Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arrest and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $1,692 in Arrest, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Arrest
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Arrest Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Arrest

🇫🇷 France

$1,692

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Arrest versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Arrest $1,692
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,690 in Arrest versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Arrest $2,690
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,687 in Arrest versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Arrest $3,687
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Arrest is roughly 26% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Arrest is 25% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.07 €15.18

$14.49 RON 68.6

17.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.5 €49.38

$58.1 RON 275

-4.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.59 €12.09

$7.48 RON 35.40

81.68%

Cappuccino

$2.92 €2.60

$3.44 RON 16.29

-15.12%

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

$3.06 €2.72

$2.37 RON 11.22

29.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.30 RON 10.88

-10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.32 €7.40

$3.70 RON 17.51

124.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.43 €4.83

$4.16 RON 19.69

30.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.14

$1.67 RON 7.90

-22.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 €1.51

$1.37 RON 6.50

23.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.56 €2.28

$1.72 RON 8.14

48.84%

Eggs

$3.97 €3.53

$3.64 RON 17.22

9.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.14 €9.02

$9.08 RON 42.98

11.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.97 €10.65

$6.84 RON 32.35

75.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.82 €14.07

$12.00 RON 56.8

31.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 €2.68

$1.23 RON 5.80

145.53%

Banana (1kg)

$3.00 €2.67

$1.63 RON 7.73

84.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.57 RON 7.45

-8.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.16 €3.70

$2.54 RON 12.01

63.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 €1.58

$0.79 RON 3.75

125.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 €1.79

$0.77 RON 3.66

161.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 €1.42

$0.87 RON 4.13

83.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.16 €0.14

$0.99 RON 4.70

-83.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.68 €11.28

$6.31 RON 29.86

100.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.46 €4.86

$6.20 RON 29.34

-11.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.19 RON 5.63

22.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.57 RON 7.45

3.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.88 €1.68

$0.86 RON 4.08

118.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.07 €36.53

$21.10 RON 99.8

94.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.29 €2.04

$0.64 RON 3.05

257.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 €1.02

$0.60 RON 2.86

90.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.23

$6.43 RON 30.43

411.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.96 RON 9.25

11.22%

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

$34.3K €30.5K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

18.40%

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

$36.3K €32.2K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

36.11%

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

$207 €184

$196 RON 927

5.66%

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

$32.86 €29.22

$8.04 RON 38.04

308.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.63 €28.13

$9.35 RON 44.21

238.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.48 €33.33

$50.2 RON 238

-25.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

Cinema Ticket

$15.53 €13.82

$8.15 RON 38.55

90.55%

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

$899 €799

$628 RON 2,971

43.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,786 €8,704

$14.1K RON 66.6K

-30.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$129 €114

$89.6 RON 424

43.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.89 €41.70

$38.32 RON 181

22.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.1

$79.3 RON 375

29.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$158 €141

$90.4 RON 428

75.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$806 €717

$678 RON 3,209

18.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$522 €464

$448 RON 2,121

16.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,433 €1,275

$1,083 RON 5,125

32.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,150 €1,023

$725 RON 3,430

58.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,381 €3,897

$3,751 RON 17.7K

16.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,174 €2,823

$2,195 RON 10.4K

44.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.9

6.75

-42.22%

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

Last update for Arrest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arrest

$522 30.8%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 14.1% $73

Groceries & Markets

Arrest

$292 17.3%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 23% $67

Eating Out

Arrest

$285 16.9%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 21.1% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arrest

$271 16%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 21.4% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Arrest

$196 11.6%

Bucharest

$134 10% 31.8% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Arrest

$69 4.1%

Bucharest

$67 5% 2.9% $2

Getting Around

Arrest

$57 3.4%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 50.2% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $806 in Arrest and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $56.0 in Arrest vs $58.0 in Bucharest. Groceries flip the comparison at $292 vs $225, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Arrest

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

16:38 4:38 PM

17:38 5:38 PM

1 h ahead of Arrest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

900

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

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Arrest Bucharest 1,940 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

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Arrest
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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

Arrest vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 26% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,539 in Arrest and $2,011 in Bucharest to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $806 in Arrest versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $899 in Arrest versus $628 in Bucharest. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 30% higher in Arrest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,692 in Arrest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Arrest. The gap between the two cities makes Bucharest the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Bucharest is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Arrest, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Arrest 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 26% less than in Arrest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.