Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arnhem and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $2,578 in Arnhem, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Arnhem
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Arnhem Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Arnhem

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,578

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,578 in Arnhem versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

Arnhem $2,578
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,771 in Arnhem versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

Arnhem $3,771
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,963 in Arnhem versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

Arnhem $4,963
Bucharest $2,715

Living in Arnhem is roughly 91% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Arnhem 92% above, Bucharest 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.70 €20.26

$14.46 RON 68.4

56.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.4 €78.0

$57.7 RON 273

51.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.44 €11.99

$7.50 RON 35.46

79.20%

Cappuccino

$4.16 €3.71

$3.43 RON 16.20

21.28%

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

$3.29 €2.93

$2.46 RON 11.63

33.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 €2.54

$2.33 RON 11.01

22.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.65 €5.04

$3.80 RON 17.97

48.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 €5.12

$4.10 RON 19.41

40.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.65 RON 7.79

-13.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.35 RON 6.39

53.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 €2.08

$1.78 RON 8.42

30.90%

Eggs

$5.39 €4.81

$3.66 RON 17.33

47.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.96 €11.57

$8.57 RON 40.54

51.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.57 €13.01

$6.80 RON 32.17

114.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.70 €14.01

$11.72 RON 55.4

33.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 €2.44

$1.29 RON 6.11

112.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.51 €2.24

$1.56 RON 7.37

60.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 €1.64

$1.54 RON 7.28

18.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.56 €4.96

$2.48 RON 11.75

124.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$0.83 RON 3.92

127.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 €2.11

$0.80 RON 3.77

195.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 €1.14

$0.84 RON 3.98

52.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.64

$0.93 RON 4.39

-22.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.29 €12.75

$6.44 RON 30.45

121.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.01 €6.26

$6.32 RON 29.91

10.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.30

$1.26 RON 5.94

15.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 €2.37

$1.60 RON 7.59

65.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.50 €4.02

$0.81 RON 3.85

455.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 €98.5

$21.13 RON 99.9

422.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.05 €3.62

$0.60 RON 2.86

575.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.38 €2.12

$0.61 RON 2.91

290.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.78

$6.17 RON 29.19

440.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.49 €2.22

$1.96 RON 9.27

27.04%

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

$40.7K €36.3K

$28.1K RON 133.1K

44.64%

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

$38.8K €34.7K

$26.3K RON 124.3K

47.74%

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

$283 €253

$197 RON 931

43.91%

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

$23.28 €20.78

$8.34 RON 39.44

179.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.42 €37.86

$9.19 RON 43.47

361.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.76 €37.27

$49.87 RON 236

-16.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.05 €9.86

$24.99 RON 118

-55.78%

Cinema Ticket

$14.48 €12.92

$8.46 RON 40.01

71.16%

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

$1,233 €1,100

$639 RON 3,023

92.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,877 €5,245

$14.4K RON 68.1K

-59.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$97.6 €87.1

$90.6 RON 429

7.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.21 €26.06

$38.05 RON 180

-23.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$79.7 RON 377

31.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 €138

$93.2 RON 441

65.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 €1,277

$673 RON 3,184

112.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,181 €1,054

$449 RON 2,123

163.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,217 €1,979

$1,098 RON 5,195

101.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,793 €1,600

$729 RON 3,448

145.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,196 €4,637

$3,740 RON 17.7K

38.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,230 €3,775

$2,189 RON 10.4K

93.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,648 €3,255

$1,323 RON 6,259

175.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.95

6.74

-41.39%

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

Last update for Arnhem: 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

Arnhem

$1.2K 45.5%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 62% $732

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arnhem

$349 13.5%

Bucharest

$214 16% 38.6% $135

Groceries & Markets

Arnhem

$339 13.1%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 34.7% $118

Eating Out

Arnhem

$336 13%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 32.9% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Arnhem

$174 6.7%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 21.9% $38

Getting Around

Arnhem

$144 5.6%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 80.6% $116

Sport & Entertainment

Arnhem

$71 2.7%

Bucharest

$67 5% 5.6% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,431 in Arnhem and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Arnhem pays 176% 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: $87.0 in Arnhem vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $339 vs $222 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Arnhem

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

03:32 3:32 AM

04:32 4:32 AM

1 h ahead of Arnhem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

165,770

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

On the map

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Between locations

Arnhem Bucharest 1,710 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Arnhem
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

Arnhem vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arnhem and Bucharest differ by about 91% in total monthly costs ($2,578 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 176% higher in Arnhem, 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: $1,431 in Arnhem versus $673 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 53% higher in Arnhem. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Bucharest – a meal for two runs $58.0 versus $87.0 in Arnhem. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $2,578 in Arnhem, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Arnhem. 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, Arnhem 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 91% less than in Arnhem. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.