Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $1,806 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Athens versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

Athens $1,806
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

Athens $2,731
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

Athens $3,656
Bucharest $2,715

Living in Athens is roughly 34% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 35% above, Bucharest 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.87

$14.46 RON 68.4

15.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.1

$57.7 RON 273

14.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.87

$7.50 RON 35.46

47.47%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$3.43 RON 16.20

20.70%

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

$2.80 €2.50

$2.46 RON 11.63

13.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$2.33 RON 11.01

-75.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

$3.80 RON 17.97

48.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.87

$4.10 RON 19.41

33.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.65 RON 7.79

18.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.35 RON 6.39

4.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$1.78 RON 8.42

58.99%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.50

$3.66 RON 17.33

37.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.70

$8.57 RON 40.54

79.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 €9.23

$6.80 RON 32.17

52.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 €16.93

$11.72 RON 55.4

61.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.29 RON 6.11

68.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.56 RON 7.37

22.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.54 RON 7.28

-10.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.48 RON 11.75

-11.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$0.83 RON 3.92

32.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$0.80 RON 3.77

41.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.99

$0.84 RON 3.98

30.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$0.93 RON 4.39

-10.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €4.99

$6.44 RON 30.45

-13.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.09

$6.32 RON 29.91

61.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.26 RON 5.94

73.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.19

$1.60 RON 7.59

53.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.81 RON 3.85

70.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.87 €27.55

$21.13 RON 99.9

46.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

$0.60 RON 2.86

628.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$0.61 RON 2.91

70.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.27

$6.17 RON 29.19

177.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.96 RON 9.27

17.86%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$28.1K RON 133.1K

-0.59%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$26.3K RON 124.3K

6.56%

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

$210 €187

$197 RON 931

6.55%

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

$26.70 €23.83

$8.34 RON 39.44

220.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.89

$9.19 RON 43.47

227.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 €48.72

$49.87 RON 236

9.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 €23.23

$24.99 RON 118

4.16%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.62

$8.46 RON 40.01

27.42%

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

$575 €513

$639 RON 3,023

-10.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

$14.4K RON 68.1K

-8.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 €83.1

$90.6 RON 429

2.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.30

$38.05 RON 180

6.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.9

$79.7 RON 377

30.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

$93.2 RON 441

37.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$673 RON 3,184

12.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$449 RON 2,123

45.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,154

$1,098 RON 5,195

17.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,038

$729 RON 3,448

59.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 €3,577

$3,740 RON 17.7K

7.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 €3,081

$2,189 RON 10.4K

57.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,110

$1,323 RON 6,259

-6.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

6.74

-33.53%

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

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$652 36.5%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 31.2% $203

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$315 17.6%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 29.5% $93

Eating Out

Athens

$269 15%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 16% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$267 14.9%

Bucharest

$214 16% 19.6% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$165 9.2%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 17.7% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$76 4.3%

Bucharest

$67 5% 12.3% $9.4

Getting Around

Athens

$46 2.6%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 38.9% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Athens and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 6% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Athens vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $222 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

06:45 6:45 AM

Same time as Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

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

Athens Bucharest 750 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
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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

Athens vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest wins on cost – living expenses run 34% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bucharest the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 6% lower in Bucharest. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $756 in Athens versus $673 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 Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,806 per month in Athens versus $1,351 in Bucharest – a 34% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $1,806 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Bucharest the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bucharest delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,351 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bucharest hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens 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 34% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.