Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arlon and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $2,039 in Arlon, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Arlon
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Arlon Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Arlon

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,039

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,039 per month in Arlon vs $1,340 in Bucharest, rent included.

Arlon $2,039
Bucharest $1,340

A couple spends around $3,127 per month in Arlon vs $2,037 in Bucharest, rent included.

Arlon $3,127
Bucharest $2,037

A family of three spends $4,215 per month in Arlon vs $2,734 in Bucharest, rent included.

Arlon $4,215
Bucharest $2,734

Arlon costs about 52% more than Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Arlon sits 51% above the global median, while Bucharest is 1% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.62 €14.79

$14.49 RON 68.6

14.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.7 €80.7

$58.1 RON 275

56.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.24 €9.99

$7.48 RON 35.40

50.27%

Cappuccino

$2.73 €2.42

$3.44 RON 16.29

-20.64%

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

$2.68 €2.39

$2.37 RON 11.22

13.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.30 RON 10.88

14.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.06

$3.70 RON 17.51

-7.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 €4.02

$4.16 RON 19.69

8.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.67 RON 7.90

-28.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 €1.35

$1.37 RON 6.50

10.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 €2.10

$1.72 RON 8.14

37.21%

Eggs

$3.74 €3.33

$3.64 RON 17.22

2.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.70 €13.07

$9.08 RON 42.98

61.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.59 €10.31

$6.84 RON 32.35

69.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.78 €13.15

$12.00 RON 56.8

23.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.67

$1.23 RON 5.80

144.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.63 RON 7.73

-33.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 €1.99

$1.57 RON 7.45

42.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$2.54 RON 12.01

18.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 €1.45

$0.79 RON 3.75

106.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 €1.83

$0.77 RON 3.66

166.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 €1.58

$0.87 RON 4.13

104.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.97

$0.99 RON 4.70

11.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.16 €8.15

$6.31 RON 29.86

45.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.84 €6.98

$6.20 RON 29.34

26.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 €1.74

$1.19 RON 5.63

64.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.57 RON 7.45

-29.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 €2.00

$0.86 RON 4.08

161.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.97 €36.44

$21.10 RON 99.8

94.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 €3.53

$0.64 RON 3.05

520.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.66 €2.36

$0.60 RON 2.86

343.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.65 €14.81

$6.43 RON 30.43

158.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.96 RON 9.25

-2.04%

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

$34.9K €31.0K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

20.20%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

26.74%

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

$266 €237

$196 RON 927

35.96%

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

$24.65 €21.93

$8.04 RON 38.04

206.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.2 €45.51

$9.35 RON 44.21

447.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.08 €21.42

$25.33 RON 120

-4.93%

Cinema Ticket

$8.73 €7.76

$8.15 RON 38.55

7.12%

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

$851 €757

$628 RON 2,971

35.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.2 €74.9

$89.6 RON 424

-6.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.9 €45.27

$38.32 RON 181

32.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.9 €45.30

$79.3 RON 375

-35.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €100

$90.4 RON 428

24.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$896 €797

$678 RON 3,209

32.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$930 €827

$448 RON 2,121

107.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,694 €1,506

$1,083 RON 5,125

56.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,698 €1,510

$725 RON 3,430

134.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,263 €3,792

$3,751 RON 17.7K

13.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,961 €3,523

$2,195 RON 10.4K

80.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,890 €2,570

$1,329 RON 6,290

117.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.65

6.75

-45.93%

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

Last update for Arlon: 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

Arlon

$930 45.6%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 51.8% $482

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arlon

$342 16.8%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 37.7% $129

Groceries & Markets

Arlon

$300 14.7%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 25.1% $75

Eating Out

Arlon

$247 12.1%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 8.8% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Arlon

$134 6.6%

Bucharest

$134 10% 0.4% $0.6

Getting Around

Arlon

$67 3.3%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 58% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Arlon

$17 * 0.9%

Bucharest

$67 5% 281% $49

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $896 in Arlon 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 117% higher in Arlon, 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 Arlon versus $58.0 in Bucharest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $300 vs $225 – making Bucharest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Arlon

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

12:58 12:58 PM

13:58 1:58 PM

1 h ahead of Arlon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,759

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

Arlon Bucharest 1,640 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Arlon
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

Arlon vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arlon costs about 52% more than Bucharest, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,058 per month in Arlon 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,039 in Arlon and $1,340 in Bucharest. That's a gap of about 52%.

Public transport costs about 94% less in Bucharest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bucharest, where all-in costs run around $1,340, than in Arlon at $2,039. In Bucharest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arlon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bucharest costs $1,340 versus $2,039 in Arlon. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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