Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barlad and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Barlad: $988 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Barlad
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Barlad Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Barlad

🇷🇴 Romania

$988

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $983 per month in Barlad vs $1,351 in Bucharest, rent included.

Barlad $983
Bucharest $1,351

A couple spends around $1,507 per month in Barlad vs $2,033 in Bucharest, rent included.

Barlad $1,507
Bucharest $2,033

A family of three spends $2,030 per month in Barlad vs $2,715 in Bucharest, rent included.

Barlad $2,030
Bucharest $2,715

Barlad is about 27% cheaper than Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Barlad sits 27% below the global median, while Bucharest is 1% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.71 RON 41.66

$14.49 RON 69.3

-39.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.72 RON 185

$58.1 RON 278

-33.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.16 RON 34.23

$7.48 RON 35.78

-4.28%

Cappuccino

$2.25 RON 10.78

$3.44 RON 16.46

-34.59%

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

$1.85 RON 8.85

$2.37 RON 11.34

-21.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 RON 6.95

$2.30 RON 11.00

-36.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.07 RON 9.89

$3.70 RON 17.69

-44.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 RON 10.75

$4.16 RON 19.90

-45.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 RON 6.03

$1.67 RON 7.98

-24.55%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 RON 4.74

$1.37 RON 6.57

-27.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.52

$1.72 RON 8.22

-8.72%

Eggs

$2.99 RON 14.30

$3.64 RON 17.40

-17.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.76 RON 37.09

$9.08 RON 43.43

-14.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.90 RON 28.20

$6.84 RON 32.69

-13.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.48 RON 40.57

$12.00 RON 57.4

-29.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.04 RON 4.98

$1.23 RON 5.86

-15.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 RON 7.73

$1.63 RON 7.81

-0.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.42 RON 6.78

$1.57 RON 7.53

-9.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.74 RON 8.32

$2.54 RON 12.14

-31.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 RON 3.90

$0.79 RON 3.78

3.80%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 RON 3.55

$0.77 RON 3.69

-3.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.78 RON 3.72

$0.87 RON 4.17

-10.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 RON 3.40

$0.99 RON 4.75

-28.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.66 RON 27.07

$6.31 RON 30.17

-10.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.82 RON 32.59

$6.20 RON 29.65

10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 RON 4.97

$1.19 RON 5.68

-12.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 RON 7.15

$1.57 RON 7.53

-5.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 RON 2.40

$0.86 RON 4.12

-41.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.40 RON 107

$21.10 RON 101

6.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 RON 3.55

$0.64 RON 3.08

15.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.72 RON 3.44

$0.60 RON 2.89

20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.83 RON 32.67

$6.43 RON 30.76

6.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 RON 8.29

$1.96 RON 9.35

-11.73%

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

$26.2K RON 125.3K

$29.0K RON 138.6K

-9.64%

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

$25.1K RON 119.9K

$26.6K RON 127.4K

-5.86%

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

$122 RON 585

$196 RON 937

-37.52%

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

$8.49 RON 40.57

$8.04 RON 38.45

5.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.17 RON 43.84

$9.35 RON 44.68

-1.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.86 RON 171

$50.2 RON 240

-28.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.93 RON 95.3

$25.33 RON 121

-21.32%

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 RON 36.66

$8.15 RON 38.96

-5.89%

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

$478 RON 2,287

$628 RON 3,003

-23.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,146 RON 34.2K

$14.1K RON 67.3K

-49.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.9 RON 248

$89.6 RON 428

-42.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.20 RON 168

$38.32 RON 183

-8.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.2 RON 407

$79.3 RON 379

7.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.7 RON 372

$90.4 RON 432

-14.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$378 RON 1,808

$678 RON 3,243

-44.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$323 RON 1,547

$448 RON 2,144

-27.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$680 RON 3,253

$1,083 RON 5,179

-37.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$484 RON 2,312

$725 RON 3,466

-33.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,563 RON 7,471

$3,751 RON 17.9K

-58.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,305 RON 6,239

$2,195 RON 10.5K

-40.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,356

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.97

6.75

3.26%

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

Last update for Barlad: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barlad

$323 32.7%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 38.6% $125

Groceries & Markets

Barlad

$186 18.8%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 21.2% $39

Eating Out

Barlad

$146 14.8%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 53.9% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barlad

$140 14.2%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 52.3% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Barlad

$113 11.4%

Bucharest

$134 10% 19% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Barlad

$51 5.2%

Bucharest

$67 5% 30% $15

Getting Around

Barlad

$29 2.9%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 1.9% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $378 in Barlad 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 $39.00 in Barlad versus $58.0 in Bucharest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $194 vs $222 – making Barlad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Barlad

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

13:08 1:08 PM

Same time as Barlad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

77,518

1,883,425 Capital

💱 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

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Barlad Bucharest 230 km

From you

Barlad
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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

Barlad vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $983 in Barlad, $1,351 in Bucharest – roughly 37% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,475 per month in Barlad 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 Barlad, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 10% less in Barlad. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $365 per month in Barlad and $639 in Bucharest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Barlad, where all-in costs run around $983, than in Bucharest at $1,351. In Barlad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bucharest 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 $983 in Barlad to $1,351 in Bucharest. 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 Barlad. 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.