Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Vaxjo

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $1,631 in Vaxjo, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Vaxjo
Learn more

Vaxjo Living Index

Jump to prices

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Vaxjo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,631

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Vaxjo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,631 in Vaxjo.

Bucharest $1,340
Vaxjo $1,631

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $2,467 in Vaxjo.

Bucharest $2,037
Vaxjo $2,467

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $3,303 in Vaxjo.

Bucharest $2,734
Vaxjo $3,303

Living in Bucharest costs roughly 18% less than in Vaxjo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% below, Vaxjo is 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$13.37 SEK 132

8.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$63.6 SEK 630

-8.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$9.82 SEK 97.3

-23.83%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$4.07 SEK 40.29

-15.48%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$1.52 SEK 15.06

55.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$1.30 SEK 12.88

76.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$6.70 SEK 66.4

-44.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$6.40 SEK 63.4

-35.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$1.74 SEK 17.25

-4.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$2.49 SEK 24.64

-44.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$3.81 SEK 37.72

-54.86%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$4.56 SEK 45.18

-20.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$13.27 SEK 131

-31.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$10.55 SEK 105

-35.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$12.01 SEK 119

-0.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$3.13 SEK 31.05

-60.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$2.00 SEK 19.83

-18.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$2.04 SEK 20.24

-23.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$4.61 SEK 45.64

-44.90%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$1.40 SEK 13.90

-43.57%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$1.55 SEK 15.39

-50.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$2.19 SEK 21.71

-60.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$1.37 SEK 13.54

-27.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$6.86 SEK 68.0

-8.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$7.62 SEK 75.5

-18.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.91 SEK 18.91

-37.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.56 SEK 15.45

0.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$3.17 SEK 31.38

-72.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$64.8 SEK 642

-67.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$7.97 SEK 79.0

-91.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$1.95 SEK 19.28

-69.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$78.8 SEK 780

-91.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$1.75 SEK 17.34

12.00%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$32.7K SEK 324.5K

-11.45%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$32.6K SEK 323.4K

-18.39%

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

$196 RON 927

$90.1 SEK 893

117.37%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$29.97 SEK 297

-73.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$30.98 SEK 307

-69.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$35.44 SEK 351

41.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$20.01 SEK 198

26.59%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$15.63 SEK 155

-47.86%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$150 SEK 1,483

319.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$97.6 SEK 967

-8.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$30.45 SEK 302

25.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$68.4 SEK 678

15.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$84.9 SEK 841

6.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$794 SEK 7,867

-14.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$625 SEK 6,192

-28.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$1,499 SEK 14.8K

-27.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$939 SEK 9,304

-22.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$2,507 SEK 24.8K

-12.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$3,172 SEK 31.4K

-58.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

4.13

63.44%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Vaxjo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Vaxjo

$625 38.3% 39.4% $177

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Vaxjo

$243 14.9% 7.8% $18

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Vaxjo

$324 19.8% 43.8% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Vaxjo

$151 9.3% 29.2% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Vaxjo

$127 7.8% 5.5% $7.3

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Vaxjo

$67 4.1% 0.2% $0.2

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Vaxjo

$95 5.8% 237% $67

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $794 in Vaxjo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vaxjo pays 139% 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 $64.0 in Vaxjo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $324 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇸🇪 Vaxjo

🕒 Local time

02:03 2:03 AM

01:03 1:03 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

55,600

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bucharest Vaxjo 1,590 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Vaxjo

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 Vaxjo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Vaxjo differ by about 22% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $1,631 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 139% lower in Vaxjo. 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 $794 in Vaxjo. 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 $1,631 in Vaxjo – a 22% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 207% less than in Vaxjo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,631 in Vaxjo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Vaxjo. 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 Vaxjo 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 22% less than in Vaxjo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.