Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varnamo and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,354 a month against $1,692 in Varnamo, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Varnamo
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Varnamo Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Varnamo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,692

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,354

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Varnamo versus $1,354 in Bucharest.

Varnamo $1,692
Bucharest $1,354

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,672 in Varnamo versus $2,043 in Bucharest.

Varnamo $2,672
Bucharest $2,043

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,652 in Varnamo versus $2,733 in Bucharest.

Varnamo $3,652
Bucharest $2,733

Living in Varnamo is roughly 25% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.01 SEK 129

$14.66 RON 70.5

-11.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.7 SEK 893

$57.7 RON 277

55.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.23 SEK 122

$7.52 RON 36.14

62.63%

Cappuccino

$4.68 SEK 46.56

$3.56 RON 17.09

31.46%

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

$2.72 SEK 27.05

$2.47 RON 11.88

10.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 SEK 21.19

$2.18 RON 10.50

-2.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.81 SEK 77.7

$3.69 RON 17.73

111.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.08 SEK 70.5

$4.28 RON 20.57

65.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 SEK 17.06

$1.67 RON 8.04

2.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.50 SEK 24.86

$1.35 RON 6.49

85.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.54 SEK 35.27

$1.78 RON 8.53

98.88%

Eggs

$4.63 SEK 46.06

$3.56 RON 17.12

30.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 SEK 125

$9.12 RON 43.86

37.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.73 SEK 117

$6.82 RON 32.77

71.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.69 SEK 156

$12.13 RON 58.3

29.35%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 SEK 30.98

$1.26 RON 6.08

146.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.55 SEK 25.37

$1.62 RON 7.80

57.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 SEK 28.05

$1.56 RON 7.49

80.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 SEK 44.98

$2.54 RON 12.21

77.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 SEK 17.16

$0.78 RON 3.76

120.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.41 SEK 14.05

$0.77 RON 3.72

83.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.57 SEK 25.58

$0.89 RON 4.27

188.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 SEK 15.17

$0.90 RON 4.32

68.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.81 SEK 77.8

$6.55 RON 31.49

19.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.14 SEK 111

$6.37 RON 30.60

74.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 SEK 19.26

$1.24 RON 5.98

55.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 SEK 26.31

$1.62 RON 7.80

62.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.19 SEK 31.77

$0.85 RON 4.11

275.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.7 SEK 744

$20.71 RON 99.6

260.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.04 SEK 50.2

$0.61 RON 2.95

726.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 SEK 10.73

$0.61 RON 2.95

77.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.06 SEK 409

$6.16 RON 29.62

566.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 SEK 17.11

$2.00 RON 9.60

-14.00%

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

$33.6K SEK 334.2K

$27.9K RON 134.4K

20.14%

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

$34.2K SEK 340.8K

$25.3K RON 121.7K

35.23%

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

$77.0 SEK 766

$192 RON 923

-59.94%

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

$17.22 SEK 171

$7.92 RON 38.06

117.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.45 SEK 303

$8.96 RON 43.06

239.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.03 SEK 388

$49.99 RON 240

-21.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.33 SEK 222

$24.81 RON 119

-10.00%

Cinema Ticket

$15.36 SEK 153

$8.51 RON 40.90

80.49%

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

$157 SEK 1,561

$686 RON 3,297

-77.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,450 SEK 44.3K

$14.4K RON 69.3K

-69.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.4 SEK 800

$90.2 RON 434

-10.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.8 SEK 565

$38.74 RON 186

46.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.9 SEK 994

$78.9 RON 379

26.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 SEK 1,226

$92.1 RON 443

33.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$794 SEK 7,906

$711 RON 3,419

11.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 SEK 6,087

$462 RON 2,220

32.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,178 SEK 11.7K

$1,053 RON 5,064

11.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$985 SEK 9,800

$723 RON 3,474

36.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,023 SEK 40.0K

$3,634 RON 17.5K

10.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,853 SEK 28.4K

$2,173 RON 10.4K

31.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,032 SEK 20.2K

$1,354 RON 6,508

50.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.03

6.75

-55.11%

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

Last update for Varnamo: October 24, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Varnamo

$612 36.2%

Bucharest

$462 34.1% 24.5% $150

Groceries & Markets

Varnamo

$357 21.1%

Bucharest

$225 16.6% 37% $132

Eating Out

Varnamo

$269 15.9%

Bucharest

$228 16.9% 15.4% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Varnamo

$162 9.6%

Bucharest

$135 10% 16.7% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varnamo

$125 7.4%

Bucharest

$209 15.4% 67.7% $84

Getting Around

Varnamo

$98 5.8%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 71.6% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Varnamo

$70 4.1%

Bucharest

$67 5% 3.9% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $794 in Varnamo and $711 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Varnamo pays 50% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $90 in Varnamo vs $58 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $357 vs $225 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Varnamo

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

12:48 12:48 PM

13:48 1:48 PM

1 h ahead of Varnamo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,778

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.05 USD

100 SEK = 9.03 EUR

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.95 SEK (1 SEK = 0.1 USD). 1 EUR = 11.08 SEK (100 SEK = 9.03 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.81 RON (1 RON = 0.208 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Varnamo Bucharest 1,650 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Varnamo
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

Varnamo vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Varnamo and Bucharest differ by about 25% in total monthly costs ($1,692 vs $1,354 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 50% higher in Varnamo, 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: $794 in Varnamo versus $711 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,692 per month in Varnamo versus $1,354 in Bucharest – a 25% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 72% less than in Varnamo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Bucharest gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 20% less than in Varnamo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.