Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Augustow and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $1,574 in Augustow, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Augustow
Learn more

Augustow Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index

Jump to prices

Augustow

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,574

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,574 in Augustow versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Augustow $1,574
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,298 in Augustow versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Augustow $2,298
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,021 in Augustow versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Augustow $3,021
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Augustow is roughly 17% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.44 zł 44.44

$14.49 RON 68.6

-21.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.1 zł 233

$58.1 RON 275

3.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.06 zł 39.08

$7.48 RON 35.40

34.49%

Cappuccino

$4.22 zł 16.39

$3.44 RON 16.29

22.67%

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

$2.28 zł 8.86

$2.37 RON 11.22

-3.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 zł 8.79

$2.30 RON 10.88

-1.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.55 zł 17.69

$3.70 RON 17.51

22.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.04 zł 19.56

$4.16 RON 19.69

21.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 zł 4.04

$1.67 RON 7.90

-37.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 zł 5.87

$1.37 RON 6.50

10.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 zł 6.26

$1.72 RON 8.14

-6.40%

Eggs

$3.77 zł 14.64

$3.64 RON 17.22

3.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.83 zł 34.30

$9.08 RON 42.98

-2.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.31 zł 24.53

$6.84 RON 32.35

-7.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 zł 56.3

$12.00 RON 56.8

20.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.16 zł 4.52

$1.23 RON 5.80

-5.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 zł 6.44

$1.63 RON 7.73

1.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 zł 6.65

$1.57 RON 7.45

8.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.92 zł 15.24

$2.54 RON 12.01

54.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 zł 3.51

$0.79 RON 3.75

13.92%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 zł 3.63

$0.77 RON 3.66

20.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 zł 5.60

$0.87 RON 4.13

65.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 zł 2.70

$0.99 RON 4.70

-29.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.48 zł 25.16

$6.31 RON 29.86

2.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.38 zł 24.80

$6.20 RON 29.34

2.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 zł 4.43

$1.19 RON 5.63

-4.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 zł 6.69

$1.57 RON 7.45

9.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 zł 4.35

$0.86 RON 4.08

30.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.87 zł 116

$21.10 RON 99.8

41.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 zł 9.72

$0.64 RON 3.05

290.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 zł 5.05

$0.60 RON 2.86

116.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.97 zł 50.4

$6.43 RON 30.43

101.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 zł 6.61

$1.96 RON 9.25

-13.27%

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

$30.0K zł 116.6K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

3.53%

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

$29.9K zł 116.1K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

12.15%

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

$349 zł 1,355

$196 RON 927

78.02%

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

$9.00 zł 34.99

$8.04 RON 38.04

11.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.11 zł 62.6

$9.35 RON 44.21

72.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.55 zł 169

$50.2 RON 238

-13.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.49 zł 79.6

$25.33 RON 120

-19.11%

Cinema Ticket

$9.20 zł 35.73

$8.15 RON 38.55

12.88%

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

$594 zł 2,307

$628 RON 2,971

-5.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K zł 55.9K

$14.1K RON 66.6K

2.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 zł 424

$89.6 RON 424

21.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.15 zł 152

$38.32 RON 181

2.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 zł 414

$79.3 RON 375

34.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 zł 439

$90.4 RON 428

25.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$611 zł 2,374

$678 RON 3,209

-9.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$475 zł 1,845

$448 RON 2,121

5.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,067 zł 4,147

$1,083 RON 5,125

-1.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$749 zł 2,908

$725 RON 3,430

3.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,951 zł 11.5K

$3,751 RON 17.7K

-21.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,243 zł 8,715

$2,195 RON 10.4K

2.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,441 zł 5,600

$1,329 RON 6,290

8.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.68

6.75

-1.04%

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

Last update for Augustow: 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

Augustow

$475 30.2%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 5.6% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Augustow

$374 23.7%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 42.9% $161

Groceries & Markets

Augustow

$231 14.7%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 2.7% $6.3

Eating Out

Augustow

$223 14.2%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 0.9% $1.9

Clothing & Footwear

Augustow

$166 10.5%

Bucharest

$134 10% 19.1% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Augustow

$62 3.9%

Bucharest

$67 5% 7.4% $4.6

Getting Around

Augustow

$43 2.8%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 34.9% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $611 in Augustow and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Augustow pays 8% 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: $60.0 in Augustow vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $231 vs $225 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Augustow

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

02:26 2:26 AM

03:26 3:26 AM

1 h ahead of Augustow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,785

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.257 USD

1 PLN = 0.229 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to PLN – Polish Złoty Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇱 Polish Złoty (zł)

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3.89 PLN (1 PLN = 0.257 USD). 1 EUR = 4.37 PLN (1 PLN = 0.229 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to PLN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Augustow Bucharest 1,070 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Augustow
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

Augustow vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Augustow. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bucharest the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 8% higher in Augustow, 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: $611 in Augustow versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $594 in Augustow 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 3% higher in Augustow. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,574 in Augustow, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Augustow. 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 $1,340 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bucharest hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Augustow 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 17% less than in Augustow. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.