Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alcorcón and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $1,684 in Alcorcón, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Alcorcón
🇪🇸 Spain
$1,684
/mo nomad
Bucharest
🇷🇴 Romania
$1,340
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,684 in Alcorcón versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

  • Alcorcón $1,684
  • Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,470 in Alcorcón versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

  • Alcorcón $2,470
  • Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,256 in Alcorcón versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

  • Alcorcón $3,256
  • Bucharest $2,734

Living in Alcorcón is roughly 26% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Alcorcón is 25% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Alcorcón
Bucharest
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.50 €14.68
$14.49 RON 68.6
13.87%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$56.8 €50.6
$58.1 RON 275
-2.15%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.31 €10.06
$7.48 RON 35.40
51.20%
Cappuccino
$2.04 €1.82
$3.44 RON 16.29
-40.70%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.81 €2.50
$2.37 RON 11.22
18.57%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.06 €1.83
$2.30 RON 10.88
-10.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.99 €3.55
$3.70 RON 17.51
7.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.84 €3.41
$4.16 RON 19.69
-7.69%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Alcorcón
Bucharest
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.36 €1.21
$1.67 RON 7.90
-18.56%
White Bread (500g)
$1.59 €1.41
$1.37 RON 6.50
16.06%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 €1.37
$1.72 RON 8.14
-10.47%
Eggs
$2.79 €2.48
$3.64 RON 17.22
-23.35%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.53 €14.70
$9.08 RON 42.98
82.05%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.46 €8.42
$6.84 RON 32.35
38.30%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.35 €15.43
$12.00 RON 56.8
44.58%
Apples (1kg)
$2.63 €2.34
$1.23 RON 5.80
113.82%
Banana (1kg)
$2.43 €2.16
$1.63 RON 7.73
49.08%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.54 €2.26
$1.57 RON 7.45
61.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.97 €2.64
$2.54 RON 12.01
16.93%
Potato (1kg)
$2.00 €1.78
$0.79 RON 3.75
153.16%
Onion (1kg)
$2.24 €2.00
$0.77 RON 3.66
190.91%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.51 €1.35
$0.87 RON 4.13
73.56%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.69 €0.61
$0.99 RON 4.70
-30.30%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.30 €5.61
$6.31 RON 29.86
-0.16%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.04 €7.15
$6.20 RON 29.34
29.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.98 €0.87
$1.19 RON 5.63
-17.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.25 €2.00
$1.57 RON 7.45
43.31%
🚌 Getting Around
Alcorcón
Bucharest
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.61 €1.43
$0.86 RON 4.08
87.21%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$31.65 €28.16
$21.10 RON 99.8
50.00%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.40 €2.13
$0.64 RON 3.05
275.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 €0.95
$0.60 RON 2.86
78.33%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$29.45 €26.20
$6.43 RON 30.43
358.01%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.75 €1.55
$1.96 RON 9.25
-10.71%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.9K €31.1K
$29.0K RON 137.2K
20.41%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.6K €25.4K
$26.6K RON 126.0K
7.18%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Alcorcón
Bucharest
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$163 €145
$196 RON 927
-17.02%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.41 €10.15
$8.04 RON 38.04
41.92%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.81 €30.96
$9.35 RON 44.21
272.30%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Alcorcón
Bucharest
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.27 €40.27
$50.2 RON 238
-9.87%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.72 €15.77
$25.33 RON 120
-30.04%
Cinema Ticket
$8.88 €7.90
$8.15 RON 38.55
8.96%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Alcorcón
Bucharest
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$493 €439
$628 RON 2,971
-21.42%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,030 €7,142
$14.1K RON 66.6K
-42.99%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Alcorcón
Bucharest
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.9 €78.2
$89.6 RON 424
-1.93%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.45 €35.09
$38.32 RON 181
2.95%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.1 €87.3
$79.3 RON 375
23.77%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$113 €100
$90.4 RON 428
24.47%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Alcorcón
Bucharest
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$897 €798
$678 RON 3,209
32.30%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$678 €603
$448 RON 2,121
51.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,241 €1,104
$1,083 RON 5,125
14.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$986 €877
$725 RON 3,430
36.00%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,224 €2,867
$3,751 RON 17.7K
-14.07%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,133 €1,897
$2,195 RON 10.4K
-2.84%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Alcorcón
Bucharest
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,329 RON 6,290
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.14
6.75
-53.48%

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

Last update for Alcorcón: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Alcorcón
$678
Bucharest
$448 33.9% $230
Groceries & Markets
Alcorcón
$299
Bucharest
$225 24.7% $74
Eating Out
Alcorcón
$238
Bucharest
$225 5.2% $12
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Alcorcón
$209
Bucharest
$213 2.2% $4.5
Clothing & Footwear
Alcorcón
$152
Bucharest
$134 11.9% $18
Sport & Entertainment
Alcorcón
$63
Bucharest
$67 5.6% $3.5
Getting Around
Alcorcón
$46
Bucharest
$28 38.4% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $897 in Alcorcón and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $57.0 in Alcorcón vs $58.0 in Bucharest. Groceries flip the comparison at $299 vs $225, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Alcorcón
🇷🇴 Bucharest
🕒 Local time
10:40 10:40 AM
11:40 11:40 AM
1 h ahead of Alcorcón
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
171,772
1,883,425 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Alcorcón Bucharest 2,490 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Alcorcón
  • 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
Alcorcón vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bucharest cheaper than Alcorcón?
Bucharest is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 26% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $2,526 in Alcorcón and $2,011 in Bucharest to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Alcorcón and Bucharest?
Rent for a central apartment: $897 in Alcorcón versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Alcorcón and in Bucharest?
All in, you'll spend $1,684 per month in Alcorcón versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 26% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 50% less than in Alcorcón. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Alcorcón or in Bucharest?
At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,684 in Alcorcón, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Alcorcón. The gap between the two cities makes Bucharest the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Alcorcón or Bucharest more family-friendly?
For families, Bucharest is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Alcorcón, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Alcorcón or Bucharest?
Safety-wise, Alcorcón 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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Bucharest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Alcorcón. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Alcorcón vs other spots: cost of living compared

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