Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alcoy and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $1,558 in Alcoy, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Alcoy
🇪🇸 Spain
$1,558
/mo nomad
Bucharest
🇷🇴 Romania
$1,340
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,558 per month in Alcoy vs $1,340 in Bucharest, rent included.

  • Alcoy $1,558
  • Bucharest $1,340

A couple spends around $2,293 per month in Alcoy vs $2,037 in Bucharest, rent included.

  • Alcoy $2,293
  • Bucharest $2,037

A family of three spends $3,028 per month in Alcoy vs $2,734 in Bucharest, rent included.

  • Alcoy $3,028
  • Bucharest $2,734

Alcoy costs about 16% more than Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Alcoy sits 15% above the global median, while Bucharest is 1% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Alcoy
Bucharest
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.08 €8.97
$14.49 RON 68.6
-30.43%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$56.3 €50.1
$58.1 RON 275
-3.12%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.03 €11.59
$7.48 RON 35.40
74.20%
Cappuccino
$1.83 €1.63
$3.44 RON 16.29
-46.80%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.69 €1.51
$2.37 RON 11.22
-28.69%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.26 €1.12
$2.30 RON 10.88
-45.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.34 €2.97
$3.70 RON 17.51
-9.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.43 €2.16
$4.16 RON 19.69
-41.59%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Alcoy
Bucharest
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.03 €0.92
$1.67 RON 7.90
-38.32%
White Bread (500g)
$1.49 €1.32
$1.37 RON 6.50
8.76%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.36 €1.21
$1.72 RON 8.14
-20.93%
Eggs
$3.37 €3.00
$3.64 RON 17.22
-7.42%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.46 €11.97
$9.08 RON 42.98
48.24%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.34 €7.42
$6.84 RON 32.35
21.93%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.73 €13.99
$12.00 RON 56.8
31.08%
Apples (1kg)
$2.61 €2.32
$1.23 RON 5.80
112.20%
Banana (1kg)
$2.08 €1.85
$1.63 RON 7.73
27.61%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.84 €1.64
$1.57 RON 7.45
17.20%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.57 €2.29
$2.54 RON 12.01
1.18%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 €1.64
$0.79 RON 3.75
134.18%
Onion (1kg)
$2.03 €1.81
$0.77 RON 3.66
163.64%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.33 €1.18
$0.87 RON 4.13
52.87%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.57 €0.51
$0.99 RON 4.70
-42.42%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.24 €5.55
$6.31 RON 29.86
-1.11%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.75 €5.11
$6.20 RON 29.34
-7.26%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.23 €1.09
$1.19 RON 5.63
3.36%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.39 €1.24
$1.57 RON 7.45
-11.46%
🚌 Getting Around
Alcoy
Bucharest
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.65 €1.47
$0.86 RON 4.08
91.86%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$33.06 €29.41
$21.10 RON 99.8
56.68%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.11 €3.66
$0.64 RON 3.05
542.19%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.43 €1.27
$0.60 RON 2.86
138.33%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$22.58 €20.09
$6.43 RON 30.43
251.17%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.80 €1.60
$1.96 RON 9.25
-8.16%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.3K €31.4K
$29.0K RON 137.2K
21.62%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.4K €26.2K
$26.6K RON 126.0K
10.50%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Alcoy
Bucharest
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$146 €130
$196 RON 927
-25.61%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.03 €16.04
$8.04 RON 38.04
124.25%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.72 €26.44
$9.35 RON 44.21
217.86%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Alcoy
Bucharest
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.74 €39.80
$50.2 RON 238
-10.93%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.66 €13.93
$25.33 RON 120
-38.18%
Cinema Ticket
$8.99 €8.00
$8.15 RON 38.55
10.31%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Alcoy
Bucharest
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$473 €421
$628 RON 2,971
-24.66%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,402 €7,474
$14.1K RON 66.6K
-40.34%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Alcoy
Bucharest
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.5 €75.1
$89.6 RON 424
-5.75%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.40 €32.37
$38.32 RON 181
-5.01%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.1 €81.0
$79.3 RON 375
14.86%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$110 €97.9
$90.4 RON 428
21.72%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Alcoy
Bucharest
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$903 €804
$678 RON 3,209
33.20%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$670 €596
$448 RON 2,121
49.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,332 €1,185
$1,083 RON 5,125
22.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$998 €887
$725 RON 3,430
37.61%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,340 €2,971
$3,751 RON 17.7K
-10.98%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,198 €1,955
$2,195 RON 10.4K
0.11%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Alcoy
Bucharest
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,883 €1,675
$1,329 RON 6,290
41.67%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.3
6.75
-51.11%

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

Last update for Alcoy: 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
Alcoy
$670
Bucharest
$448 33.1% $222
Groceries & Markets
Alcoy
$261
Bucharest
$225 13.9% $36
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Alcoy
$193
Bucharest
$213 10.2% $20
Eating Out
Alcoy
$175
Bucharest
$225 28.7% $50
Clothing & Footwear
Alcoy
$145
Bucharest
$134 7.6% $11
Sport & Entertainment
Alcoy
$63
Bucharest
$67 6.1% $3.8
Getting Around
Alcoy
$51
Bucharest
$28 44.6% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $903 in Alcoy versus $678 in Bucharest. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 42% higher in Alcoy, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56.0 in Alcoy versus $58.0 in Bucharest. Groceries tell a different story – $261 in Alcoy vs $225 in Bucharest – so Bucharest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Alcoy
🇷🇴 Bucharest
🕒 Local time
20:51 8:51 PM
21:51 9:51 PM
1 h ahead of Alcoy
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
59,493
1,883,425 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 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
  • Alcoy Bucharest 2,290 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Alcoy
  • 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
Alcoy vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Alcoy and in Bucharest compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,558 in Alcoy, $1,340 in Bucharest – roughly 16% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Alcoy compared to Bucharest?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,338 per month in Alcoy and $2,011 in Bucharest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Alcoy and Bucharest?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Bucharest, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 16% more in Alcoy, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $56.0 in Alcoy and $58.0 in Bucharest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bucharest, where all-in costs run around $1,340, than in Alcoy at $1,558. In Bucharest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Alcoy it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Alcoy and Bucharest?
It depends on your priorities. Bucharest has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,340 in Bucharest to $1,558 in Alcoy. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Alcoy or Bucharest safer for residents?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
How do I decide between Alcoy and Bucharest?
If budget matters most, go with Bucharest. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Alcoy makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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