Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lulea and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $1,823 in Lulea, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Lulea
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Lulea Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index

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Lulea

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,823

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,823 in Lulea versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

Lulea $1,823
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,920 in Lulea versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

Lulea $2,920
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,016 in Lulea versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

Lulea $4,016
Bucharest $2,715

Living in Lulea is roughly 35% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lulea 36% above, Bucharest 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.72 SEK 117

$14.46 RON 68.4

-18.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.5 SEK 955

$57.7 RON 273

65.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.95 SEK 109

$7.50 RON 35.46

46.00%

Cappuccino

$4.36 SEK 43.52

$3.43 RON 16.20

27.11%

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

$2.51 SEK 25.10

$2.46 RON 11.63

2.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 SEK 18.66

$2.33 RON 11.01

-19.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.58 SEK 85.8

$3.80 RON 17.97

125.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.49 SEK 94.8

$4.10 RON 19.41

131.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 SEK 17.71

$1.65 RON 7.79

7.27%

White Bread (500g)

$3.26 SEK 32.60

$1.35 RON 6.39

141.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.94 SEK 49.41

$1.78 RON 8.42

177.53%

Eggs

$4.65 SEK 46.43

$3.66 RON 17.33

27.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.25 SEK 122

$8.57 RON 40.54

42.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.21 SEK 132

$6.80 RON 32.17

94.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.18 SEK 262

$11.72 RON 55.4

123.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 SEK 25.47

$1.29 RON 6.11

97.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.65 SEK 26.53

$1.56 RON 7.37

69.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 SEK 24.87

$1.54 RON 7.28

61.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.11 SEK 41.10

$2.48 RON 11.75

65.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 SEK 20.39

$0.83 RON 3.92

145.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 SEK 15.43

$0.80 RON 3.77

92.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.36 SEK 33.58

$0.84 RON 3.98

300.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 SEK 12.93

$0.93 RON 4.39

38.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.68 SEK 66.7

$6.44 RON 30.45

3.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.05 SEK 120

$6.32 RON 29.91

90.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 SEK 17.77

$1.26 RON 5.94

41.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 SEK 17.15

$1.60 RON 7.59

7.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.32 SEK 33.21

$0.81 RON 3.85

309.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.4 SEK 554

$21.13 RON 99.9

162.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.04 SEK 90.3

$0.60 RON 2.86

1406.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 SEK 20.52

$0.61 RON 2.91

236.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$70.6 SEK 706

$6.17 RON 29.19

1044.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 SEK 17.65

$1.96 RON 9.27

-9.69%

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

$31.9K SEK 318.5K

$28.1K RON 133.1K

13.20%

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

$33.5K SEK 334.6K

$26.3K RON 124.3K

27.37%

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

$160 SEK 1,603

$197 RON 931

-18.51%

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

$31.51 SEK 315

$8.34 RON 39.44

277.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.96 SEK 269

$9.19 RON 43.47

193.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.15 SEK 461

$49.87 RON 236

-7.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.47 SEK 354

$24.99 RON 118

41.94%

Cinema Ticket

$12.94 SEK 129

$8.46 RON 40.01

52.96%

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

$153 SEK 1,528

$639 RON 3,023

-76.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,466 SEK 54.6K

$14.4K RON 68.1K

-62.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$117 SEK 1,168

$90.6 RON 429

28.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.97 SEK 320

$38.05 RON 180

-15.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 SEK 1,202

$79.7 RON 377

50.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$161 SEK 1,611

$93.2 RON 441

72.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$778 SEK 7,773

$673 RON 3,184

15.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$581 SEK 5,811

$449 RON 2,123

29.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,418 SEK 14.2K

$1,098 RON 5,195

29.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 SEK 11.0K

$729 RON 3,448

50.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,049 SEK 30.5K

$3,740 RON 17.7K

-18.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,254 SEK 22.5K

$2,189 RON 10.4K

2.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,595 SEK 25.9K

$1,323 RON 6,259

96.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.74

-42.88%

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

Last update for Lulea: 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

Lulea

$581 32%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 22.8% $133

Groceries & Markets

Lulea

$404 22.2%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 45.1% $182

Eating Out

Lulea

$258 14.2%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 12.6% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lulea

$219 12.1%

Bucharest

$214 16% 2.1% $4.5

Clothing & Footwear

Lulea

$194 10.7%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 29.9% $58

Getting Around

Lulea

$88 4.9%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 68.1% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Lulea

$72 4%

Bucharest

$67 5% 7.3% $5.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $778 in Lulea and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lulea pays 96% 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: $96.0 in Lulea vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $404 vs $222 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Lulea

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

05:48 5:48 AM

06:48 6:48 AM

1 h ahead of Lulea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

73,864

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

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Highest

Between locations

Lulea Bucharest 2,360 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lulea
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

Lulea vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lulea and Bucharest differ by about 35% in total monthly costs ($1,823 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 96% higher in Lulea, 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: $778 in Lulea versus $673 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,823 per month in Lulea versus $1,351 in Bucharest – a 35% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 162% less than in Lulea. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $1,823 in Lulea, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Lulea. 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, Lulea 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 35% less than in Lulea. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.