Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malmo and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $2,046 in Malmo, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Malmo
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Malmo Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index

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Malmo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,046

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,046 in Malmo versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

Malmo $2,046
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,083 in Malmo versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

Malmo $3,083
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,121 in Malmo versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

Malmo $4,121
Bucharest $2,715

Living in Malmo is roughly 51% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Malmo 53% above, Bucharest 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.90 SEK 149

$14.46 RON 68.4

3.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.0 SEK 740

$57.7 RON 273

28.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.18 SEK 122

$7.50 RON 35.46

62.40%

Cappuccino

$4.83 SEK 48.23

$3.43 RON 16.20

40.82%

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

$3.35 SEK 33.52

$2.46 RON 11.63

36.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 SEK 26.97

$2.33 RON 11.01

15.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.46 SEK 84.5

$3.80 RON 17.97

122.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.10 SEK 90.9

$4.10 RON 19.41

121.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 SEK 17.26

$1.65 RON 7.79

4.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 SEK 28.67

$1.35 RON 6.39

112.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.32 SEK 33.22

$1.78 RON 8.42

86.52%

Eggs

$4.11 SEK 41.10

$3.66 RON 17.33

12.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.74 SEK 127

$8.57 RON 40.54

48.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.86 SEK 119

$6.80 RON 32.17

74.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.61 SEK 216

$11.72 RON 55.4

84.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 SEK 29.93

$1.29 RON 6.11

131.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.58 SEK 25.82

$1.56 RON 7.37

65.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 SEK 29.61

$1.54 RON 7.28

92.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 SEK 41.43

$2.48 RON 11.75

67.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 SEK 16.62

$0.83 RON 3.92

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 SEK 15.29

$0.80 RON 3.77

91.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 SEK 24.65

$0.84 RON 3.98

194.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 SEK 12.24

$0.93 RON 4.39

32.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.72 SEK 77.1

$6.44 RON 30.45

19.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.53 SEK 115

$6.32 RON 29.91

82.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 SEK 20.05

$1.26 RON 5.94

59.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 SEK 23.43

$1.60 RON 7.59

46.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.15 SEK 31.45

$0.81 RON 3.85

288.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.5 SEK 635

$21.13 RON 99.9

200.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.00 SEK 59.9

$0.60 RON 2.86

900.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.41 SEK 24.07

$0.61 RON 2.91

295.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.13 SEK 491

$6.17 RON 29.19

696.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 SEK 17.36

$1.96 RON 9.27

-11.22%

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

$32.3K SEK 322.6K

$28.1K RON 133.1K

14.66%

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

$33.2K SEK 331.5K

$26.3K RON 124.3K

26.16%

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

$138 SEK 1,380

$197 RON 931

-29.83%

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

$26.21 SEK 262

$8.34 RON 39.44

214.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.07 SEK 361

$9.19 RON 43.47

292.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.93 SEK 399

$49.87 RON 236

-19.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.69 SEK 287

$24.99 RON 118

14.81%

Cinema Ticket

$17.17 SEK 172

$8.46 RON 40.01

102.96%

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

$167 SEK 1,666

$639 RON 3,023

-73.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,311 SEK 33.1K

$14.4K RON 68.1K

-77.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.0 SEK 979

$90.6 RON 429

8.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.19 SEK 442

$38.05 RON 180

16.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 SEK 1,125

$79.7 RON 377

41.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 SEK 1,520

$93.2 RON 441

63.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,063 SEK 10.6K

$673 RON 3,184

57.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$818 SEK 8,173

$449 RON 2,123

82.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,720 SEK 17.2K

$1,098 RON 5,195

56.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,354 SEK 13.5K

$729 RON 3,448

85.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,026 SEK 40.2K

$3,740 RON 17.7K

7.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,166 SEK 31.6K

$2,189 RON 10.4K

44.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,045 SEK 30.4K

$1,323 RON 6,259

130.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.05

6.74

-54.75%

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

Last update for Malmo: 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

Malmo

$818 40.1%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 45.1% $369

Groceries & Markets

Malmo

$372 18.2%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 40.3% $150

Eating Out

Malmo

$298 14.6%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 24.4% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malmo

$200 9.8%

Bucharest

$214 16% 7% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Malmo

$183 9%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 25.9% $47

Getting Around

Malmo

$94 4.6%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 70.2% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Malmo

$74 3.6%

Bucharest

$67 5% 10.1% $7.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,063 in Malmo and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Malmo pays 130% 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: $74.0 in Malmo vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $372 vs $222 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Malmo

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

03:32 3:32 AM

04:32 4:32 AM

1 h ahead of Malmo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

316,588

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

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

From you

Malmo
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

Malmo vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Malmo and Bucharest differ by about 51% in total monthly costs ($2,046 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 130% higher in Malmo, 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: $1,063 in Malmo versus $673 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,046 per month in Malmo versus $1,351 in Bucharest – a 51% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 201% less than in Malmo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $2,046 in Malmo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Malmo. 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.

Expats usually find Bucharest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Malmo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.