Cost of Living in Bucharest

Summary of cost of living in Bucharest, Romania:

Restaurants
Edit Range
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 50.00 lei 30.00-80.00
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 250.00 lei 150.00-350.00
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 35.00 lei 30.00-40.00
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 13.00 lei 7.00-19.00
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 16.00 lei 10.00-20.00
Cappuccino (regular) 14.10 lei 7.00-20.00
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 9.06 lei 5.00-15.00
Water (12 oz small bottle) 9.50 lei 7.00-13.00
Markets
Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 28.71 lei 18.93-37.85
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 4.49 lei 2.72-8.16
Rice (white), (1 lb) 3.68 lei 2.27-4.76
Eggs (regular) (12) 14.88 lei 9.60-18.00
Local Cheese (1 lb) 18.33 lei 11.28-28.58
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 13.67 lei 6.80-18.14
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 23.01 lei 14.51-40.82
Apples (1 lb) 2.36 lei 1.36-3.63
Banana (1 lb) 3.36 lei 2.27-4.08
Oranges (1 lb) 3.27 lei 2.26-4.54
Tomato (1 lb) 3.74 lei 1.81-7.71
Potato (1 lb) 1.97 lei 1.13-3.18
Onion (1 lb) 2.11 lei 1.36-3.63
Lettuce (1 head) 4.02 lei 3.00-7.00
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 3.38 lei 2.50-5.00
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 30.00 lei 15.00-45.00
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 4.87 lei 3.00-8.00
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 7.85 lei 4.97-13.00
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 25.75 lei 24.00-28.00
Transportation
Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 3.00 lei 3.00-3.00
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 80.00 lei 80.00-140.00
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 3.00 lei 2.59-5.00
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 4.83 lei 4.02-5.63
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 30.00 lei 25.90-35.00
Gasoline (1 gallon) 26.59 lei 24.64-30.21
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 120,617.39 lei 115,000.00-120,617.39
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 118,395.67 lei 113,410.28-126,940.00
Utilities (Monthly)
Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 666.83 lei 425.00-1,020.00
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 40.43 lei 25.00-80.00
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 40.39 lei 30.00-65.00
Sports And Leisure
Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 217.60 lei 150.00-300.00
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 97.34 lei 60.00-150.00
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 35.00 lei 27.00-45.00
Childcare
Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 2,329.20 lei 1,800.00-3,000.00
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 43,408.04 lei 25,000.00-80,000.00
Clothing And Shoes
Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 347.66 lei 150.00-550.00
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 179.87 lei 100.00-300.00
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 365.09 lei 250.00-500.00
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 452.63 lei 300.00-700.00
Rent Per Month
Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 2,532.04 lei 1,900.00-3,480.02
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 1,721.60 lei 1,482.00-2,400.00
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 4,422.92 lei 3,480.02-7,457.18
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 3,075.73 lei 2,253.00-4,971.45
Buy Apartment Price
Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 1,149.80 lei 743.22-1,393.53
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 699.13 lei 554.23-929.02
Salaries And Financing
Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 5,006.36 lei
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 7.32 6.00-11.00

Prices in Bucharest

This city had 5385 entries in the past 12 months by 568 different contributors.
Last update: March 2024
Distribution of Expenses Using Our Statistical Model:
Sign Up for Our Newsletter:
Your Email Address:
  
  
Leave a comment:

Your name: Sign In

Your email address (optional):

Your comment (no HTML):

22 Comments so far
Maria on Feb 16, 2024:
Anymomous s comment below is stupid.Romania hates Russia and im 100% that will never happen.Americans can be really stupid sometimes.
Anonymous on Feb 14, 2024:
Romania will be part of Russia in the near future.The European union cannot stop it
Anonymous on Jan 14, 2024:
Regarding transportation in Bucharest, both STB and Metro offer annual passes. It's cheaper than buying it each month. There is also an option to combine them (for example, an annual STB pass with an annual subway-metro pass) and you will pay in total 1200 RON per year. So you will have unlimited travels with bus+troleybus+tram+metro for 100 RON / month (20 euro/month), which is really cheap.
Virgil on Jan 14, 2024:
If you have a position in one of the many multinationals settled during the last 15-17 years in Bucharest, salary could reach 8000-9000 RON (I mean net salary + other benefits, like meal tickets, medical insurance, gift tickets, gym pass, transport monthly pass etc.). I'm talking about positions like Order Management, Accounts Payable/Receivable, Procurement Specialist, Logistic Officer etc. where foreign languages are requested - like German, French, Polish, Czech, Dutch, Spanish (there are dozens of thousands positions like this available on the labour market in Bucharest). At the end, after drawing the line, this result in a NET monthly salary of 1600-1800 EUR.
Cristian on Nov 18, 2023:
Average salary in Bucharest - around 1.200 Eur Net. This is official value, but in reality the salary is much higher, because the business owners not declare the entire salary, in order to avoid taxes.
IT Sector 2.000+ Eur net.

