Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arklow and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $2,624 in Arklow, rent and utilities included – about $15,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Arklow
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Arklow Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Arklow

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,624

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,624 per month in Arklow vs $1,340 in Bucharest, rent included.

Arklow $2,624
Bucharest $1,340

A couple spends around $3,680 per month in Arklow vs $2,037 in Bucharest, rent included.

Arklow $3,680
Bucharest $2,037

A family of three spends $4,737 per month in Arklow vs $2,734 in Bucharest, rent included.

Arklow $4,737
Bucharest $2,734

Arklow costs about 96% more than Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Arklow sits 94% above the global median, while Bucharest is 1% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.34 €19.87

$14.49 RON 68.6

54.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.5 €79.6

$58.1 RON 275

54.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.25 €10.01

$7.48 RON 35.40

50.40%

Cappuccino

$4.12 €3.67

$3.44 RON 16.29

19.77%

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

$2.93 €2.60

$2.37 RON 11.22

23.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.30 RON 10.88

-2.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.47 €4.86

$3.70 RON 17.51

47.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 €4.58

$4.16 RON 19.69

24.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 €1.50

$1.67 RON 7.90

1.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 €1.99

$1.37 RON 6.50

62.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.72 RON 8.14

10.47%

Eggs

$4.64 €4.12

$3.64 RON 17.22

27.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.19 €12.62

$9.08 RON 42.98

56.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.17 €11.71

$6.84 RON 32.35

92.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.67 €14.83

$12.00 RON 56.8

38.92%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 €2.90

$1.23 RON 5.80

165.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.90 €2.58

$1.63 RON 7.73

77.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 €3.04

$1.57 RON 7.45

117.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.70 €4.18

$2.54 RON 12.01

85.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 €2.10

$0.79 RON 3.75

198.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$0.77 RON 3.66

137.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.87 RON 4.13

66.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 €1.91

$0.99 RON 4.70

117.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.31 €18.07

$6.31 RON 29.86

221.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.59 €12.09

$6.20 RON 29.34

119.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.08 €3.63

$1.19 RON 5.63

242.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 €3.21

$1.57 RON 7.45

129.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.40 €2.14

$0.86 RON 4.08

179.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 €4.61

$0.64 RON 3.05

709.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 €1.37

$0.60 RON 2.86

156.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.30 €29.62

$6.43 RON 30.43

417.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.96 RON 9.25

8.16%

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

$38.8K €34.5K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

33.76%

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

$37.3K €33.2K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

40.04%

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

$240 €213

$196 RON 927

22.47%

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

$22.10 €19.65

$8.04 RON 38.04

174.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.2 €49.08

$9.35 RON 44.21

490.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.5 €51.2

$50.2 RON 238

14.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

Cinema Ticket

$13.58 €12.08

$8.15 RON 38.55

66.63%

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

$1,066 €948

$628 RON 2,971

69.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,404 €4,807

$14.1K RON 66.6K

-61.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.9 €83.5

$89.6 RON 424

4.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.32 €38.53

$38.32 RON 181

13.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.6

$79.3 RON 375

34.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$90.4 RON 428

30.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,566 €1,393

$678 RON 3,209

130.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,325 €1,178

$448 RON 2,121

195.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,857 €2,541

$1,083 RON 5,125

163.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,819 €1,618

$725 RON 3,430

150.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,863 €4,325

$1,329 RON 6,290

265.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.14

6.75

-38.67%

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

Last update for Arklow: 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

Arklow

$1.3K 50.5%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 66.2% $876

Groceries & Markets

Arklow

$392 14.9%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 42.6% $167

Eating Out

Arklow

$320 12.2%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 29.7% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arklow

$317 12.1%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 32.8% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Arklow

$163 6.2%

Bucharest

$134 10% 17.7% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Arklow

$85 3.2%

Bucharest

$67 5% 21.4% $18

Getting Around

Arklow

$23 * 0.9%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 25.3% $5.7

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,566 in Arklow 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 266% higher in Arklow, 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 $89.0 in Arklow versus $58.0 in Bucharest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $392 vs $225 – making Bucharest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Arklow

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

08:49 8:49 AM

10:49 10:49 AM

2 h ahead of Arklow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,399

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 = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Arklow Bucharest 2,520 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Arklow
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

Arklow vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,624 in Arklow, $1,340 in Bucharest – roughly 96% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,936 per month in Arklow and $2,011 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89.0 in Arklow and $58.0 in Bucharest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 74% more in Arklow, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bucharest, where all-in costs run around $1,340, than in Arklow at $2,624. In Bucharest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arklow it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Bucharest has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,340 in Bucharest to $2,624 in Arklow. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Arklow makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.