Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lund and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $1,777 in Lund, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Lund
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Lund Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index

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Lund

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,777

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,777 in Lund versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

Lund $1,777
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,922 in Lund versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

Lund $2,922
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,067 in Lund versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

Lund $4,067
Bucharest $2,715

Living in Lund is roughly 32% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lund 33% above, Bucharest 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.72 SEK 127

$14.46 RON 68.4

-12.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.0 SEK 909

$57.7 RON 273

57.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.72 SEK 117

$7.50 RON 35.46

56.27%

Cappuccino

$4.60 SEK 46.01

$3.43 RON 16.20

34.11%

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

$2.79 SEK 27.88

$2.46 RON 11.63

13.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 SEK 20.65

$2.33 RON 11.01

-11.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.18 SEK 81.7

$3.80 RON 17.97

115.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.79 SEK 67.9

$4.10 RON 19.41

65.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 SEK 16.28

$1.65 RON 7.79

-1.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 SEK 25.47

$1.35 RON 6.39

88.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.38 SEK 33.74

$1.78 RON 8.42

89.89%

Eggs

$4.57 SEK 45.63

$3.66 RON 17.33

24.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.53 SEK 125

$8.57 RON 40.54

46.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.84 SEK 118

$6.80 RON 32.17

74.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.33 SEK 153

$11.72 RON 55.4

30.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 SEK 30.63

$1.29 RON 6.11

137.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.58 SEK 25.82

$1.56 RON 7.37

65.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 SEK 28.26

$1.54 RON 7.28

83.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.68 SEK 46.78

$2.48 RON 11.75

88.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 SEK 16.98

$0.83 RON 3.92

104.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.43 SEK 14.25

$0.80 RON 3.77

78.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.55 SEK 25.50

$0.84 RON 3.98

203.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 SEK 15.20

$0.93 RON 4.39

63.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.10 SEK 81.0

$6.44 RON 30.45

25.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 SEK 111

$6.32 RON 29.91

76.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 SEK 18.50

$1.26 RON 5.94

46.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 SEK 27.27

$1.60 RON 7.59

70.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.28 SEK 32.79

$0.81 RON 3.85

304.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.3 SEK 632

$21.13 RON 99.9

199.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.08 SEK 50.7

$0.60 RON 2.86

746.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 SEK 11.02

$0.61 RON 2.91

80.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.40 SEK 414

$6.17 RON 29.19

570.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 SEK 17.97

$1.96 RON 9.27

-8.16%

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

$33.1K SEK 331.0K

$28.1K RON 133.1K

17.67%

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

$32.8K SEK 328.1K

$26.3K RON 124.3K

24.87%

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

$76.4 SEK 764

$197 RON 931

-61.18%

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

$28.05 SEK 280

$8.34 RON 39.44

236.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.33 SEK 413

$9.19 RON 43.47

349.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.07 SEK 381

$49.87 RON 236

-23.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.39 SEK 274

$24.99 RON 118

9.60%

Cinema Ticket

$15.11 SEK 151

$8.46 RON 40.01

78.61%

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

$157 SEK 1,571

$639 RON 3,023

-75.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.5 SEK 785

$90.6 RON 429

-13.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.6 SEK 566

$38.05 RON 180

48.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.7 SEK 976

$79.7 RON 377

22.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 SEK 1,213

$93.2 RON 441

30.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$826 SEK 8,255

$673 RON 3,184

22.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$672 SEK 6,716

$449 RON 2,123

49.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 SEK 17.0K

$1,098 RON 5,195

54.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,365 SEK 13.6K

$729 RON 3,448

87.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,116 SEK 61.1K

$3,740 RON 17.7K

63.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,597 SEK 35.9K

$2,189 RON 10.4K

64.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,871 SEK 28.7K

$1,323 RON 6,259

116.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.03

6.74

-55.04%

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

Last update for Lund: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lund

$672 38.3%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 33.2% $223

Groceries & Markets

Lund

$355 20.3%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 37.6% $134

Eating Out

Lund

$266 15.2%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 15.2% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Lund

$159 9.1%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 14.9% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lund

$146 8.3%

Bucharest

$214 16% 47% $69

Getting Around

Lund

$87 5%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 67.7% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Lund

$68 3.9%

Bucharest

$67 5% 2.2% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $826 in Lund and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lund pays 117% 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: $91.0 in Lund 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

🇸🇪 Lund

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

03:32 3:32 AM

04:32 4:32 AM

1 h ahead of Lund

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

82,800

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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Between locations

Lund Bucharest 1,550 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lund
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

Lund vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lund and Bucharest differ by about 32% in total monthly costs ($1,777 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 117% higher in Lund, 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: $826 in Lund versus $673 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,777 per month in Lund versus $1,351 in Bucharest – a 32% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 199% less than in Lund. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $1,777 in Lund, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Lund. 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, Lund 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 32% less than in Lund. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.