Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sundsvall and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $1,722 in Sundsvall, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

82

Cost of Living Index in Sundsvall
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Sundsvall Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Sundsvall

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,722

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,722 in Sundsvall versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

Sundsvall $1,722
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,622 in Sundsvall versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

Sundsvall $2,622
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,523 in Sundsvall versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

Sundsvall $3,523
Bucharest $2,715

Living in Sundsvall is roughly 27% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sundsvall 28% above, Bucharest 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.99 SEK 150

$14.46 RON 68.4

3.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.2 SEK 812

$57.7 RON 273

40.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.97 SEK 110

$7.50 RON 35.46

46.27%

Cappuccino

$4.56 SEK 45.58

$3.43 RON 16.20

32.94%

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

$2.40 SEK 23.97

$2.46 RON 11.63

-2.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 SEK 18.35

$2.33 RON 11.01

-21.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.55 SEK 85.5

$3.80 RON 17.97

125.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.62 SEK 76.1

$4.10 RON 19.41

85.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 SEK 14.91

$1.65 RON 7.79

-9.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.95 SEK 29.48

$1.35 RON 6.39

118.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.47 SEK 34.66

$1.78 RON 8.42

94.94%

Eggs

$3.40 SEK 34.02

$3.66 RON 17.33

-7.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.29 SEK 92.8

$8.57 RON 40.54

8.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.63 SEK 96.3

$6.80 RON 32.17

41.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.36 SEK 174

$11.72 RON 55.4

48.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 SEK 26.10

$1.29 RON 6.11

102.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 SEK 23.05

$1.56 RON 7.37

48.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.43 SEK 24.31

$1.54 RON 7.28

57.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.00 SEK 40.01

$2.48 RON 11.75

61.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 SEK 14.02

$0.83 RON 3.92

68.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 SEK 13.47

$0.80 RON 3.77

68.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 SEK 17.75

$0.84 RON 3.98

111.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 SEK 9.43

$0.93 RON 4.39

1.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.34 SEK 73.3

$6.44 RON 30.45

13.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.00 SEK 90.0

$6.32 RON 29.91

42.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 SEK 17.04

$1.26 RON 5.94

35.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 SEK 13.77

$1.60 RON 7.59

-13.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.24 SEK 32.35

$0.81 RON 3.85

300.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.1 SEK 840

$21.13 RON 99.9

297.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.08 SEK 60.8

$0.60 RON 2.86

913.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$5.81 SEK 58.1

$0.61 RON 2.91

852.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.19

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.66 SEK 16.55

$1.96 RON 9.27

-15.31%

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

$31.1K SEK 311.1K

$28.1K RON 133.1K

10.58%

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

$30.1K SEK 300.9K

$26.3K RON 124.3K

14.52%

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

$99.6 SEK 996

$197 RON 931

-49.38%

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

$28.61 SEK 286

$8.34 RON 39.44

243.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.42 SEK 364

$9.19 RON 43.47

296.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.61 SEK 406

$49.87 RON 236

-18.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.70 SEK 157

$24.99 RON 118

-37.17%

Cinema Ticket

$13.86 SEK 139

$8.46 RON 40.01

63.83%

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

$134 SEK 1,340

$639 RON 3,023

-79.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.2 SEK 921

$90.6 RON 429

1.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.76 SEK 197

$38.05 RON 180

-48.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.3 SEK 672

$79.7 RON 377

-15.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 SEK 1,228

$93.2 RON 441

31.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$659 SEK 6,583

$673 RON 3,184

-2.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$591 SEK 5,908

$449 RON 2,123

31.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 SEK 11.8K

$1,098 RON 5,195

7.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$877 SEK 8,767

$729 RON 3,448

20.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,411 SEK 24.1K

$3,740 RON 17.7K

-35.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,689 SEK 16.9K

$2,189 RON 10.4K

-22.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,993 SEK 29.9K

$1,323 RON 6,259

126.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.88

6.74

-42.43%

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

Last update for Sundsvall: October 4, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sundsvall

$591 35.1%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 24.1% $142

Groceries & Markets

Sundsvall

$311 18.5%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 28.8% $90

Eating Out

Sundsvall

$282 16.8%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 20.1% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sundsvall

$165 9.8%

Bucharest

$214 16% 30.2% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Sundsvall

$136 8.1%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 0.2% $0.3

Getting Around

Sundsvall

$132 7.8%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 78.8% $104

Sport & Entertainment

Sundsvall

$68 4.1%

Bucharest

$67 5% 2.3% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $659 in Sundsvall and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sundsvall pays 126% 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: $81.0 in Sundsvall vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $311 vs $222 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Sundsvall

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

06:55 6:55 AM

07:55 7:55 AM

1 h ahead of Sundsvall

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

57,606

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

Sundsvall Bucharest 2,080 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Sundsvall
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

Sundsvall vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sundsvall and Bucharest differ by about 27% in total monthly costs ($1,722 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 126% higher in Sundsvall, 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: $659 in Sundsvall versus $673 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,722 per month in Sundsvall versus $1,351 in Bucharest – a 27% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 298% less than in Sundsvall. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $1,722 in Sundsvall, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Sundsvall. 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, Sundsvall 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 27% less than in Sundsvall. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.