Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Uppsala and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $1,978 in Uppsala, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Uppsala
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Uppsala Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index

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Uppsala

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,978

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,978 in Uppsala versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Uppsala $1,978
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,051 in Uppsala versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Uppsala $3,051
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,124 in Uppsala versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Uppsala $4,124
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Uppsala is roughly 48% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Uppsala is 46% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.90 SEK 148

$14.49 RON 68.6

2.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.0 SEK 802

$58.1 RON 275

39.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.87 SEK 97.8

$7.48 RON 35.40

31.95%

Cappuccino

$4.98 SEK 49.39

$3.44 RON 16.29

44.77%

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

$3.05 SEK 30.25

$2.37 RON 11.22

28.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 SEK 23.74

$2.30 RON 10.88

4.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.96 SEK 78.9

$3.70 RON 17.51

115.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.87 SEK 97.8

$4.16 RON 19.69

137.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 SEK 17.91

$1.67 RON 7.90

8.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 SEK 27.57

$1.37 RON 6.50

102.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.59 SEK 45.48

$1.72 RON 8.14

166.86%

Eggs

$5.05 SEK 50.1

$3.64 RON 17.22

38.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.12 SEK 100

$9.08 RON 42.98

11.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.77 SEK 146

$6.84 RON 32.35

115.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.86 SEK 177

$12.00 RON 56.8

48.83%

Apples (1kg)

$4.18 SEK 41.42

$1.23 RON 5.80

239.84%

Banana (1kg)

$2.73 SEK 27.06

$1.63 RON 7.73

67.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.49 SEK 34.63

$1.57 RON 7.45

122.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.12 SEK 50.7

$2.54 RON 12.01

101.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 SEK 19.20

$0.79 RON 3.75

145.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 SEK 16.80

$0.77 RON 3.66

120.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.64 SEK 26.21

$0.87 RON 4.13

203.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 SEK 12.68

$0.99 RON 4.70

29.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 SEK 78.9

$6.31 RON 29.86

26.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.91 SEK 98.2

$6.20 RON 29.34

59.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 SEK 24.51

$1.19 RON 5.63

107.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 SEK 24.94

$1.57 RON 7.45

60.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.92 SEK 38.80

$0.86 RON 4.08

355.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 SEK 1,103

$21.10 RON 99.8

427.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.33 SEK 52.8

$0.64 RON 3.05

732.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.32 SEK 13.13

$0.60 RON 2.86

120.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$61.3 SEK 607

$6.43 RON 30.43

852.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 SEK 17.54

$1.96 RON 9.25

-9.69%

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

$33.2K SEK 329.1K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

14.54%

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

$32.1K SEK 318.3K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

20.61%

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

$109 SEK 1,077

$196 RON 927

-44.49%

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

$15.95 SEK 158

$8.04 RON 38.04

98.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.42 SEK 470

$9.35 RON 44.21

407.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.13 SEK 388

$50.2 RON 238

-22.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.27 SEK 231

$25.33 RON 120

-8.13%

Cinema Ticket

$18.61 SEK 184

$8.15 RON 38.55

128.34%

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

$126 SEK 1,248

$628 RON 2,971

-79.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 SEK 1,037

$89.6 RON 424

16.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.48 SEK 480

$38.32 RON 181

26.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.4 SEK 935

$79.3 RON 375

19.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$200 SEK 1,982

$90.4 RON 428

121.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$892 SEK 8,836

$678 RON 3,209

31.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$707 SEK 7,009

$448 RON 2,121

57.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,750 SEK 17.3K

$1,083 RON 5,125

61.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,138 SEK 11.3K

$725 RON 3,430

56.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,186 SEK 51.4K

$3,751 RON 17.7K

38.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,595 SEK 25.7K

$2,195 RON 10.4K

18.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,008 SEK 29.8K

$1,329 RON 6,290

126.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

6.75

-43.70%

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

Last update for Uppsala: October 10, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Uppsala

$707 35.8%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 36.6% $259

Groceries & Markets

Uppsala

$391 19.8%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 42.5% $166

Eating Out

Uppsala

$290 14.7%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 22.3% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Uppsala

$201 10.2%

Bucharest

$134 10% 33.5% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Uppsala

$172 8.7%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 23.9% $41

Getting Around

Uppsala

$139 7%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 79.7% $111

Sport & Entertainment

Uppsala

$76 3.9%

Bucharest

$67 5% 12.9% $9.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $892 in Uppsala and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Uppsala 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 Uppsala vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $391 vs $225 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Uppsala

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

02:50 2:50 AM

03:50 3:50 AM

1 h ahead of Uppsala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

166,698

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 19, 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 19, 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

Uppsala Bucharest 1,810 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Uppsala
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

Uppsala vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Uppsala and Bucharest differ by about 48% in total monthly costs ($1,978 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 126% higher in Uppsala, 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: $892 in Uppsala versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,978 per month in Uppsala versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 48% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 427% less than in Uppsala. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,978 in Uppsala, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Uppsala. 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, Uppsala 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 48% less than in Uppsala. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.