Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ballsh and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Ballsh: $1,214 a month against $1,351 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bucharest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

58

Cost of Living Index in Ballsh
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Ballsh Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Ballsh

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,214

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,214 per month in Ballsh vs $1,351 in Bucharest, rent included.

Ballsh $1,214
Bucharest $1,351

A couple spends around $1,852 per month in Ballsh vs $2,033 in Bucharest, rent included.

Ballsh $1,852
Bucharest $2,033

A family of three spends $2,490 per month in Ballsh vs $2,715 in Bucharest, rent included.

Ballsh $2,490
Bucharest $2,715

Ballsh is about 10% cheaper than Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Ballsh sits 9% below the global median, while Bucharest is 1% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.99 ALL 813

$14.46 RON 68.9

-30.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ALL 4,481

$57.7 RON 275

-4.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.22 ALL 587

$7.50 RON 35.72

-3.73%

Cappuccino

$2.33 ALL 189

$3.43 RON 16.32

-32.07%

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

$1.42 ALL 116

$2.46 RON 11.72

-42.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 ALL 69.1

$2.33 RON 11.09

-63.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.56 ALL 290

$3.80 RON 18.10

-6.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.14 ALL 337

$4.10 RON 19.56

0.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.30 ALL 187

$1.65 RON 7.85

39.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 ALL 96.3

$1.35 RON 6.44

-12.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.43 ALL 198

$1.78 RON 8.48

36.52%

Eggs

$3.79 ALL 308

$3.66 RON 17.46

3.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.96 ALL 1,054

$8.57 RON 40.84

51.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.41 ALL 766

$6.80 RON 32.41

38.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.85 ALL 1,371

$11.72 RON 55.8

43.77%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ALL 157

$1.29 RON 6.16

49.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.42 ALL 197

$1.56 RON 7.43

55.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 ALL 176

$1.54 RON 7.34

40.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ALL 149

$2.48 RON 11.84

-25.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 ALL 82.9

$0.83 RON 3.95

22.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.31 ALL 107

$0.80 RON 3.80

63.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 ALL 117

$0.84 RON 4.01

71.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ALL 61.2

$0.93 RON 4.42

-19.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.72 ALL 384

$6.44 RON 30.68

-26.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.52 ALL 856

$6.32 RON 30.13

66.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 ALL 129

$1.26 RON 5.99

26.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 ALL 164

$1.60 RON 7.65

25.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 ALL 38.17

$0.81 RON 3.88

-41.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.41 ALL 1,579

$21.13 RON 101

-8.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 ALL 310

$0.60 RON 2.88

535.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.80 ALL 309

$0.61 RON 2.93

522.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.85 ALL 1,533

$6.17 RON 29.41

205.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 ALL 185

$1.96 RON 9.34

16.33%

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

$34.1K ALL 2.8M

$28.1K RON 134.2K

21.11%

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

$36.2K ALL 2.9M

$26.3K RON 125.3K

37.58%

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

$99.2 ALL 8,073

$197 RON 938

-49.59%

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

$18.74 ALL 1,524

$8.34 RON 39.74

124.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.45 ALL 1,663

$9.19 RON 43.80

122.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.9 ALL 4,549

$49.87 RON 238

12.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 119

Cinema Ticket

$10.13 ALL 824

$8.46 RON 40.31

19.74%

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

$351 ALL 28.6K

$639 RON 3,046

-45.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,230 ALL 669.5K

$14.4K RON 68.6K

-42.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.0 ALL 4,068

$90.6 RON 432

-44.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.21 ALL 3,922

$38.05 RON 181

26.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 ALL 9,754

$79.7 RON 380

50.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 ALL 9,210

$93.2 RON 444

21.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$473 ALL 38.5K

$673 RON 3,209

-29.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$331 ALL 26.9K

$449 RON 2,139

-26.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ALL 58.7K

$1,098 RON 5,234

-34.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$469 ALL 38.2K

$729 RON 3,474

-35.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,863 ALL 151.6K

$3,740 RON 17.8K

-50.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,217 ALL 99.0K

$2,189 RON 10.4K

-44.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,323 RON 6,306

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

6.74

-20.03%

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

Last update for Ballsh: October 4, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ballsh

$331 27.7%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 35.6% $118

Groceries & Markets

Ballsh

$292 24.4%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 24% $70

Eating Out

Ballsh

$165 13.8%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 37% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Ballsh

$149 12.5%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 9% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ballsh

$138 11.6%

Bucharest

$214 16% 54.9% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Ballsh

$76 6.4%

Bucharest

$67 5% 12.3% $9.4

Getting Around

Ballsh

$44 3.7%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 36.4% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $473 in Ballsh versus $673 in Bucharest. 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 $55.0 in Ballsh versus $58.0 in Bucharest. Groceries tell a different story – $292 in Ballsh vs $222 in Bucharest – so Bucharest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇱 Ballsh

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

08:12 8:12 AM

09:12 9:12 AM

1 h ahead of Ballsh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,000

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Albanian Lek ALL L

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 ALL = 1.23 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to ALL – Albanian Lek Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇱 Albanian Lek (L)

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 81.35 ALL (100 ALL = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 91.24 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.77 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to ALL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ballsh Bucharest 670 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ballsh
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

Ballsh vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Bucharest is pricier by about 11%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,821 per month in Ballsh and $2,027 in Bucharest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ballsh, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 32% cheaper in Bucharest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Ballsh and $58.0 in Bucharest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ballsh, where all-in costs run around $1,214, than in Bucharest at $1,351. In Ballsh it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bucharest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ballsh – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Ballsh. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bucharest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.