Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Amsterdam and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $3,504 in Amsterdam, rent and utilities included – about $25,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

169

Cost of Living Index in Amsterdam
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Amsterdam Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Amsterdam

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$3,504

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,504 per month in Amsterdam vs $1,351 in Bucharest, rent included.

Amsterdam $3,504
Bucharest $1,351

A couple spends around $5,010 per month in Amsterdam vs $2,033 in Bucharest, rent included.

Amsterdam $5,010
Bucharest $2,033

A family of three spends $6,516 per month in Amsterdam vs $2,715 in Bucharest, rent included.

Amsterdam $6,516
Bucharest $2,715

Amsterdam costs about 159% more than Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Amsterdam and Bucharest sit above the global median – Amsterdam by 161%, Bucharest by 1%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.37 €19.94

$14.46 RON 68.9

54.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.0 €81.1

$57.7 RON 275

57.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.36 €13.69

$7.50 RON 35.72

104.80%

Cappuccino

$4.60 €4.10

$3.43 RON 16.32

34.11%

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

$3.74 €3.33

$2.46 RON 11.72

52.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 €2.70

$2.33 RON 11.09

30.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.41 €6.61

$3.80 RON 18.10

95.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.68 €5.07

$4.10 RON 19.56

38.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 €1.35

$1.65 RON 7.85

-7.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 €2.13

$1.35 RON 6.44

76.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.54 €2.26

$1.78 RON 8.48

42.70%

Eggs

$5.24 €4.67

$3.66 RON 17.46

43.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.95 €15.11

$8.57 RON 40.84

97.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.41 €11.96

$6.80 RON 32.41

97.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.00 €20.51

$11.72 RON 55.8

96.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 €2.45

$1.29 RON 6.16

113.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.83 €2.52

$1.56 RON 7.43

81.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.63 €2.35

$1.54 RON 7.34

70.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.87 €3.45

$2.48 RON 11.84

56.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 €2.13

$0.83 RON 3.95

187.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 €1.52

$0.80 RON 3.80

113.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 €1.28

$0.84 RON 4.01

70.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 €1.59

$0.93 RON 4.42

91.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.48 €12.91

$6.44 RON 30.68

124.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.21 €8.21

$6.32 RON 30.13

45.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 €1.59

$1.26 RON 5.99

41.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 €2.26

$1.60 RON 7.65

58.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.72 €3.32

$0.81 RON 3.88

359.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$116 €104

$21.13 RON 101

450.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.70 €4.19

$0.60 RON 2.88

683.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.40 €3.03

$0.61 RON 2.93

457.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.74 €34.54

$6.17 RON 29.41

527.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.61 €2.33

$1.96 RON 9.34

33.16%

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

$41.7K €37.2K

$28.1K RON 134.2K

48.04%

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

$38.2K €34.0K

$26.3K RON 125.3K

45.14%

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

$298 €266

$197 RON 938

51.31%

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

$22.98 €20.49

$8.34 RON 39.74

175.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.0 €47.21

$9.19 RON 43.80

476.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.4 €53.8

$49.87 RON 238

21.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.40 €31.56

$24.99 RON 119

41.66%

Cinema Ticket

$16.86 €15.04

$8.46 RON 40.31

99.29%

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

$2,764 €2,464

$639 RON 3,046

332.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K €15.2K

$14.4K RON 68.6K

18.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 €83.2

$90.6 RON 432

2.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.20 €36.74

$38.05 RON 181

8.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 €89.2

$79.7 RON 380

25.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €119

$93.2 RON 444

42.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,605 €2,323

$673 RON 3,209

286.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 €1,718

$449 RON 2,139

329.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,903 €3,480

$1,098 RON 5,234

255.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,115 €2,777

$729 RON 3,474

327.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.3K €9,193

$3,740 RON 17.8K

175.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,540 €5,831

$2,189 RON 10.4K

198.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,524 €4,034

$1,323 RON 6,306

241.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.27

6.74

-51.48%

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

Last update for Amsterdam: October 3, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Amsterdam

$1.9K 55.8%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 76.7% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Amsterdam

$388 11.2%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 42.8% $166

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Amsterdam

$374 10.8%

Bucharest

$214 16% 42.6% $159

Eating Out

Amsterdam

$356 10.3%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 36.6% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Amsterdam

$165 4.8%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 17.9% $30

Getting Around

Amsterdam

$153 4.4%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 81.6% $125

Sport & Entertainment

Amsterdam

$94 2.7%

Bucharest

$67 5% 29% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,605 in Amsterdam versus $673 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 242% higher in Amsterdam, 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 $91.0 in Amsterdam versus $58.0 in Bucharest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $388 vs $222 – making Bucharest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Amsterdam

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

07:23 7:23 AM

08:23 8:23 AM

1 h ahead of Amsterdam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

881,933 Capital

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Amsterdam Bucharest 1,790 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Amsterdam
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

Amsterdam vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Amsterdam is pricier by about 159%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,255 per month in Amsterdam and $2,027 in Bucharest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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.

Public transport costs about 450% less in Bucharest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,764 per month in Amsterdam and $639 in Bucharest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bucharest, where all-in costs run around $1,351, than in Amsterdam at $3,504. In Bucharest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Amsterdam it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bucharest – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Bucharest. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Amsterdam makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.