Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Asti and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $1,585 in Asti, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. The total is higher in Asti despite lower rent and utilities.

77

Cost of Living Index in Asti
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Asti Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Asti

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,585

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,585 in Asti versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Asti $1,585
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,375 in Asti versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Asti $2,375
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,164 in Asti versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Asti $3,164
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Asti is roughly 18% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Asti is 17% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.05 €15.16

$14.49 RON 68.6

17.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.1 €58.8

$58.1 RON 275

13.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.17 €9.93

$7.48 RON 35.40

49.33%

Cappuccino

$1.83 €1.63

$3.44 RON 16.29

-46.80%

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

$3.35 €2.98

$2.37 RON 11.22

41.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 €1.27

$2.30 RON 10.88

-37.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.58 €5.85

$3.70 RON 17.51

77.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 €3.91

$4.16 RON 19.69

5.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.67 RON 7.90

2.99%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.37 RON 6.50

48.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 €2.89

$1.72 RON 8.14

88.95%

Eggs

$4.33 €3.86

$3.64 RON 17.22

18.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.95 €23.98

$9.08 RON 42.98

196.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.70 €13.08

$6.84 RON 32.35

114.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.02 €22.26

$12.00 RON 56.8

108.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.23 RON 5.80

68.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.63 RON 7.73

33.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 €2.71

$1.57 RON 7.45

94.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.33 €2.96

$2.54 RON 12.01

31.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.48 €2.21

$0.79 RON 3.75

213.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$0.77 RON 3.66

170.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 €1.58

$0.87 RON 4.13

104.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 €0.40

$0.99 RON 4.70

-54.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.50 €5.78

$6.31 RON 29.86

3.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.90 €5.25

$6.20 RON 29.34

-4.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.19 RON 5.63

70.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 €1.98

$1.57 RON 7.45

41.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 €1.22

$0.86 RON 4.08

59.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.98 €24.89

$21.10 RON 99.8

32.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.60 €4.98

$0.64 RON 3.05

775.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.25 €2.00

$0.60 RON 2.86

275.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.76 €10.46

$6.43 RON 30.43

82.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 €1.78

$1.96 RON 9.25

2.04%

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

$26.3K €23.4K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

-9.36%

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

$35.4K €31.5K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

32.89%

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

$173 €154

$196 RON 927

-11.50%

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

$10.16 €9.04

$8.04 RON 38.04

26.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.71 €22.87

$9.35 RON 44.21

174.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.5 €70.7

$50.2 RON 238

58.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.11 €9.88

$25.33 RON 120

-56.14%

Cinema Ticket

$9.71 €8.63

$8.15 RON 38.55

19.14%

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

$556 €495

$628 RON 2,971

-11.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,747 €7,781

$14.1K RON 66.6K

-37.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.1 €83.7

$89.6 RON 424

5.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.30 €34.07

$38.32 RON 181

-0.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.4 €76.9

$79.3 RON 375

9.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €119

$90.4 RON 428

47.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 €448

$678 RON 3,209

-25.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$416 €370

$448 RON 2,121

-7.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$679 €604

$1,083 RON 5,125

-37.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 €437

$725 RON 3,430

-32.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,390 €2,125

$3,751 RON 17.7K

-36.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,364 €1,213

$2,195 RON 10.4K

-37.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,846 €1,642

$1,329 RON 6,290

38.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.7

6.75

-45.19%

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

Last update for Asti: 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

Asti

$416 26.2%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 7.8% $33

Groceries & Markets

Asti

$400 25.2%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 43.8% $175

Eating Out

Asti

$253 15.9%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 10.9% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Asti

$209 13.2%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 1.9% $4

Clothing & Footwear

Asti

$159 10%

Bucharest

$134 10% 15.5% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Asti

$99 6.2%

Bucharest

$67 5% 32.7% $32

Getting Around

Asti

$50 3.2%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 43.9% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $503 in Asti and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Asti pays 39% 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: $66.0 in Asti vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $400 vs $225 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Asti

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

06:56 6:56 AM

07:56 7:56 AM

1 h ahead of Asti

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

71,276

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

Asti Bucharest 1,410 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Asti
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

Asti vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 18% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 39% higher in Asti, 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: $503 in Asti versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Bucharest – a meal for two runs $58.0 versus $66.0 in Asti. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,585 per month in Asti versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 18% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,585 in Asti, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Asti. 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 Asti, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Bucharest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Asti. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.