Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bamako and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bamako: $893 a month against $1,371 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Bamako

🇲🇱 Mali

$893

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,371

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $893 in Bamako versus $1,371 in Bucharest.

Bamako $893
Bucharest $1,371

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,460 in Bamako versus $2,067 in Bucharest.

Bamako $1,460
Bucharest $2,067

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,028 in Bamako versus $2,764 in Bucharest.

Bamako $2,028
Bucharest $2,764

Living in Bamako costs roughly 35% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.61 F CFA 5,029

$14.51 RON 69.0

-40.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.44 F CFA 21.3K

$61.2 RON 291

-40.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.00 F CFA 4,670

$7.46 RON 35.46

7.24%

Cappuccino

$1.69 F CFA 985

$3.64 RON 17.31

-53.57%

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

$0.90 F CFA 526

$2.62 RON 12.43

-65.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 F CFA 414

$2.36 RON 11.23

-69.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.34 F CFA 1,363

$3.78 RON 17.98

-38.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$20.89 F CFA 12.2K

$4.11 RON 19.52

408.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 F CFA 1,130

$1.66 RON 7.89

16.87%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 F CFA 2,191

$1.40 RON 6.64

167.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 RON 8.53

Eggs

$6.05 F CFA 3,532

$3.63 RON 17.25

66.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.10 F CFA 10.6K

$8.92 RON 42.38

102.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.76 F CFA 9,197

$6.86 RON 32.62

129.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.45 F CFA 7,269

$11.99 RON 57.0

3.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.94 F CFA 2,298

$1.30 RON 6.16

203.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 F CFA 600

$1.63 RON 7.76

-36.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.78 F CFA 1,624

$1.49 RON 7.09

86.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 F CFA 1,218

$2.54 RON 12.08

-17.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 F CFA 709

$0.81 RON 3.86

49.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 F CFA 685

$0.80 RON 3.78

46.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.10 F CFA 56.2

$0.86 RON 4.07

-88.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 F CFA 1,566

$0.94 RON 4.46

185.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.60 RON 31.38

Wine (Bottle)

$6.33 RON 30.08

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 F CFA 887

$1.19 RON 5.64

27.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 F CFA 935

$1.58 RON 7.53

1.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 RON 4.64

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.91 RON 99.4

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 F CFA 709

$0.62 RON 2.93

96.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.37 RON 30.25

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 F CFA 631

$2.02 RON 9.62

-46.53%

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

$28.2K RON 134.0K

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

$26.3K RON 124.8K

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

$152 F CFA 88.8K

$196 RON 932

-22.46%

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

$8.60 RON 40.84

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.1 F CFA 38.0K

$9.20 RON 43.69

607.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.1 F CFA 40.3K

$51.0 RON 242

35.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.04 RON 119

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 RON 39.27

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

$681 RON 3,234

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K RON 89.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 RON 443

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.87 RON 189

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 RON 381

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 RON 431

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$176 F CFA 102.6K

$731 RON 3,473

-75.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$79.1 F CFA 46.2K

$470 RON 2,232

-83.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 F CFA 295.6K

$1,110 RON 5,276

-54.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$299 F CFA 174.6K

$722 RON 3,431

-58.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 RON 17.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,255 F CFA 732.5K

$2,233 RON 10.6K

-43.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$260 F CFA 151.9K

$1,365 RON 6,487

-80.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

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

Last update for Bamako: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bamako

–

Bucharest

$470 34.3%

Eating Out

Bamako

–

Bucharest

$229 16.7%

Groceries & Markets

Bamako

–

Bucharest

$225 16.4%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bamako

–

Bucharest

$214 15.6%

Clothing & Footwear

Bamako

–

Bucharest

$137 10%

Sport & Entertainment

Bamako

–

Bucharest

$68 4.9%

Getting Around

Bamako

–

Bucharest

$29 2.1%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $176 in Bamako and $731 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays about 5.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $36 in Bamako vs $61 in Bucharest. Groceries flip the comparison at $348 vs $225, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇱 Bamako

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

08:44 8:44 AM

10:44 10:44 AM

2 h ahead of Bamako

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,809,106 Capital

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to XOF – West African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 West African CFA Franc (Fr)

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 584 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to XOF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bamako Bucharest 4,790 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Bamako
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

Bamako vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bamako wins on cost – living expenses run 35% lower than in Bucharest. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bamako the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 81% lower in Bamako. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $176 in Bamako versus $731 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $893 per month in Bamako versus $1,371 in Bucharest – Bamako is about 35% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Shoppers in Bucharest pay roughly 35% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Bamako is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Bamako wins on affordability, Bucharest on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.