Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Antwerp and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $2,197 in Antwerp, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Antwerp
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Antwerp Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Antwerp

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,197

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,197 in Antwerp versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

Antwerp $2,197
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,371 in Antwerp versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

Antwerp $3,371
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,545 in Antwerp versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

Antwerp $4,545
Bucharest $2,715

Living in Antwerp is roughly 63% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Antwerp 64% above, Bucharest 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.46 €20.92

$14.46 RON 68.9

62.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$106 €94.2

$57.7 RON 275

83.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 €11.77

$7.50 RON 35.72

76.00%

Cappuccino

$4.39 €3.92

$3.43 RON 16.32

27.99%

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

$3.57 €3.18

$2.46 RON 11.72

45.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 €3.24

$2.33 RON 11.09

55.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

$3.80 RON 18.10

48.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.23 €5.56

$4.10 RON 19.56

51.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.65 RON 7.85

-17.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 €2.49

$1.35 RON 6.44

106.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.78 RON 8.48

23.03%

Eggs

$3.69 €3.29

$3.66 RON 17.46

0.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.02 €15.18

$8.57 RON 40.84

98.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.20 €10.88

$6.80 RON 32.41

79.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.96 €20.47

$11.72 RON 55.8

95.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.04 €2.71

$1.29 RON 6.16

135.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 €2.11

$1.56 RON 7.43

51.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 €2.42

$1.54 RON 7.34

76.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 €3.01

$2.48 RON 11.84

36.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.46 €2.19

$0.83 RON 3.95

196.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.80 RON 3.80

146.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 €1.33

$0.84 RON 4.01

77.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.93 RON 4.42

13.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.81 €11.42

$6.44 RON 30.68

98.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.89 €7.93

$6.32 RON 30.13

40.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.26 RON 5.99

39.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 €1.83

$1.60 RON 7.65

28.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.39 €3.02

$0.81 RON 3.88

318.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.6 €49.55

$21.13 RON 101

163.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.49 €4.90

$0.60 RON 2.88

815.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.68 €2.39

$0.61 RON 2.93

339.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.04 €39.27

$6.17 RON 29.41

613.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.96 RON 9.34

6.12%

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

$35.3K €31.5K

$28.1K RON 134.2K

25.38%

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

$34.0K €30.4K

$26.3K RON 125.3K

29.50%

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

$206 €183

$197 RON 938

4.41%

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

$21.64 €19.29

$8.34 RON 39.74

159.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.82 €42.64

$9.19 RON 43.80

420.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.87 €32.87

$49.87 RON 238

-26.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.20 €24.25

$24.99 RON 119

8.84%

Cinema Ticket

$15.45 €13.77

$8.46 RON 40.31

82.62%

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

$1,617 €1,441

$639 RON 3,046

152.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.7K €30.1K

$14.4K RON 68.6K

134.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$112 €99.7

$90.6 RON 432

23.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.1 €45.55

$38.05 RON 181

34.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.0

$79.7 RON 380

29.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$170 €152

$93.2 RON 444

82.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 €921

$673 RON 3,209

53.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$857 €764

$449 RON 2,139

90.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,603 €1,430

$1,098 RON 5,234

45.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,348 €1,201

$729 RON 3,474

84.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,499 €4,011

$3,740 RON 17.8K

20.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,040 €2,711

$2,189 RON 10.4K

38.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,087 €2,753

$1,323 RON 6,306

133.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

6.74

-48.66%

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

Last update for Antwerp: October 4, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Antwerp

$857 39%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 47.6% $408

Groceries & Markets

Antwerp

$364 16.6%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 39% $142

Eating Out

Antwerp

$349 15.9%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 35.4% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Antwerp

$275 12.5%

Bucharest

$214 16% 22% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Antwerp

$196 8.9%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 30.9% $61

Getting Around

Antwerp

$88 4%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 68.1% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Antwerp

$68 3.1%

Bucharest

$67 5% 1.4% $1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,033 in Antwerp and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Antwerp pays 133% 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: $106 in Antwerp vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $364 vs $222 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Antwerp

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

05:46 5:46 AM

06:46 6:46 AM

1 h ahead of Antwerp

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

525,935

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

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Between locations

Antwerp Bucharest 1,780 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Antwerp
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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

Antwerp vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Antwerp and Bucharest differ by about 63% in total monthly costs ($2,197 vs $1,351 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 133% higher in Antwerp, 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: $1,033 in Antwerp versus $673 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 163% less than in Antwerp. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,617 in Antwerp versus $639 in Bucharest. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $2,197 in Antwerp, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Antwerp. The gap between the two cities makes Bucharest the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Antwerp 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 63% less than in Antwerp. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.