Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Umea and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $1,608 in Umea, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. The total is higher in Umea despite lower rent and utilities.

80

Cost of Living Index in Umea
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Umea Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Umea

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,608

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Umea versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

Umea $1,608
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,579 in Umea versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

Umea $2,579
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,550 in Umea versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

Umea $3,550
Bucharest $2,715

Living in Umea is roughly 19% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Umea 20% above, Bucharest 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.02 SEK 150

$14.46 RON 68.4

3.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.3 SEK 793

$57.7 RON 273

37.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.00 SEK 120

$7.50 RON 35.46

60.00%

Cappuccino

$3.99 SEK 39.90

$3.43 RON 16.20

16.33%

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

$3.20 SEK 31.99

$2.46 RON 11.63

30.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 SEK 23.59

$2.33 RON 11.01

1.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.30 SEK 83.0

$3.80 RON 17.97

118.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.40 SEK 74.0

$4.10 RON 19.41

80.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 SEK 16.29

$1.65 RON 7.79

-1.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.44 SEK 34.42

$1.35 RON 6.39

154.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.07 SEK 40.68

$1.78 RON 8.42

128.65%

Eggs

$3.90 SEK 38.95

$3.66 RON 17.33

6.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.24 SEK 112

$8.57 RON 40.54

31.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.73 SEK 107

$6.80 RON 32.17

57.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.23 SEK 172

$11.72 RON 55.4

47.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.46 SEK 24.57

$1.29 RON 6.11

90.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.26 SEK 22.63

$1.56 RON 7.37

44.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 SEK 28.16

$1.54 RON 7.28

83.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.30 SEK 43.00

$2.48 RON 11.75

73.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 SEK 16.35

$0.83 RON 3.92

97.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 SEK 16.60

$0.80 RON 3.77

107.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.49 SEK 24.90

$0.84 RON 3.98

196.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 SEK 12.83

$0.93 RON 4.39

37.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.89 SEK 68.9

$6.44 RON 30.45

6.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.89 SEK 98.9

$6.32 RON 29.91

56.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 SEK 22.66

$1.26 RON 5.94

80.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 SEK 24.40

$1.60 RON 7.59

52.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.92 SEK 29.16

$0.81 RON 3.85

260.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.9 SEK 568

$21.13 RON 99.9

169.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.80 SEK 68.0

$0.60 RON 2.86

1033.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$5.02 SEK 50.2

$0.61 RON 2.91

722.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.19

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 SEK 17.37

$1.96 RON 9.27

-11.22%

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

$33.0K SEK 330.0K

$28.1K RON 133.1K

17.32%

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

$33.6K SEK 336.3K

$26.3K RON 124.3K

27.99%

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

$86.0 SEK 860

$197 RON 931

-56.29%

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

$32.39 SEK 324

$8.34 RON 39.44

288.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.15 SEK 271

$9.19 RON 43.47

195.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.96 SEK 489

$49.87 RON 236

-1.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.34 SEK 353

$24.99 RON 118

41.42%

Cinema Ticket

$16.17 SEK 162

$8.46 RON 40.01

91.13%

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

$137 SEK 1,368

$639 RON 3,023

-78.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.5 SEK 995

$90.6 RON 429

9.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.44 SEK 364

$38.05 RON 180

-4.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 SEK 1,166

$79.7 RON 377

46.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 SEK 1,405

$93.2 RON 441

50.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$736 SEK 7,357

$673 RON 3,184

9.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$504 SEK 5,040

$449 RON 2,123

12.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,105 SEK 11.0K

$1,098 RON 5,195

0.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$823 SEK 8,227

$729 RON 3,448

12.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,542 SEK 45.4K

$3,740 RON 17.7K

21.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,043 SEK 30.4K

$2,189 RON 10.4K

39.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,674 SEK 26.7K

$1,323 RON 6,259

102.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.65

6.74

-45.85%

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

Last update for Umea: 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

Umea

$504 30.7%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 11% $55

Groceries & Markets

Umea

$350 21.3%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 36.6% $128

Eating Out

Umea

$283 17.2%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 20.2% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Umea

$177 10.8%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 23.3% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Umea

$146 8.9%

Bucharest

$214 16% 47.3% $69

Getting Around

Umea

$100 6.1%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 72.1% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Umea

$81 5%

Bucharest

$67 5% 17.8% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $736 in Umea and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Umea pays 102% 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: $79.0 in Umea vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $222 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Umea

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

07:22 7:22 AM

08:22 8:22 AM

1 h ahead of Umea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,594

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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Between locations

Umea Bucharest 2,190 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Umea
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

Umea vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Umea and Bucharest differ by about 19% in total monthly costs ($1,608 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 102% higher in Umea, 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: $736 in Umea versus $673 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,608 per month in Umea versus $1,351 in Bucharest – a 19% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 169% less than in Umea. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $1,608 in Umea, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Umea. 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, Umea 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 19% less than in Umea. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.