Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sala and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $1,530 in Sala, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Sala
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Sala Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index

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Sala

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,530

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,530 in Sala versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Sala $1,530
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,260 in Sala versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Sala $2,260
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,989 in Sala versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Sala $2,989
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Sala is roughly 14% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sala is 13% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.75 SEK 116

$14.49 RON 68.6

-18.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.6 SEK 581

$58.1 RON 275

0.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.45 SEK 93.6

$7.48 RON 35.40

26.34%

Cappuccino

$3.17 SEK 31.39

$3.44 RON 16.29

-7.85%

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

$1.75 SEK 17.38

$2.37 RON 11.22

-26.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 SEK 21.35

$2.30 RON 10.88

-6.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.94 SEK 68.7

$3.70 RON 17.51

87.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.93 SEK 68.7

$4.16 RON 19.69

66.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 SEK 16.45

$1.67 RON 7.90

-0.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.54 SEK 25.16

$1.37 RON 6.50

85.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.48 SEK 34.45

$1.72 RON 8.14

102.33%

Eggs

$5.29 SEK 52.5

$3.64 RON 17.22

45.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 SEK 110

$9.08 RON 42.98

22.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.95 SEK 128

$6.84 RON 32.35

89.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.02 SEK 218

$12.00 RON 56.8

83.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 SEK 28.42

$1.23 RON 5.80

133.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.66 SEK 26.39

$1.63 RON 7.73

63.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 SEK 25.65

$1.57 RON 7.45

64.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.79 SEK 47.50

$2.54 RON 12.01

88.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 SEK 14.46

$0.79 RON 3.75

84.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 SEK 11.29

$0.77 RON 3.66

48.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.57 SEK 25.51

$0.87 RON 4.13

195.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 SEK 10.02

$0.99 RON 4.70

2.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.88 SEK 68.2

$6.31 RON 29.86

9.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.10 SEK 60.5

$6.20 RON 29.34

-1.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 SEK 18.76

$1.19 RON 5.63

58.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 SEK 17.47

$1.57 RON 7.45

12.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.90 SEK 28.75

$0.86 RON 4.08

237.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.18 SEK 210

$21.10 RON 99.8

0.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.90 SEK 58.5

$0.64 RON 3.05

821.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 SEK 16.73

$0.60 RON 2.86

181.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$79.0 SEK 782

$6.43 RON 30.43

1128.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 SEK 17.13

$1.96 RON 9.25

-11.73%

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

$32.5K SEK 322.3K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

12.18%

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

$33.1K SEK 327.9K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

24.23%

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

$177 SEK 1,752

$196 RON 927

-9.75%

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

$19.96 SEK 198

$8.04 RON 38.04

148.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.76 SEK 384

$9.35 RON 44.21

314.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.97 SEK 456

$50.2 RON 238

-8.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.24 SEK 201

$25.33 RON 120

-20.09%

Cinema Ticket

$16.13 SEK 160

$8.15 RON 38.55

97.91%

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

$213 SEK 2,111

$628 RON 2,971

-66.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,194 SEK 11.8K

$14.1K RON 66.6K

-91.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.45 SEK 440

$89.6 RON 424

-50.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.80 SEK 345

$38.32 RON 181

-9.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.9 SEK 514

$79.3 RON 375

-34.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.0 SEK 535

$90.4 RON 428

-40.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 SEK 6,989

$678 RON 3,209

4.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$501 SEK 4,966

$448 RON 2,121

11.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$930 SEK 9,217

$1,083 RON 5,125

-14.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$684 SEK 6,782

$725 RON 3,430

-5.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,018 SEK 39.8K

$3,751 RON 17.7K

7.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,838 SEK 28.1K

$2,195 RON 10.4K

29.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,422 SEK 24.0K

$1,329 RON 6,290

82.23%

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 Sala: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sala

$501 32.8%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 10.5% $53

Groceries & Markets

Sala

$360 23.5%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 37.5% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sala

$236 15.4%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 9.4% $22

Eating Out

Sala

$225 14.7%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 0.3% $0.7

Clothing & Footwear

Sala

$83 5.4%

Bucharest

$134 10% 60.8% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Sala

$78 5.1%

Bucharest

$67 5% 15% $12

Getting Around

Sala

$47 3.1%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 40.1% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $705 in Sala and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sala pays 82% 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: $59.0 in Sala vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $360 vs $225 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Sala

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

15:58 3:58 PM

16:58 4:58 PM

1 h ahead of Sala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,994

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

Sala Bucharest 1,840 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sala
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

Sala vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sala and Bucharest differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($1,530 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 82% higher in Sala, 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: $705 in Sala versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,530 per month in Sala versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 0% less than in Sala. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,530 in Sala, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Sala. 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, Sala 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 14% less than in Sala. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.