Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Marsta and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $1,642 in Marsta, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Marsta
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Marsta Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Marsta

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,642

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,642 in Marsta versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Marsta $1,642
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Marsta versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Marsta $2,549
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,456 in Marsta versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Marsta $3,456
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Marsta is roughly 23% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Marsta is 22% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.20 SEK 131

$14.49 RON 68.6

-8.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 SEK 652

$58.1 RON 275

13.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.22 SEK 101

$7.48 RON 35.40

36.63%

Cappuccino

$4.42 SEK 43.82

$3.44 RON 16.29

28.49%

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

$2.00 SEK 19.85

$2.37 RON 11.22

-15.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 SEK 17.30

$2.30 RON 10.88

-23.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.12 SEK 70.6

$3.70 RON 17.51

92.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 SEK 67.2

$4.16 RON 19.69

62.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 SEK 16.77

$1.67 RON 7.90

1.20%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 SEK 30.15

$1.37 RON 6.50

121.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.64 SEK 55.9

$1.72 RON 8.14

227.91%

Eggs

$3.57 SEK 35.39

$3.64 RON 17.22

-1.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.48 SEK 134

$9.08 RON 42.98

48.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.95 SEK 88.7

$6.84 RON 32.35

30.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.90 SEK 167

$12.00 RON 56.8

40.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 SEK 30.05

$1.23 RON 5.80

146.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.67 SEK 26.49

$1.63 RON 7.73

63.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.96 SEK 19.43

$1.57 RON 7.45

24.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.72 SEK 36.89

$2.54 RON 12.01

46.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 SEK 13.98

$0.79 RON 3.75

78.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 SEK 14.66

$0.77 RON 3.66

92.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 SEK 19.31

$0.87 RON 4.13

124.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 SEK 18.10

$0.99 RON 4.70

84.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.15 SEK 70.9

$6.31 RON 29.86

13.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.10 SEK 100

$6.20 RON 29.34

62.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 SEK 18.56

$1.19 RON 5.63

57.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 SEK 20.13

$1.57 RON 7.45

29.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.36 SEK 33.27

$0.86 RON 4.08

290.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.8 SEK 751

$21.10 RON 99.8

259.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$13.16 SEK 130

$0.64 RON 3.05

1956.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 SEK 19.86

$0.60 RON 2.86

233.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.4 SEK 559

$6.43 RON 30.43

777.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 SEK 17.20

$1.96 RON 9.25

-11.22%

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

$32.4K SEK 321.1K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

11.76%

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

$32.5K SEK 321.9K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

21.96%

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

$60.2 SEK 597

$196 RON 927

-69.25%

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

$27.96 SEK 277

$8.04 RON 38.04

247.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.22 SEK 389

$9.35 RON 44.21

319.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.67 SEK 373

$50.2 RON 238

-25.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.55 SEK 263

$25.33 RON 120

4.82%

Cinema Ticket

$16.03 SEK 159

$8.15 RON 38.55

96.69%

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

$216 SEK 2,137

$628 RON 2,971

-65.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,033 SEK 49.9K

$14.1K RON 66.6K

-64.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.36 SEK 489

$89.6 RON 424

-44.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.13 SEK 299

$38.32 RON 181

-21.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.4 SEK 885

$79.3 RON 375

12.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 SEK 995

$90.4 RON 428

11.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$802 SEK 7,943

$678 RON 3,209

18.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$610 SEK 6,042

$448 RON 2,121

36.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,347 SEK 13.3K

$1,083 RON 5,125

24.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,005 SEK 9,954

$725 RON 3,430

38.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,974 SEK 39.4K

$3,751 RON 17.7K

5.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,757 SEK 27.3K

$2,195 RON 10.4K

25.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,563 SEK 45.2K

$1,329 RON 6,290

243.25%

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 Marsta: 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

Marsta

$610 37.1%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 26.5% $162

Groceries & Markets

Marsta

$348 21.2%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 35.4% $123

Eating Out

Marsta

$254 15.4%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 11.2% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Marsta

$127 7.8%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 67.4% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Marsta

$121 7.4%

Bucharest

$134 10% 10.5% $13

Getting Around

Marsta

$112 6.8%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 74.9% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Marsta

$70 4.3%

Bucharest

$67 5% 4.6% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $802 in Marsta and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Marsta pays 243% 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: $66.0 in Marsta vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $348 vs $225 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Marsta

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

10:40 10:40 AM

11:40 11:40 AM

1 h ahead of Marsta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,068

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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Highest

Between locations

Marsta Bucharest 1,780 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Marsta
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

Marsta vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Marsta and Bucharest differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($1,642 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 243% higher in Marsta, 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: $802 in Marsta versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,642 per month in Marsta versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 259% less than in Marsta. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,642 in Marsta, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Marsta. 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, Marsta 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 23% less than in Marsta. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.