Average rent: 1br apt 400-500 Eur, 2br apt 500-600 Eur, 3br apr 600-900 Eur.
City is extremely safe. Transportation, phones and utilities are cheap compared to other EU cities.
The traffic is crowded but metro system is fast.
Rafael on Nov 12, 2023:
Whoever said that Romanians are stinky is lying, I have been there and they shower daily and sometines twice a day. If they Say no infraestructura, they are lying too, a 2 million people city With 7 lines of metro, trams and electrical buses plus The fastest and Best internet in all europe cannot be said to have no infraestructura. I have been there many times and Will relocate to Bucharest because of better condicions, safety and cheaper cost of living compared to Bogotá where I Live now. The person saying he heard automátic weapons fired at night must have been having a nightmare about The middle east. I walked from city Center to My staying place at Any hour, many times and never had or Saw Any crime or violence in The streets of Bucharest! Food is great and much cheaper than here in Bogotá. Numbeo should check The prices reported
Cristian on May 20, 2023:
Average salary in Bucharest - around 1000-1100 euros net. IT sector can be expected to earn 2000+. Expats similar or more.

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).
Russian troll on Apr 03, 2023:
Wow, so many russian trolls in the comment section, talking BS.
REY on Jun 08, 2022:
Bucharest - Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) - 854.59 €
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.
Anonymous on Apr 08, 2022:
Hi all! I'm so frustrated to see racist comments about this country. First of all, every country has bad and good people, and in general, I can say that Romanians are one of the kindest people in the world. They will welcome you in such a great way and they will give you all they have to make you feel good.
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.
Anonymous on Nov 28, 2021:
I've never met an intelligent romanian inroute, at the airport in Bucharest. Also romanians are gypsies that rarely bathe and wear layers of clothing to mask their body odor. Portable kiosks should be mandatory for hot water hosedowns with deodorant soap.Yes all romanians stink of body odor.I cringe knowing my flight will stop in Bucharest inroute,to elsewhere.
Anonymous on Jun 03, 2021:
If you are rich this is a good city but if you are poor this is a horible city... A lot of scammers and gold diggers.
Pratik Sai on Apr 29, 2021:
@Kiran

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.
roboul on Mar 06, 2021:
I coming to Romania you can help me please call me my
WhatsApp number
Anonymous on Feb 08, 2021:
Hum trashy pile of rubbish you said? Your comments on Feb 7,2021 hum? Everyone knows how dangerous Bucharest actually is and I must agree with comments made about Bucharest on Dec 19,2020.I'm not of the mindset of others in Europe who carrouse in the red-light districts visiting Bucharest.I drive a taxi throughout Bucharest so I see all of the violence taking place throughout Bucharest and I've driven taxi 56 years in Bucharest,yes I'm a native Bucharestian.Gun battles day or night,it doesn't matter how safe any area's are supposed to be.Take your RUBBISH SELF back from whence you came and your shag parties with you.To post Dec 19,2020 thank you for telling it like it really is because I too live and work throughout the violent city daily.
Anonymous on Feb 07, 2021:
Replying to Anonymous of Dec 19 2020.
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.
Anonymous on Jan 18, 2021:
There's way too many gypsys living in Bucharest.They are laying drugged or drunk on the sidewalks
Anonymous on Jan 06, 2021:
Yes I'm sure because I stayed in PIATA ROMANA neighborhood a very upscale area,supposedly.
Anonymous on Jan 03, 2021:
Dear Anonymus,

Are you realy sure you lived in Bucharest, Romania?

Kind regards,
Anonymous on Dec 19, 2020:
I lived in Bucharest for 8 months in a supposed great area but I left due to extreme violence throughout the city.The high prices weren't an issue for me.The crime rates listed here aren't correct but instead double that. The city is loaded with guns and I've heard automatic weapons many times throughout the city day or night. If you have a death wish live in Bucharest.
Alex on Dec 18, 2020:
Prices are a lot higher in Bucharest and Romania then in this Summary... to get this prices for food you need to search all town for cheap food...
Akash khadka on Jun 07, 2020:
Im from Nepal. Romania is suitable for doing jobs? and. How much we need to cost for month? Please