Cost of Living in Bucharest
Summary of cost of living in Bucharest, Romania:
- A family of four estimated monthly costs are 2,308.2$ (10,663.6lei) without rent (using our estimator).
- A single person estimated monthly costs are 660.3$ (3,050.6lei) without rent.
- Bucharest is 54.6% less expensive than New York (without rent, see our cost of living index).
- Rent in Bucharest is, on average, 86.7% lower than in New York.
Restaurants |  Edit |
Range |
|---|---|---|
| Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant | 50.00 lei | |
| Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course | 226.60 lei | |
| McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) | 28.00 lei | |
| Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) | 11.27 lei | |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) | 15.00 lei | |
| Cappuccino (regular) | 13.39 lei | |
| Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) | 8.21 lei | |
| Water (12 oz small bottle) | 8.22 lei | |
Markets | Edit |
|
| Milk (regular), (1 gallon) | 32.03 lei | |
| Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) | 4.74 lei | |
| Rice (white), (1 lb) | 3.85 lei | |
| Eggs (regular) (12) | 14.73 lei | |
| Local Cheese (1 lb) | 18.28 lei | |
| Chicken Fillets (1 lb) | 13.08 lei | |
| Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) | 22.86 lei | |
| Apples (1 lb) | 2.32 lei | |
| Banana (1 lb) | 3.37 lei | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | 3.13 lei | |
| Tomato (1 lb) | 4.72 lei | |
| Potato (1 lb) | 1.98 lei | |
| Onion (1 lb) | 2.13 lei | |
| Lettuce (1 head) | 3.58 lei | |
| Water (1.5 liter bottle) | 3.35 lei | |
| Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) | 30.00 lei | |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) | 4.54 lei | |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) | 7.73 lei | |
| Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) | 25.00 lei | |
Transportation | Edit |
|
| One-way Ticket (Local Transport) | 3.00 lei | |
| Monthly Pass (Regular Price) | 80.00 lei | |
| Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) | 3.00 lei | |
| Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) | 4.83 lei | |
| Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) | 30.00 lei | |
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | 26.72 lei | |
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) | 110,798.46 lei | |
| Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) | 114,803.80 lei | |
Utilities (Monthly) | Edit |
|
| Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment | 658.62 lei | |
| 1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local (No Discounts or Plans) | 0.32 lei | |
| Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) | 42.72 lei | |
Sports And Leisure | Edit |
|
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult | 214.76 lei | |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) | 88.49 lei | |
| Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat | 35.00 lei | |
Childcare | Edit |
|
| Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child | 2,302.92 lei | |
| International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child | 43,269.43 lei | |
Clothing And Shoes | Edit |
|
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) | 324.21 lei | |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) | 191.88 lei | |
| 1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) | 350.98 lei | |
| 1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes | 443.32 lei | |
Rent Per Month | Edit |
|
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre | 2,330.49 lei | |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre | 1,639.90 lei | |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre | 4,161.03 lei | |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre | 2,801.93 lei | |
Buy Apartment Price | Edit |
|
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre | 1,130.47 lei | |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre | 661.92 lei | |
Salaries And Financing | Edit |
|
| Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) | 4,629.71 lei | |
| Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate | 7.82 |
Prices in Bucharest
This city had 7838 entries in the past 12 months by 696 different contributors.
Last update: May 2023
Last update: May 2023
Sources and References
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Nearby cities:| Cost of Living in Bolintin-Vale | 23.86 miles |
| Cost of Living in Ploiesti | 39.03 miles |
| Cost of Living in Campina | 59.84 miles |
| Cost of Living in Pitesti | 75.29 miles |
| Cost of Living in Calarasi | 80.25 miles |
| Cost of Living in Brasov | 106.02 miles |
| Cost of Living in Focsani | 113.83 miles |
| Cost of Living in Braila | 135.65 miles |
| Cost of Living in Constanta | 138.37 miles |
| Cost of Living in Craiova | 144.55 miles |
This page in other languages:
 DeutschLebenshaltungskosten in Bukarest
|
 PortuguêsCusto de Vida em Bucareste
|
 ItalianoCosto della Vita a Bucarest
|
 FrançaisCoût de la Vie à Bucarest
|
 EspañolCosto de Vida en Bucarest
|
Average rent for 1br apt - around 400-600 euros, 500-800 for a 2 br apt. Lots of apartments to rent or to buy.
City and country are extremely safe, much safer than any city in Western Europe (check external sources comparing crime levels).
Very very cheap services compared to Western Europe (subway pass around 15 euros, taxi around 0.7 euros/km, internet around 10 euros/month). Food is relatively expensive (just a bit cheaper than Western Europe or Greece).
Berlin - Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) - 2,919.93 €
Cost in Berlin is slightly higher than in Bucharest, though the Net Salary in Berlin, is 3-4 times higher.
PS: Zurich - Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) - 6,424.63 €
These are just examples, do not take them as an offence.
Romania is not an unsafe country, not at all. The prices in Bucharest are higher compared to the rest of the country, but please compare it with other European capitals and you will make the difference. The normal cost of living (rent, food, bills) is normal, not cheap, not expensive, if you want to go to a restaurant might be higher than other east European countries, but trying to compare them with France, Italy, Spain, is cheaper. But here you can find very nice places, restaurants, bars, that can't be compared to other countries at a decent price.
Please try once to visit it, to see the landscapes, the beauty of nature, of the Carpati Mountains and you will not regret it. Also try to meet Romanians and try to go to a party here with them, and you will never want to leave this contry.
58.5% of salary is take home that is more or less right. You will not get back your pension contributions unless you retire there so please make sure the company offers you a social security reimbursement - should be approx 35% of your salary.
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I have never before seen such a trashy pile of rubbish written about Bucharest.
Utter lies and garbage such as your commentary suggests you are either malicious or stupid.
Bucharest is, without doubt, one of the safest cities in Europe. I have lived here far longer than you and have seen none of the violence you claim. NONE.
Are you realy sure you lived in Bucharest, Romania?
Kind regards,
Also could you please guide me about free/paid education for my 10 year old kid . After going through couple of fourms observed the international school is expensive .
I don’t believe in expensive education but wanted to know how good is the Govt schools education system . Thank you .
I will be offered soon to join IT company in Bucharest , Romania as full time employee . I am an expat and will be relocating from India with my wife and 10 year old kid . Observed Pension fund contribution is 25% and Health contribution is 10% of gross salary . While the income tax is 10% of taxable base .
This makes the take home salary after all deductions will be around 58.5%
I am wondering if expats can with draw “ Pension fund contribution “ made from there gross salary ? If so , when and how can we withdraw and what is the process .
Appreciate your help . Thank you .
This is not true. If you pay per month 15 EUR for metro then try London :) with more than 1k GBP per month, try Amsterdam and then we'll discuss.
Bucharest and Romania are great for leaving and everything is affordable even for a Romanian which has an University diploma and then continued learning and being professional in his career, especially in IT.
Rentals and also purchasing for apartments cannot compare with other European capitals. Take Paris for example; 1 room studio around city centre ~500k EUR.
Bucharest, around city centre 1 room studio ~55k EUR.
Let's not mention that Romania is a safe country from many perspectives.
The average monthly net salary in Bucharest is near 4000ron and not 3016ron. Please verify