Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ancona and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $1,623 in Ancona, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Ancona
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Ancona Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Ancona

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,623

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,623 per month in Ancona vs $1,351 in Bucharest, rent included.

Ancona $1,623
Bucharest $1,351

A couple spends around $2,407 per month in Ancona vs $2,033 in Bucharest, rent included.

Ancona $2,407
Bucharest $2,033

A family of three spends $3,191 per month in Ancona vs $2,715 in Bucharest, rent included.

Ancona $3,191
Bucharest $2,715

Ancona costs about 20% more than Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ancona and Bucharest sit above the global median – Ancona by 21%, Bucharest by 1%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 €15.05

$14.46 RON 68.4

16.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.1 €70.6

$57.7 RON 273

37.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.19 €9.98

$7.50 RON 35.46

49.20%

Cappuccino

$2.03 €1.81

$3.43 RON 16.20

-40.82%

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

$2.57 €2.29

$2.46 RON 11.63

4.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 €1.10

$2.33 RON 11.01

-47.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.58 €4.98

$3.80 RON 17.97

46.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 €4.93

$4.10 RON 19.41

34.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 €1.07

$1.65 RON 7.79

-27.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.26 €2.02

$1.35 RON 6.39

67.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 €2.01

$1.78 RON 8.42

26.40%

Eggs

$2.85 €2.55

$3.66 RON 17.33

-22.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.65 €12.18

$8.57 RON 40.54

59.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.11 €9.92

$6.80 RON 32.17

63.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.28 €15.42

$11.72 RON 55.4

47.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 €2.09

$1.29 RON 6.11

81.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.56 RON 7.37

-4.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 €2.15

$1.54 RON 7.28

55.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.00 €2.68

$2.48 RON 11.75

20.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 €1.39

$0.83 RON 3.92

87.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$0.80 RON 3.77

132.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.84 RON 3.98

70.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 €0.35

$0.93 RON 4.39

-58.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.83 €6.10

$6.44 RON 30.45

6.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.52 €4.93

$6.32 RON 29.91

-12.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 €1.38

$1.26 RON 5.94

22.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.60 RON 7.59

31.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.66 €1.49

$0.81 RON 3.85

104.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.98 €34.78

$21.13 RON 99.9

84.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 €4.98

$0.60 RON 2.86

830.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 €1.52

$0.61 RON 2.91

178.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.30 €25.26

$6.17 RON 29.19

358.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.01 €1.80

$1.96 RON 9.27

2.55%

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

$32.6K €29.1K

$28.1K RON 133.1K

15.99%

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

$35.4K €31.6K

$26.3K RON 124.3K

34.62%

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

$274 €244

$197 RON 931

39.18%

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

$14.08 €12.57

$8.34 RON 39.44

68.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.08 €32.20

$9.19 RON 43.47

292.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.3 €56.5

$49.87 RON 236

26.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 €17.40

$24.99 RON 118

-22.01%

Cinema Ticket

$11.39 €10.17

$8.46 RON 40.01

34.63%

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

$287 €256

$639 RON 3,023

-55.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 €77.1

$90.6 RON 429

-4.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.46 €28.08

$38.05 RON 180

-17.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.1 €81.3

$79.7 RON 377

14.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.9 €89.2

$93.2 RON 441

7.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$602 €537

$673 RON 3,184

-10.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$474 €423

$449 RON 2,123

5.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$909 €812

$1,098 RON 5,195

-17.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$664 €592

$729 RON 3,448

-8.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,078 €2,746

$3,740 RON 17.7K

-17.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,038 €1,819

$2,189 RON 10.4K

-6.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,727 €1,541

$1,323 RON 6,259

30.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

-55.49%

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

Last update for Ancona: 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

Ancona

$474 29.3%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 5.3% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ancona

$324 20%

Bucharest

$214 16% 33.9% $110

Groceries & Markets

Ancona

$290 17.9%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 23.6% $69

Eating Out

Ancona

$247 15.2%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 8.6% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Ancona

$139 8.6%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 2.4% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

Ancona

$86 5.3%

Bucharest

$67 5% 22.4% $19

Getting Around

Ancona

$60 3.7%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 53% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $602 in Ancona 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 31% higher in Ancona, 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 $79.0 in Ancona versus $58.0 in Bucharest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $222 – making Bucharest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Ancona

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

05:48 5:48 AM

06:48 6:48 AM

1 h ahead of Ancona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,861

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 = 0.189 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Ancona Bucharest 1,010 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

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Ancona
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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

Ancona vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ancona is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,435 per month in Ancona 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 84% less in Bucharest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $287 per month in Ancona 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 Ancona at $1,623. In Bucharest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ancona 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, Ancona makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.