Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Linkoping and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $1,789 in Linkoping, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Linkoping
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Linkoping Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Linkoping

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,789

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,789 in Linkoping versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Linkoping $1,789
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,801 in Linkoping versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Linkoping $2,801
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,814 in Linkoping versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Linkoping $3,814
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Linkoping is roughly 33% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Linkoping is 32% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.99 SEK 129

$14.49 RON 68.6

-10.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.6 SEK 630

$58.1 RON 275

9.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.10 SEK 100

$7.48 RON 35.40

35.03%

Cappuccino

$4.24 SEK 41.97

$3.44 RON 16.29

23.26%

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

$2.56 SEK 25.33

$2.37 RON 11.22

8.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 SEK 21.89

$2.30 RON 10.88

-3.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.74 SEK 66.8

$3.70 RON 17.51

82.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.95 SEK 68.8

$4.16 RON 19.69

67.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 SEK 16.27

$1.67 RON 7.90

-1.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.72 SEK 26.93

$1.37 RON 6.50

98.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.12 SEK 30.96

$1.72 RON 8.14

81.40%

Eggs

$3.79 SEK 37.56

$3.64 RON 17.22

4.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 SEK 112

$9.08 RON 42.98

24.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.28 SEK 112

$6.84 RON 32.35

64.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.38 SEK 162

$12.00 RON 56.8

36.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 SEK 29.35

$1.23 RON 5.80

140.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 SEK 23.83

$1.63 RON 7.73

47.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 SEK 19.17

$1.57 RON 7.45

22.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.37 SEK 43.34

$2.54 RON 12.01

72.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.43 SEK 14.12

$0.79 RON 3.75

81.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 SEK 16.42

$0.77 RON 3.66

115.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.96 SEK 19.43

$0.87 RON 4.13

125.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 SEK 15.49

$0.99 RON 4.70

57.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.89 SEK 68.3

$6.31 RON 29.86

9.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.66 SEK 95.7

$6.20 RON 29.34

55.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 SEK 18.79

$1.19 RON 5.63

59.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 SEK 22.05

$1.57 RON 7.45

42.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.20 SEK 31.68

$0.86 RON 4.08

272.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 SEK 766

$21.10 RON 99.8

266.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.00 SEK 59.5

$0.64 RON 3.05

837.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 SEK 16.54

$0.60 RON 2.86

178.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$58.3 SEK 577

$6.43 RON 30.43

805.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 SEK 17.34

$1.96 RON 9.25

-10.71%

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

$32.2K SEK 319.2K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

11.11%

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

$32.3K SEK 319.9K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

21.19%

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

$105 SEK 1,036

$196 RON 927

-46.63%

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

$19.66 SEK 195

$8.04 RON 38.04

144.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.16 SEK 329

$9.35 RON 44.21

254.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.83 SEK 375

$50.2 RON 238

-24.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.35 SEK 330

$25.33 RON 120

31.66%

Cinema Ticket

$15.87 SEK 157

$8.15 RON 38.55

94.72%

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

$214 SEK 2,118

$628 RON 2,971

-65.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,336 SEK 43.0K

$14.1K RON 66.6K

-69.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.6 SEK 878

$89.6 RON 424

-1.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.33 SEK 320

$38.32 RON 181

-15.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.3 SEK 875

$79.3 RON 375

11.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 SEK 1,310

$90.4 RON 428

46.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$938 SEK 9,291

$678 RON 3,209

38.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 SEK 7,082

$448 RON 2,121

59.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,562 SEK 15.5K

$1,083 RON 5,125

44.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,312 SEK 13.0K

$725 RON 3,430

80.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,402 SEK 43.6K

$3,751 RON 17.7K

17.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,777 SEK 27.5K

$2,195 RON 10.4K

26.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,646 SEK 26.2K

$1,329 RON 6,290

99.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.8

6.75

-58.52%

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

Last update for Linkoping: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Linkoping

$715 40%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 37.3% $266

Groceries & Markets

Linkoping

$337 18.8%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 33.2% $112

Eating Out

Linkoping

$252 14.1%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 10.5% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Linkoping

$157 8.8%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 35.5% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Linkoping

$154 8.6%

Bucharest

$134 10% 12.8% $20

Getting Around

Linkoping

$104 5.8%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 73% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Linkoping

$70 3.9%

Bucharest

$67 5% 4.4% $3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $938 in Linkoping and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Linkoping pays 99% 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 Linkoping vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $337 vs $225 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Linkoping

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

22:54 10:54 PM

23:54 11:54 PM

1 h ahead of Linkoping

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

115,682

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 19, 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 19, 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

Linkoping Bucharest 1,710 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Linkoping
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

Linkoping vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Linkoping and Bucharest differ by about 33% in total monthly costs ($1,789 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 99% higher in Linkoping, 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: $938 in Linkoping versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,789 per month in Linkoping versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 33% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 267% less than in Linkoping. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,789 in Linkoping, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Linkoping. 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, Linkoping 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 33% less than in Linkoping. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.