Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Norrkoping and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,337 a month against $1,783 in Norrkoping, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Norrkoping
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Norrkoping Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Norrkoping

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,783

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,337

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,783 in Norrkoping versus $1,337 in Bucharest.

Norrkoping $1,783
Bucharest $1,337

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,735 in Norrkoping versus $2,029 in Bucharest.

Norrkoping $2,735
Bucharest $2,029

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,687 in Norrkoping versus $2,721 in Bucharest.

Norrkoping $3,687
Bucharest $2,721

Living in Norrkoping 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: Norrkoping is 32% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.88 SEK 138

$14.45 RON 68.4

-3.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.0 SEK 792

$58.1 RON 275

37.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.01 SEK 99.2

$7.53 RON 35.65

32.93%

Cappuccino

$4.81 SEK 47.63

$3.45 RON 16.33

39.42%

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

$3.16 SEK 31.32

$2.46 RON 11.65

28.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 SEK 23.49

$2.23 RON 10.54

6.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.67 SEK 76.0

$3.76 RON 17.78

103.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.21 SEK 81.3

$4.19 RON 19.84

95.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 SEK 18.36

$1.62 RON 7.67

14.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.96 SEK 29.29

$1.30 RON 6.13

127.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.40 SEK 43.57

$1.70 RON 8.05

158.82%

Eggs

$3.87 SEK 38.35

$3.79 RON 17.93

2.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.21 SEK 101

$8.86 RON 41.90

15.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.45 SEK 143

$6.90 RON 32.67

109.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.94 SEK 178

$12.14 RON 57.4

47.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 SEK 31.26

$1.30 RON 6.17

143.08%

Banana (1kg)

$2.77 SEK 27.42

$1.60 RON 7.55

73.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.45 SEK 34.18

$1.57 RON 7.42

119.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.22 SEK 51.8

$2.68 RON 12.67

94.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 SEK 14.44

$0.81 RON 3.82

80.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.76 SEK 17.48

$0.79 RON 3.73

122.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.07 SEK 20.55

$0.91 RON 4.30

127.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 SEK 12.76

$0.97 RON 4.58

32.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.68 SEK 76.1

$6.41 RON 30.34

19.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.15 SEK 101

$6.18 RON 29.24

64.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 SEK 18.70

$1.23 RON 5.83

53.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 SEK 19.57

$1.67 RON 7.91

17.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.50 SEK 34.66

$0.87 RON 4.10

302.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$103 SEK 1,019

$20.98 RON 99.3

390.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.42 SEK 53.7

$0.66 RON 3.10

721.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 SEK 13.15

$0.60 RON 2.85

121.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$62.2 SEK 616

$6.19 RON 29.28

904.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 SEK 17.36

$1.93 RON 9.15

-9.33%

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

$30.9K SEK 306.4K

$28.7K RON 135.9K

7.63%

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

$32.4K SEK 321.0K

$26.3K RON 124.6K

23.05%

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

$99.4 SEK 985

$196 RON 926

-49.18%

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

$28.20 SEK 279

$8.49 RON 40.19

232.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.25 SEK 438

$9.05 RON 42.84

388.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.74 SEK 334

$49.54 RON 234

-31.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.03 RON 118

Cinema Ticket

$15.18 SEK 150

$8.24 RON 39.01

84.22%

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

$126 SEK 1,250

$636 RON 3,007

-80.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K RON 69.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.2 SEK 686

$88.5 RON 419

-21.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.21 SEK 299

$38.77 RON 183

-22.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.5 SEK 966

$78.8 RON 373

23.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$202 SEK 2,001

$90.6 RON 428

122.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$681 SEK 6,752

$695 RON 3,288

-1.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$588 SEK 5,823

$446 RON 2,109

31.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,162 SEK 11.5K

$1,084 RON 5,130

7.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$878 SEK 8,700

$712 RON 3,368

23.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,566 SEK 45.2K

$3,797 RON 18.0K

20.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,396 SEK 33.6K

$2,202 RON 10.4K

54.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,035 SEK 30.1K

$1,354 RON 6,406

124.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.09

6.75

-39.41%

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

Last update for Norrkoping: October 18, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Norrkoping

$588 33%

Bucharest

$446 33.3% 24.2% $142

Groceries & Markets

Norrkoping

$376 21.1%

Bucharest

$225 16.9% 40% $150

Eating Out

Norrkoping

$276 15.5%

Bucharest

$226 16.9% 18.2% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Norrkoping

$179 10.1%

Bucharest

$133 10% 25.6% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Norrkoping

$172 9.6%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 24% $41

Getting Around

Norrkoping

$129 7.2%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 78.2% $101

Sport & Entertainment

Norrkoping

$64 3.6%

Bucharest

$66 4.9% 3% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $681 in Norrkoping and $695 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Norrkoping pays 124% 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: $80.0 in Norrkoping vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $376 vs $225 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Norrkoping

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

18:50 6:50 PM

19:50 7:50 PM

1 h ahead of Norrkoping

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

98,088

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 20, 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 20, 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

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

From you

Norrkoping
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

Norrkoping vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Norrkoping and Bucharest differ by about 33% in total monthly costs ($1,783 vs $1,337 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 124% higher in Norrkoping, 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: $681 in Norrkoping versus $695 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,783 per month in Norrkoping versus $1,337 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 390% less than in Norrkoping. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,337 in Bucharest versus $1,783 in Norrkoping, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Norrkoping. 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, Norrkoping 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 Norrkoping. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.