Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Varnamo

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,354 a month against $1,692 in Varnamo, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 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
81

Cost of Living Index in Varnamo
Learn more

Varnamo Living Index

Jump to prices

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,354

/mo nomad

Varnamo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Varnamo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,354 in Bucharest versus $1,692 in Varnamo.

Bucharest $1,354
Varnamo $1,692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,043 in Bucharest versus $2,672 in Varnamo.

Bucharest $2,043
Varnamo $2,672

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,733 in Bucharest versus $3,652 in Varnamo.

Bucharest $2,733
Varnamo $3,652

Living in Bucharest costs roughly 20% less than in Varnamo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.66 RON 70.5

$13.01 SEK 129

12.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 277

$89.7 SEK 891

-35.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 RON 36.13

$12.23 SEK 121

-38.51%

Cappuccino

$3.56 RON 17.09

$4.68 SEK 46.47

-23.93%

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

$2.47 RON 11.88

$2.72 SEK 26.99

-9.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 RON 10.50

$2.13 SEK 21.15

2.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 RON 17.72

$7.81 SEK 77.6

-52.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 RON 20.57

$7.08 SEK 70.3

-39.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 8.04

$1.71 SEK 17.03

-2.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.49

$2.50 SEK 24.81

-46.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.53

$3.54 SEK 35.20

-49.72%

Eggs

$3.56 RON 17.12

$4.63 SEK 45.97

-23.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.12 RON 43.84

$12.57 SEK 125

-27.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.82 RON 32.76

$11.73 SEK 116

-41.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.13 RON 58.3

$15.69 SEK 156

-22.69%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 RON 6.08

$3.11 SEK 30.92

-59.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 RON 7.80

$2.55 SEK 25.31

-36.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.49

$2.82 SEK 27.99

-44.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.21

$4.52 SEK 44.89

-43.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 RON 3.76

$1.72 SEK 17.12

-54.65%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.72

$1.41 SEK 14.02

-45.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 RON 4.27

$2.57 SEK 25.53

-65.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 RON 4.32

$1.52 SEK 15.13

-40.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 RON 31.48

$7.81 SEK 77.6

-16.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.37 RON 30.60

$11.14 SEK 111

-42.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 RON 5.97

$1.93 SEK 19.22

-35.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 RON 7.79

$2.64 SEK 26.25

-38.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 RON 4.10

$3.19 SEK 31.70

-73.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.71 RON 99.6

$74.7 SEK 742

-72.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 RON 2.95

$5.04 SEK 50.1

-87.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.95

$1.08 SEK 10.71

-43.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.16 RON 29.62

$41.06 SEK 408

-85.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 RON 9.60

$1.72 SEK 17.08

16.28%

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

$27.9K RON 134.3K

$33.6K SEK 333.5K

-16.77%

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

$25.3K RON 121.7K

$34.2K SEK 340.1K

-26.05%

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

$192 RON 923

$77.0 SEK 764

149.60%

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

$7.92 RON 38.05

$17.22 SEK 171

-54.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.96 RON 43.05

$30.45 SEK 302

-70.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.99 RON 240

$39.03 SEK 388

28.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 RON 119

$22.33 SEK 222

11.11%

Cinema Ticket

$8.51 RON 40.88

$15.36 SEK 153

-44.60%

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

$686 RON 3,296

$157 SEK 1,558

337.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 69.3K

$4,450 SEK 44.2K

223.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.2 RON 434

$80.4 SEK 799

12.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.74 RON 186

$56.8 SEK 564

-31.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.9 RON 379

$99.9 SEK 992

-21.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 RON 442

$123 SEK 1,223

-25.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$711 RON 3,418

$794 SEK 7,889

-10.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 RON 2,220

$612 SEK 6,075

-24.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 RON 5,063

$1,178 SEK 11.7K

-10.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$723 RON 3,473

$985 SEK 9,780

-26.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,634 RON 17.5K

$4,023 SEK 40.0K

-9.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,173 RON 10.4K

$2,853 SEK 28.3K

-23.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,354 RON 6,506

$2,032 SEK 20.2K

-33.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

3.03

122.77%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 26, 2026

Last update for Varnamo: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$462 34.1%

Varnamo

$612 36.2% 32.4% $150

Eating Out

Bucharest

$228 16.9%

Varnamo

$269 15.9% 18.1% $41

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.6%

Varnamo

$357 21.1% 58.7% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$209 15.4%

Varnamo

$125 7.4% 40.4% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$135 10%

Varnamo

$162 9.6% 20.1% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Varnamo

$70 4.1% 4.1% $2.7

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Varnamo

$98 5.8% 252% $70

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $711 in Bucharest and $794 in Varnamo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Varnamo pays 50% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $58 in Bucharest vs $90 in Varnamo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $357 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇸🇪 Varnamo

🕒 Local time

15:48 3:48 PM

14:48 2:48 PM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

19,778

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Bucharest Varnamo 1,650 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Varnamo

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 Varnamo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Varnamo differ by about 25% in total monthly costs ($1,354 vs $1,692 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 33% lower in Bucharest. 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: $711 in Bucharest versus $794 in Varnamo. 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 $1,692 in Varnamo – a 25% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 72% less than in Varnamo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Bucharest gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 20% less than in Varnamo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.