Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karlskrona and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $1,617 in Karlskrona, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. The total is higher in Karlskrona despite lower rent and utilities.

79

Cost of Living Index in Karlskrona
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Karlskrona Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index

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Karlskrona

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,617

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karlskrona 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 Karlskrona and in Bucharest actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,617 in Karlskrona versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Karlskrona $1,617
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,525 in Karlskrona versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Karlskrona $2,525
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,434 in Karlskrona versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Karlskrona $3,434
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Karlskrona is roughly 21% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Karlskrona is 20% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.71 SEK 126

$14.49 RON 68.6

-12.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.9 SEK 633

$58.1 RON 275

9.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.79 SEK 87.1

$7.48 RON 35.40

17.51%

Cappuccino

$3.96 SEK 39.23

$3.44 RON 16.29

15.12%

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

$1.30 SEK 12.90

$2.37 RON 11.22

-45.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 SEK 21.71

$2.30 RON 10.88

-4.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.04 SEK 69.8

$3.70 RON 17.51

90.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 SEK 50.5

$4.16 RON 19.69

22.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 SEK 14.36

$1.67 RON 7.90

-13.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 SEK 27.50

$1.37 RON 6.50

102.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.60 SEK 35.72

$1.72 RON 8.14

109.30%

Eggs

$4.38 SEK 43.41

$3.64 RON 17.22

20.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.82 SEK 107

$9.08 RON 42.98

19.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.33 SEK 132

$6.84 RON 32.35

94.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.14 SEK 170

$12.00 RON 56.8

42.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 SEK 29.52

$1.23 RON 5.80

142.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.43 SEK 24.06

$1.63 RON 7.73

49.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 SEK 29.43

$1.57 RON 7.45

89.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.41 SEK 43.65

$2.54 RON 12.01

73.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 SEK 14.59

$0.79 RON 3.75

86.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 SEK 15.20

$0.77 RON 3.66

98.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.10 SEK 20.82

$0.87 RON 4.13

141.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 SEK 13.43

$0.99 RON 4.70

37.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.19 SEK 71.2

$6.31 RON 29.86

13.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.29 SEK 122

$6.20 RON 29.34

98.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 SEK 19.74

$1.19 RON 5.63

67.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 SEK 16.77

$1.57 RON 7.45

7.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.92 SEK 28.94

$0.86 RON 4.08

239.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.8 SEK 691

$21.10 RON 99.8

230.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.92 SEK 128

$0.64 RON 3.05

1918.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 SEK 20.00

$0.60 RON 2.86

236.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$80.5 SEK 798

$6.43 RON 30.43

1152.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 SEK 17.18

$1.96 RON 9.25

-11.73%

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

$33.4K SEK 330.6K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

15.07%

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

$32.8K SEK 324.7K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

23.03%

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

$51.5 SEK 510

$196 RON 927

-73.74%

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

$27.15 SEK 269

$8.04 RON 38.04

237.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.02 SEK 367

$9.35 RON 44.21

295.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.67 SEK 413

$50.2 RON 238

-17.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

Cinema Ticket

$16.12 SEK 160

$8.15 RON 38.55

97.79%

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

$159 SEK 1,572

$628 RON 2,971

-74.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.3 SEK 973

$89.6 RON 424

9.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.03 SEK 198

$38.32 RON 181

-47.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.0 SEK 783

$79.3 RON 375

-0.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$171 SEK 1,698

$90.4 RON 428

89.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$664 SEK 6,583

$678 RON 3,209

-2.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$564 SEK 5,585

$448 RON 2,121

25.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 SEK 10.7K

$1,083 RON 5,125

-0.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$946 SEK 9,373

$725 RON 3,430

30.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,898 SEK 28.7K

$3,751 RON 17.7K

-22.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,466 SEK 24.4K

$2,195 RON 10.4K

12.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,479 SEK 24.6K

$1,329 RON 6,290

86.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

6.75

-37.48%

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

Last update for Karlskrona: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Karlskrona

$564 34.9%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 20.5% $115

Groceries & Markets

Karlskrona

$358 22.2%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 37.2% $133

Eating Out

Karlskrona

$235 14.5%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 4.2% $9.8

Clothing & Footwear

Karlskrona

$166 10.3%

Bucharest

$134 10% 19.3% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karlskrona

$116 7.2%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 84.5% $98

Getting Around

Karlskrona

$104 6.5%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 73% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Karlskrona

$74 4.6%

Bucharest

$67 5% 10% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $664 in Karlskrona and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Karlskrona pays 86% 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: $64.0 in Karlskrona vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $358 vs $225 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Karlskrona

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

04:57 4:57 AM

05:57 5:57 AM

1 h ahead of Karlskrona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,212

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Karlskrona Bucharest 1,500 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Karlskrona
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

Karlskrona vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karlskrona and Bucharest differ by about 21% in total monthly costs ($1,617 vs $1,340 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 86% higher in Karlskrona, 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: $664 in Karlskrona versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,617 per month in Karlskrona versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 21% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 231% less than in Karlskrona. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,617 in Karlskrona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Karlskrona. 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, Karlskrona 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 21% less than in Karlskrona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.