Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aarschot and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $2,043 in Aarschot, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Aarschot
Learn more

Aarschot Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index

Jump to prices

Aarschot

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,043

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,043 in Aarschot versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Aarschot $2,043
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,981 in Aarschot versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Aarschot $2,981
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,919 in Aarschot versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Aarschot $3,919
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Aarschot is roughly 52% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Aarschot is 51% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.81 €15.84

$14.49 RON 68.6

22.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.2 €68.6

$58.1 RON 275

32.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.96 €9.75

$7.48 RON 35.40

46.52%

Cappuccino

$3.68 €3.27

$3.44 RON 16.29

6.98%

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

$2.97 €2.65

$2.37 RON 11.22

25.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.33

$2.30 RON 10.88

13.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.18 €4.61

$3.70 RON 17.51

40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 €3.93

$4.16 RON 19.69

6.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.10

$1.67 RON 7.90

-25.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.37 RON 6.50

104.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 €1.79

$1.72 RON 8.14

17.44%

Eggs

$3.73 €3.32

$3.64 RON 17.22

2.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 €10.08

$9.08 RON 42.98

24.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.70 €10.41

$6.84 RON 32.35

71.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.96 €13.31

$12.00 RON 56.8

24.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.70 €2.41

$1.23 RON 5.80

119.51%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 €1.98

$1.63 RON 7.73

36.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.57 RON 7.45

37.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.95

$2.54 RON 12.01

-13.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$0.79 RON 3.75

178.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$0.77 RON 3.66

127.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 €1.34

$0.87 RON 4.13

72.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 €0.80

$0.99 RON 4.70

-9.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.28 €8.26

$6.31 RON 29.86

47.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.24 €6.44

$6.20 RON 29.34

16.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.19 RON 5.63

70.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.57 RON 7.45

12.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.13 €2.79

$0.86 RON 4.08

263.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$133 €118

$21.10 RON 99.8

529.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 €4.43

$0.64 RON 3.05

678.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.49 €2.21

$0.60 RON 2.86

315.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.79 €14.93

$6.43 RON 30.43

161.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.96 RON 9.25

0.51%

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

$35.9K €31.9K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

23.84%

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

$34.1K €30.3K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

27.94%

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

$210 €186

$196 RON 927

6.95%

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

$18.26 €16.24

$8.04 RON 38.04

127.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.8 €47.82

$9.35 RON 44.21

474.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.30 €32.29

$50.2 RON 238

-27.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.78 €15.81

$25.33 RON 120

-29.81%

Cinema Ticket

$14.46 €12.86

$8.15 RON 38.55

77.42%

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

$701 €624

$628 RON 2,971

11.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K €14.1K

$14.1K RON 66.6K

12.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 €76.9

$89.6 RON 424

-3.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.84 €22.98

$38.32 RON 181

-32.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.0 €78.3

$79.3 RON 375

11.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 €116

$90.4 RON 428

44.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$920 €818

$678 RON 3,209

35.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 €717

$448 RON 2,121

79.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,371 €1,219

$1,083 RON 5,125

26.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,158 €1,030

$725 RON 3,430

59.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,530 €3,140

$3,751 RON 17.7K

-5.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,807 €2,497

$2,195 RON 10.4K

27.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,157 €2,808

$1,329 RON 6,290

137.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

6.75

-47.85%

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

Last update for Aarschot: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aarschot

$806 39.4%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 44.4% $357

Groceries & Markets

Aarschot

$302 14.8%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 25.6% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aarschot

$282 13.8%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 24.2% $68

Eating Out

Aarschot

$277 13.5%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 18.6% $51

Getting Around

Aarschot

$163 8%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 82.7% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Aarschot

$149 7.3%

Bucharest

$134 10% 10.1% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Aarschot

$65 3.2%

Bucharest

$67 5% 2% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $920 in Aarschot and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aarschot pays 137% 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: $77.0 in Aarschot vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $302 vs $225 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Aarschot

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

00:10 12:10 AM

01:10 1:10 AM

1 h ahead of Aarschot

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,656

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Aarschot Bucharest 1,740 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Aarschot
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

Aarschot vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 52% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 137% higher in Aarschot, 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: $920 in Aarschot versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Aarschot. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Bucharest – a meal for two runs $58.0 versus $77.0 in Aarschot. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $2,043 in Aarschot, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Aarschot. The gap between the two cities makes Bucharest the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Bucharest is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Aarschot, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Aarschot 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 52% less than in Aarschot. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.