Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Australia and Romania

Name: Romania
Address: RO

For one person, living is cheaper in Romania: $1,116 a month against $2,539 in Australia, rent and utilities included – about $17,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Australia
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Australia Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Romania
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Romania Living Index

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🇦🇺 Australia

$2,539

/mo nomad

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,116

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Australia and in Romania

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Australia and in Romania actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,539 per month in Australia vs $1,116 in Romania, rent included.

Australia $2,539
Romania $1,116

A couple spends around $3,716 per month in Australia vs $1,692 in Romania, rent included.

Australia $3,716
Romania $1,692

A family of three spends $4,892 per month in Australia vs $2,268 in Romania, rent included.

Australia $4,892
Romania $2,268

The regional cost range is wider in Australia ($1,635–$3,245) than in Romania ($743–$1,413), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Australia is about 127% higher than in Romania on average.

Australia sits 87% above the global median, while Romania is 18% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.35 A$24.97

$10.52 RON 49.76

64.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.5 A$122

$42.49 RON 201

98.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 A$15.79

$7.43 RON 35.16

47.78%

Cappuccino

$3.84 A$5.53

$2.74 RON 12.96

40.15%

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

$2.89 A$4.16

$1.93 RON 9.11

49.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 A$3.29

$1.73 RON 8.20

32.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.79 A$11.21

$2.31 RON 10.92

237.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.42 A$12.12

$3.19 RON 15.09

163.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 A$2.52

$1.52 RON 7.22

15.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.21 RON 5.74

129.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 A$3.33

$1.62 RON 7.69

42.59%

Eggs

$4.89 A$7.04

$3.18 RON 15.04

53.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.95 A$14.32

$8.52 RON 40.30

16.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.06 A$13.03

$6.57 RON 31.10

37.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.92 A$21.46

$10.18 RON 48.18

46.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.65 A$5.25

$1.22 RON 5.76

199.18%

Banana (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.51 RON 7.16

100.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 A$4.66

$1.55 RON 7.32

109.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.69 A$6.76

$2.23 RON 10.56

110.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.85 A$4.11

$0.78 RON 3.71

265.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.34

$0.86 RON 4.05

169.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 A$3.50

$0.90 RON 4.24

170.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 A$2.39

$0.79 RON 3.75

110.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.47 A$55.4

$5.97 RON 28.24

544.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.84 A$19.92

$6.21 RON 29.36

122.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.87 A$7.01

$1.10 RON 5.22

342.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.28 A$7.59

$1.58 RON 7.50

234.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.71 A$3.90

$0.73 RON 3.44

271.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.0 A$135

$23.25 RON 110

304.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 A$5.14

$0.77 RON 3.62

363.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.35

$0.72 RON 3.42

126.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.04 A$57.6

$6.97 RON 32.97

474.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 A$1.91

$1.79 RON 8.46

-25.70%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$28.7K RON 135.6K

1.66%

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

$25.7K A$37.0K

$25.3K RON 119.9K

1.48%

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

$205 A$296

$158 RON 747

30.02%

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

$28.24 A$40.63

$8.07 RON 38.19

249.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$82.0

$9.03 RON 42.72

530.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.4 A$79.7

$40.80 RON 193

35.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.46 A$28.01

$18.79 RON 88.9

3.57%

Cinema Ticket

$15.06 A$21.66

$7.55 RON 35.74

99.47%

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

$2,097 A$3,017

$475 RON 2,246

341.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K A$26.0K

$8,756 RON 41.4K

106.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.0 A$112

$68.8 RON 325

13.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 A$79.6

$37.35 RON 177

48.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 A$161

$79.4 RON 376

40.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 A$175

$86.4 RON 409

41.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,559 A$2,244

$476 RON 2,251

227.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,215 A$1,748

$354 RON 1,676

242.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,435 A$3,504

$800 RON 3,785

204.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,924 A$2,769

$579 RON 2,738

232.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,175 A$11.8K

$2,519 RON 11.9K

224.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,060 A$8,721

$1,830 RON 8,659

231.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,038 A$5,811

$965 RON 4,564

318.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.94

6.98

-14.90%

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

Last update for Australia: October 19, 2026

Last update for Romania: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Australia

$1.2K 47.8%

Romania

$354 31.7% 70.8% $860

Groceries & Markets

Australia

$372 14.7%

Romania

$206 18.5% 44.6% $166

Eating Out

Australia

$294 11.6%

Romania

$172 15.4% 41.6% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Australia

$291 11.4%

Romania

$175 15.7% 39.8% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Australia

$165 6.5%

Romania

$122 11% 25.9% $43

Getting Around

Australia

$117 4.6%

Romania

$31 2.7% 73.8% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Australia

$85 3.4%

Romania

$56 5% 34.6% $30

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,364 in Australia vs $370 in Romania. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,719 in Canberra and $695 in Bucharest.

Average salary: $3,853 in Australia vs $857 in Romania. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 269% higher in Australia.

Dining out costs 100% more in Australia.

Public transport is 275% more expensive in Australia.

Salaries are 350% higher in Australia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Australia.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Australia

🇷🇴 Romania

🕒 Local time

03:57 3:57 AM

19:57 7:57 PM

8 h behind Australia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,473,055

19,053,815

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 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 AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Australia Romania 15,150 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Australia
Romania

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

Australia vs Romania: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Romania is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 127% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Australia: a central one-bedroom averages $1,364 versus $370 in Romania.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Romania, adding to the overall 127% price gap.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Romania, but in Australia it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Romania is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.