Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bacau and Craiova

For one person, living is cheaper in Bacau: $916 a month against $1,217 in Craiova, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Bacau
Learn more

Bacau Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Craiova
Learn more

Craiova Living Index

Jump to prices

Bacau

🇷🇴 Romania

$916

/mo nomad

Craiova

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,217

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bacau and in Craiova

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

A single person spends $916 per month in Bacau vs $1,217 in Craiova, rent included.

Bacau $916
Craiova $1,217

A couple spends around $1,552 per month in Bacau vs $1,869 in Craiova, rent included.

Bacau $1,552
Craiova $1,869

A family of three spends $2,189 per month in Bacau vs $2,520 in Craiova, rent included.

Bacau $2,189
Craiova $2,520

Bacau is about 25% cheaper than Craiova, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bacau and Craiova are more affordable than the global median – Bacau 33% lower, Craiova 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.19 RON 67.8

$7.14 RON 34.11

98.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 RON 404

$41.37 RON 198

104.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.24 RON 34.60

$7.45 RON 35.60

-2.82%

Cappuccino

$2.04 RON 9.76

$2.71 RON 12.96

-24.72%

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

$2.01 RON 9.58

$2.23 RON 10.63

-9.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 RON 8.93

$1.77 RON 8.45

5.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 RON 11.81

$2.24 RON 10.70

10.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 RON 15.94

$3.51 RON 16.78

-4.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 RON 5.65

$1.27 RON 6.08

-7.09%

White Bread (500g)

$0.70 RON 3.33

$0.82 RON 3.92

-14.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 RON 8.07

$1.42 RON 6.76

19.01%

Eggs

$3.47 RON 16.57

$3.26 RON 15.56

6.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.68 RON 36.70

$7.21 RON 34.47

6.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.33 RON 25.47

$6.47 RON 30.92

-17.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.30 RON 39.65

$11.49 RON 54.9

-27.76%

Apples (1kg)

$1.10 RON 5.24

$0.95 RON 4.53

15.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 RON 7.08

$1.50 RON 7.15

-1.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.10

$1.45 RON 6.93

2.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 RON 8.75

$1.80 RON 8.61

1.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 RON 3.46

$0.76 RON 3.65

-5.26%

Onion (1kg)

$0.68 RON 3.27

$0.89 RON 4.27

-23.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 RON 3.56

$0.73 RON 3.50

2.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 RON 3.43

$0.77 RON 3.66

-6.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 RON 25.56

$6.59 RON 31.47

-18.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.25 RON 25.10

$6.34 RON 30.29

-17.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 RON 4.87

$1.20 RON 5.75

-15.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 RON 5.61

$1.46 RON 6.99

-19.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 RON 3.33

$0.88 RON 4.19

-20.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.15 RON 139

$25.16 RON 120

15.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 RON 2.92

$0.61 RON 2.93

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 RON 3.10

$0.65 RON 3.09

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.72 RON 32.13

$6.37 RON 30.46

5.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 RON 8.50

$1.90 RON 9.10

-6.32%

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

$28.9K RON 138.1K

$28.9K RON 138.0K

0.08%

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

$24.8K RON 118.7K

$25.8K RON 123.5K

-3.85%

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

$106 RON 506

$216 RON 1,034

-51.05%

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

$7.47 RON 35.70

$9.24 RON 44.18

-19.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$4.63 RON 22.12

$11.57 RON 55.3

-59.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.29 RON 121

$38.59 RON 184

-34.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.98 RON 76.4

$21.52 RON 103

-25.74%

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 RON 29.09

$7.28 RON 34.77

-16.35%

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

$589 RON 2,814

$411 RON 1,962

43.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,986 RON 23.8K

$8,047 RON 38.5K

-38.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 RON 406

$62.9 RON 301

35.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.98 RON 153

$50.6 RON 242

-36.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.3 RON 288

$82.8 RON 396

-27.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.2 RON 398

$103 RON 494

-19.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$416 RON 1,988

$532 RON 2,541

-21.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$236 RON 1,129

$418 RON 2,000

-43.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$549 RON 2,621

$910 RON 4,346

-39.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$405 RON 1,934

$829 RON 3,961

-51.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,805 RON 8,624

$2,703 RON 12.9K

-33.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,229 RON 5,872

$1,988 RON 9,498

-38.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$936 RON 4,475

$914 RON 4,368

2.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.97

6.84

1.90%

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

Last update for Bacau: October 26, 2026

Last update for Craiova: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bacau

$236 25.8%

Craiova

$418 34.4% 77.2% $182

Eating Out

Bacau

$194 21.2%

Craiova

$146 12% 24.7% $48

Groceries & Markets

Bacau

$177 19.3%

Craiova

$194 16% 10.1% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bacau

$118 12.9%

Craiova

$237 19.5% 101% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Bacau

$117 12.8%

Craiova

$135 11.1% 15.1% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Bacau

$37 4.1%

Craiova

$53 4.4% 41.8% $16

Getting Around

Bacau

$36 3.9%

Craiova

$33 2.7% 9.2% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $416 in Bacau versus $532 in Craiova. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85 in Bacau versus $41 in Craiova. Groceries tell a different story – $177 in Bacau vs $194 in Craiova – so Bacau wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bacau

🇷🇴 Craiova

🕒 Local time

00:15 12:15 AM

Same time as Bacau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

144,307

269,506

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bacau Craiova 350 km

From you

Bacau
Craiova

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

Bacau vs Craiova: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Craiova is pricier by about 33%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,373 per month in Bacau and $1,825 in Craiova. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bacau, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $416 there versus $532 in Craiova.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85 in Bacau and $41 in Craiova. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $916 in Bacau and $1,217 in Craiova. That makes Bacau about 25% cheaper.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.