Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kista and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $1,726 in Kista, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Kista
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Kista Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Kista

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,726

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,726 in Kista versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Kista $1,726
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,685 in Kista versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Kista $2,685
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,644 in Kista versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Kista $3,644
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Kista is roughly 29% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kista is 28% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.98 SEK 129

$14.49 RON 68.6

-10.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.9 SEK 752

$58.1 RON 275

30.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.22 SEK 101

$7.48 RON 35.40

36.63%

Cappuccino

$4.44 SEK 44.02

$3.44 RON 16.29

29.07%

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

$2.59 SEK 25.65

$2.37 RON 11.22

9.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 SEK 21.83

$2.30 RON 10.88

-4.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.07 SEK 70.1

$3.70 RON 17.51

91.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.28 SEK 72.1

$4.16 RON 19.69

75.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 SEK 16.27

$1.67 RON 7.90

-1.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.69 SEK 26.68

$1.37 RON 6.50

96.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.51 SEK 34.75

$1.72 RON 8.14

104.07%

Eggs

$4.24 SEK 42.04

$3.64 RON 17.22

16.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 SEK 116

$9.08 RON 42.98

28.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.62 SEK 115

$6.84 RON 32.35

69.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.38 SEK 172

$12.00 RON 56.8

44.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 SEK 30.22

$1.23 RON 5.80

147.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.48 SEK 24.53

$1.63 RON 7.73

52.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.89 SEK 28.60

$1.57 RON 7.45

84.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.30 SEK 42.59

$2.54 RON 12.01

69.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 SEK 16.01

$0.79 RON 3.75

105.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 SEK 15.49

$0.77 RON 3.66

102.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 SEK 22.56

$0.87 RON 4.13

162.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 SEK 14.33

$0.99 RON 4.70

46.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.22 SEK 71.6

$6.31 RON 29.86

14.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.69 SEK 96.0

$6.20 RON 29.34

56.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 SEK 19.29

$1.19 RON 5.63

63.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 SEK 21.15

$1.57 RON 7.45

35.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.27 SEK 32.41

$0.86 RON 4.08

280.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.2 SEK 755

$21.10 RON 99.8

261.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.01 SEK 59.5

$0.64 RON 3.05

839.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 SEK 16.99

$0.60 RON 2.86

185.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$58.4 SEK 579

$6.43 RON 30.43

808.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 SEK 17.70

$1.96 RON 9.25

-8.67%

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

$32.5K SEK 322.2K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

12.13%

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

$33.1K SEK 327.9K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

24.23%

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

$102 SEK 1,013

$196 RON 927

-47.82%

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

$23.99 SEK 238

$8.04 RON 38.04

198.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.81 SEK 375

$9.35 RON 44.21

304.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.48 SEK 371

$50.2 RON 238

-25.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.74 SEK 255

$25.33 RON 120

1.62%

Cinema Ticket

$16.18 SEK 160

$8.15 RON 38.55

98.53%

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

$154 SEK 1,522

$628 RON 2,971

-75.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,003 SEK 49.6K

$14.1K RON 66.6K

-64.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 SEK 898

$89.6 RON 424

1.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.01 SEK 396

$38.32 RON 181

4.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.3 SEK 885

$79.3 RON 375

12.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 SEK 1,383

$90.4 RON 428

54.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$795 SEK 7,877

$678 RON 3,209

17.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 SEK 6,131

$448 RON 2,121

38.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,317 SEK 13.0K

$1,083 RON 5,125

21.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 SEK 10.1K

$725 RON 3,430

40.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,969 SEK 39.3K

$3,751 RON 17.7K

5.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,749 SEK 27.2K

$2,195 RON 10.4K

25.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.45

6.75

-48.89%

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

Last update for Kista: 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

Kista

$619 35.9%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 27.6% $170

Groceries & Markets

Kista

$351 20.3%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 35.8% $126

Eating Out

Kista

$257 14.9%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 12.3% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kista

$164 9.5%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 30% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Kista

$162 9.4%

Bucharest

$134 10% 17.2% $28

Getting Around

Kista

$104 6%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 72.8% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Kista

$70 4.1%

Bucharest

$67 5% 4.7% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $795 in Kista and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $76.0 in Kista vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $351 vs $225 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Kista

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

09:03 9:03 AM

10:03 10:03 AM

1 h ahead of Kista

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,254

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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Between locations

Kista Bucharest 1,750 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Kista
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

Kista vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kista and Bucharest differ by about 29% in total monthly costs ($1,726 vs $1,340 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,589 in Kista and $2,011 in Bucharest to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $795 in Kista versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,726 per month in Kista versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 29% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 261% less than in Kista. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,726 in Kista, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Kista. 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, Kista 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 29% less than in Kista. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.