Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gothenburg and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $2,042 in Gothenburg, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Gothenburg
Learn more

Gothenburg Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index

Jump to prices

Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,042

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gothenburg and in Bucharest

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Gothenburg and in Bucharest actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,042 in Gothenburg versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

Gothenburg $2,042
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,064 in Gothenburg versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

Gothenburg $3,064
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,086 in Gothenburg versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

Gothenburg $4,086
Bucharest $2,715

Living in Gothenburg is roughly 51% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gothenburg 52% above, Bucharest 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.84 SEK 128

$14.46 RON 68.4

-11.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.5 SEK 834

$57.7 RON 273

44.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.20 SEK 122

$7.50 RON 35.46

62.67%

Cappuccino

$4.81 SEK 48.09

$3.43 RON 16.20

40.23%

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

$2.81 SEK 28.09

$2.46 RON 11.63

14.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 SEK 22.46

$2.33 RON 11.01

-3.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.07 SEK 70.7

$3.80 RON 17.97

86.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.29 SEK 72.8

$4.10 RON 19.41

77.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 SEK 16.48

$1.65 RON 7.79

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 SEK 28.12

$1.35 RON 6.39

108.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.23 SEK 32.25

$1.78 RON 8.42

81.46%

Eggs

$3.75 SEK 37.44

$3.66 RON 17.33

2.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.21 SEK 112

$8.57 RON 40.54

30.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.49 SEK 115

$6.80 RON 32.17

68.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.27 SEK 163

$11.72 RON 55.4

38.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 SEK 29.85

$1.29 RON 6.11

131.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.50 SEK 24.98

$1.56 RON 7.37

60.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.98 SEK 29.79

$1.54 RON 7.28

93.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 SEK 43.27

$2.48 RON 11.75

74.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.80 SEK 18.03

$0.83 RON 3.92

116.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 SEK 16.86

$0.80 RON 3.77

111.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 SEK 19.66

$0.84 RON 3.98

134.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 SEK 15.74

$0.93 RON 4.39

68.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.17 SEK 81.6

$6.44 RON 30.45

26.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.70 SEK 147

$6.32 RON 29.91

132.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 SEK 19.88

$1.26 RON 5.94

57.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 SEK 22.41

$1.60 RON 7.59

40.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.59 SEK 35.89

$0.81 RON 3.85

343.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.4 SEK 863

$21.13 RON 99.9

308.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.03 SEK 60.2

$0.60 RON 2.86

905.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 SEK 16.43

$0.61 RON 2.91

168.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$58.9 SEK 588

$6.17 RON 29.19

854.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 SEK 17.24

$1.96 RON 9.27

-12.24%

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

$32.4K SEK 323.7K

$28.1K RON 133.1K

15.07%

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

$33.4K SEK 333.7K

$26.3K RON 124.3K

27.00%

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

$101 SEK 1,012

$197 RON 931

-48.53%

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

$19.36 SEK 193

$8.34 RON 39.44

132.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.87 SEK 338

$9.19 RON 43.47

268.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.60 SEK 346

$49.87 RON 236

-30.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.33 SEK 243

$24.99 RON 118

-2.64%

Cinema Ticket

$18.36 SEK 183

$8.46 RON 40.01

117.02%

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

$223 SEK 2,229

$639 RON 3,023

-65.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,448 SEK 44.5K

$14.4K RON 68.1K

-69.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 SEK 869

$90.6 RON 429

-4.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.02 SEK 330

$38.05 RON 180

-13.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.8 SEK 857

$79.7 RON 377

7.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 SEK 1,323

$93.2 RON 441

41.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,035 SEK 10.3K

$673 RON 3,184

53.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$928 SEK 9,273

$449 RON 2,123

106.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,768 SEK 17.7K

$1,098 RON 5,195

60.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,386 SEK 13.8K

$729 RON 3,448

90.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,117 SEK 61.1K

$3,740 RON 17.7K

63.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,377 SEK 33.8K

$2,189 RON 10.4K

54.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,444 SEK 34.4K

$1,323 RON 6,259

160.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.06

6.74

-54.60%

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

Last update for Gothenburg: October 3, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gothenburg

$928 45.4%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 51.6% $479

Groceries & Markets

Gothenburg

$355 17.4%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 37.6% $134

Eating Out

Gothenburg

$267 13.1%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 15.6% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gothenburg

$155 7.6%

Bucharest

$214 16% 38.7% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Gothenburg

$152 7.4%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 10.8% $16

Getting Around

Gothenburg

$115 5.6%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 75.6% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Gothenburg

$71 3.5%

Bucharest

$67 5% 6.3% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,035 in Gothenburg and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gothenburg pays 160% 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: $83.0 in Gothenburg vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $355 vs $222 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Gothenburg

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

05:08 5:08 AM

06:08 6:08 AM

1 h ahead of Gothenburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

607,882

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.01 USD

100 SEK = 8.92 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

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).

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).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Gothenburg Bucharest 1,770 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Gothenburg
Bucharest

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

Gothenburg vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gothenburg and Bucharest differ by about 51% in total monthly costs ($2,042 vs $1,351 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 160% higher in Gothenburg, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,035 in Gothenburg versus $673 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,042 per month in Gothenburg versus $1,351 in Bucharest – a 51% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 309% less than in Gothenburg. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $2,042 in Gothenburg, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Gothenburg. 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, Gothenburg and Bucharest 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 51% less than in Gothenburg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.