Uppsala: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Uppsala

$707 35.8% 57.8% $259

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Uppsala

$290 14.7% 28.8% $65

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Uppsala

$391 19.8% 73.9% $166

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Uppsala

$172 8.7% 19.3% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Uppsala

$201 10.2% 50.4% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Uppsala

$76 3.9% 14.8% $9.8

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Uppsala

$139 7% 392% $111

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $892 in Uppsala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Uppsala 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 Uppsala for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $391 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇸🇪 Uppsala

🕒 Local time

04:22 4:22 AM

03:22 3:22 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

166,698

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Uppsala 1,810 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Uppsala

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 Uppsala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Uppsala differ by about 48% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $1,978 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 Uppsala. 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: $678 in Bucharest versus $892 in Uppsala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,340 per month in Bucharest versus $1,978 in Uppsala – a 48% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 427% less than in Uppsala. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,978 in Uppsala, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Uppsala. 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 Uppsala 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 48% less than in Uppsala. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.