Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Swansea and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $2,186 in Swansea, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Swansea
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Swansea Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Swansea

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,186

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,186 in Swansea versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

Swansea $2,186
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,158 in Swansea versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

Swansea $3,158
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,131 in Swansea versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

Swansea $4,131
Bucharest $2,715

Living in Swansea is roughly 62% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Swansea 63% above, Bucharest 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.61 £14.82

$14.46 RON 68.4

35.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.6 £46.56

$57.7 RON 273

6.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.41 £7.87

$7.50 RON 35.46

38.80%

Cappuccino

$4.83 £3.65

$3.43 RON 16.20

40.82%

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

$2.32 £1.76

$2.46 RON 11.63

-5.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 £0.92

$2.33 RON 11.01

-47.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.91 £4.47

$3.80 RON 17.97

55.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.33 £4.78

$4.10 RON 19.41

54.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 £0.97

$1.65 RON 7.79

-22.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 £1.46

$1.35 RON 6.39

42.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 £1.52

$1.78 RON 8.42

12.92%

Eggs

$3.52 £2.66

$3.66 RON 17.33

-3.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.46 £5.64

$8.57 RON 40.54

-12.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.53 £6.45

$6.80 RON 32.17

25.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.52 £9.46

$11.72 RON 55.4

6.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 £1.80

$1.29 RON 6.11

85.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 £0.96

$1.56 RON 7.37

-18.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.78 £2.10

$1.54 RON 7.28

80.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.63 £2.74

$2.48 RON 11.75

46.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.32 £1.75

$0.83 RON 3.92

179.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.92 £2.21

$0.80 RON 3.77

265.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 £0.99

$0.84 RON 3.98

55.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.32 £1.75

$0.93 RON 4.39

149.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.24 £17.56

$6.44 RON 30.45

260.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.43 £7.88

$6.32 RON 29.91

65.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.66

$1.26 RON 5.94

74.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 £2.45

$1.60 RON 7.59

102.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.99 £3.02

$0.81 RON 3.85

392.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.0 £72.6

$21.13 RON 99.9

354.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 £2.91

$0.60 RON 2.86

543.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.65 £2.01

$0.61 RON 2.91

334.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.61 £24.64

$6.17 RON 29.19

428.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.97 £1.49

$1.96 RON 9.27

0.51%

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

$39.0K £29.4K

$28.1K RON 133.1K

38.38%

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

$41.2K £31.1K

$26.3K RON 124.3K

56.56%

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

$304 £230

$197 RON 931

54.50%

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

$14.67 £11.08

$8.34 RON 39.44

75.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.04 £32.52

$9.19 RON 43.47

368.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.43 £26.02

$49.87 RON 236

-30.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.90 £11.26

$24.99 RON 118

-40.38%

Cinema Ticket

$10.16 £7.68

$8.46 RON 40.01

20.09%

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

$1,463 £1,105

$639 RON 3,023

128.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 £68.4

$90.6 RON 429

-0.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.37 £36.55

$38.05 RON 180

27.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 £89.0

$79.7 RON 377

47.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.4 £63.8

$93.2 RON 441

-9.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,088 £822

$673 RON 3,184

61.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$844 £638

$449 RON 2,123

87.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,387 £1,048

$1,098 RON 5,195

26.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,408 £1,064

$729 RON 3,448

93.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,880 £2,932

$3,740 RON 17.7K

3.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,949 £2,228

$2,189 RON 10.4K

34.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,165 £2,392

$1,323 RON 6,259

139.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.04

6.74

-10.39%

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

Last update for Swansea: October 6, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Swansea

$844 39.5%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 46.8% $395

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Swansea

$362 16.9%

Bucharest

$214 16% 40.8% $147

Eating Out

Swansea

$303 14.2%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 25.4% $77

Groceries & Markets

Swansea

$290 13.6%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 23.5% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Swansea

$153 7.2%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 11.6% $18

Getting Around

Swansea

$129 6.1%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 78.3% $101

Sport & Entertainment

Swansea

$55 2.6%

Bucharest

$67 5% 22% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,088 in Swansea and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Swansea pays 139% 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: $62.0 in Swansea vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $222 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Swansea

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

05:56 5:56 AM

07:56 7:56 AM

2 h ahead of Swansea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

239,000

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 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 GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Swansea Bucharest 2,350 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Swansea
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

Swansea vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Swansea and Bucharest differ by about 62% in total monthly costs ($2,186 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 139% higher in Swansea, 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: $1,088 in Swansea versus $673 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,186 per month in Swansea versus $1,351 in Bucharest – a 62% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 355% less than in Swansea. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $2,186 in Swansea, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Swansea. 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 62% less than in Swansea. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.