Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Balzan and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $1,963 in Balzan, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in Balzan
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Balzan Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Balzan

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,963

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,963 per month in Balzan vs $1,351 in Bucharest, rent included.

Balzan $1,963
Bucharest $1,351

A couple spends around $2,917 per month in Balzan vs $2,033 in Bucharest, rent included.

Balzan $2,917
Bucharest $2,033

A family of three spends $3,871 per month in Balzan vs $2,715 in Bucharest, rent included.

Balzan $3,871
Bucharest $2,715

Balzan costs about 45% more than Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Balzan and Bucharest sit above the global median – Balzan by 46%, Bucharest by 1%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.07 €17.02

$14.46 RON 68.4

31.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 €81.7

$57.7 RON 273

58.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 €11.09

$7.50 RON 35.46

65.73%

Cappuccino

$3.22 €2.87

$3.43 RON 16.20

-6.12%

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

$2.02 €1.80

$2.46 RON 11.63

-17.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 €0.90

$2.33 RON 11.01

-56.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.38 €3.02

$3.80 RON 17.97

-11.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 €2.24

$4.10 RON 19.41

-38.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.65 RON 7.79

-22.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 €0.89

$1.35 RON 6.39

-25.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.63 €3.24

$1.78 RON 8.42

103.93%

Eggs

$4.26 €3.81

$3.66 RON 17.33

16.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.45 €9.33

$8.57 RON 40.54

21.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.05 €8.08

$6.80 RON 32.17

33.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.43 €11.09

$11.72 RON 55.4

6.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 €2.39

$1.29 RON 6.11

106.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.77

$1.56 RON 7.37

26.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.54 RON 7.28

16.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.17 €1.05

$2.48 RON 11.75

-52.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.83 RON 3.92

6.02%

Onion (1kg)

$0.87 €0.77

$0.80 RON 3.77

8.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 €0.74

$0.84 RON 3.98

-1.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 €0.91

$0.93 RON 4.39

9.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.23 €5.56

$6.44 RON 30.45

-3.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.90 €5.27

$6.32 RON 29.91

-6.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 €0.94

$1.26 RON 5.94

-16.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.60 RON 7.59

-5.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.19 €2.84

$0.81 RON 3.85

293.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.13 RON 99.9

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.30 €2.05

$0.60 RON 2.86

283.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 €1.59

$0.61 RON 2.91

191.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.65 €29.14

$6.17 RON 29.19

429.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.96 RON 9.27

-23.47%

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

$28.7K €25.6K

$28.1K RON 133.1K

1.96%

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

$32.8K €29.3K

$26.3K RON 124.3K

24.68%

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

$158 €141

$197 RON 931

-19.85%

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

$20.27 €18.09

$8.34 RON 39.44

143.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.53 €26.36

$9.19 RON 43.47

221.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.4 €55.7

$49.87 RON 236

25.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 118

Cinema Ticket

$11.75 €10.49

$8.46 RON 40.01

38.89%

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

$279 €249

$639 RON 3,023

-56.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K €11.1K

$14.4K RON 68.1K

-13.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.4 €68.2

$90.6 RON 429

-15.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.3 €56.4

$38.05 RON 180

66.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 €101

$79.7 RON 377

42.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €119

$93.2 RON 441

43.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 €1,044

$673 RON 3,184

73.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$949 €847

$449 RON 2,123

111.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,804 €1,610

$1,098 RON 5,195

64.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,504 €1,342

$729 RON 3,448

106.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,953 €3,527

$3,740 RON 17.7K

5.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,826 €2,522

$2,189 RON 10.4K

29.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,019 €909

$1,323 RON 6,259

-23.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.05

6.74

-39.91%

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

Last update for Balzan: October 3, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Balzan

$949 48.7%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 52.7% $500

Eating Out

Balzan

$263 13.5%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 14% $37

Groceries & Markets

Balzan

$247 12.7%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 10.1% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Balzan

$208 10.7%

Bucharest

$214 16% 3.3% $6.8

Clothing & Footwear

Balzan

$174 8.9%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 22% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Balzan

$86 4.4%

Bucharest

$67 5% 22.2% $19

Getting Around

Balzan

$24 * 1.2%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 17.2% $4.1

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,170 in Balzan 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.

Salaries run about 30% higher in Bucharest, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $92.0 in Balzan versus $58.0 in Bucharest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $247 vs $222 – making Bucharest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Balzan

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

07:22 7:22 AM

08:22 8:22 AM

1 h ahead of Balzan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,700

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

Balzan Bucharest 1,370 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Balzan
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

Balzan vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,963 in Balzan, $1,351 in Bucharest – roughly 45% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,944 per month in Balzan 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 Bucharest, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $92.0 in Balzan and $58.0 in Bucharest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 11% more in Balzan, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bucharest, where all-in costs run around $1,351, than in Balzan at $1,963. In Bucharest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Balzan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Bucharest has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,351 in Bucharest to $1,963 in Balzan. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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