Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barlad and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Barlad: $975 a month against $1,337 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 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

$975

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,337

/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 $975 per month in Barlad vs $1,337 in Bucharest, rent included.

Barlad $975
Bucharest $1,337

A couple spends around $1,521 per month in Barlad vs $2,029 in Bucharest, rent included.

Barlad $1,521
Bucharest $2,029

A family of three spends $2,066 per month in Barlad vs $2,721 in Bucharest, rent included.

Barlad $2,066
Bucharest $2,721

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

Both Barlad and Bucharest are more affordable than the global median – Barlad 28% lower, Bucharest 1% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.96 RON 42.41

$14.45 RON 68.4

-37.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.38 RON 196

$58.1 RON 275

-28.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.20 RON 34.06

$7.53 RON 35.65

-4.38%

Cappuccino

$2.41 RON 11.40

$3.45 RON 16.33

-30.14%

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

$1.85 RON 8.75

$2.46 RON 11.65

-24.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 RON 7.27

$2.23 RON 10.54

-30.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 RON 10.25

$3.76 RON 17.78

-42.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 RON 12.72

$4.19 RON 19.84

-35.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 RON 6.34

$1.62 RON 7.67

-17.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 RON 5.31

$1.30 RON 6.13

-13.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 RON 6.63

$1.70 RON 8.05

-17.65%

Eggs

$3.39 RON 16.02

$3.79 RON 17.93

-10.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.51 RON 35.53

$8.86 RON 41.90

-15.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.22 RON 24.69

$6.90 RON 32.67

-24.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.04 RON 47.49

$12.14 RON 57.4

-17.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.04 RON 4.92

$1.30 RON 6.17

-20.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$1.60 RON 7.55

1.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 RON 6.54

$1.57 RON 7.42

-12.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 RON 8.31

$2.68 RON 12.67

-34.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$0.81 RON 3.82

-2.47%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.65

$0.79 RON 3.73

-2.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 3.99

$0.91 RON 4.30

-7.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 RON 4.20

$0.97 RON 4.58

-8.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 RON 31.41

$6.41 RON 30.34

3.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.58 RON 26.38

$6.18 RON 29.24

-9.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 RON 5.68

$1.23 RON 5.83

-2.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 RON 7.67

$1.67 RON 7.91

-2.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 RON 2.40

$0.87 RON 4.10

-41.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.88 RON 94.0

$20.98 RON 99.3

-5.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.72 RON 3.42

$0.66 RON 3.10

9.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 RON 3.46

$0.60 RON 2.85

21.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.99 RON 33.08

$6.19 RON 29.28

12.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 RON 8.30

$1.93 RON 9.15

-9.33%

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

$26.5K RON 125.3K

$28.7K RON 135.9K

-7.79%

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

$25.1K RON 118.7K

$26.3K RON 124.6K

-4.74%

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

$158 RON 748

$196 RON 926

-19.20%

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

$8.87 RON 41.95

$8.49 RON 40.19

4.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.36 RON 39.58

$9.05 RON 42.84

-7.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.02 RON 161

$49.54 RON 234

-31.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.05 RON 85.4

$25.03 RON 118

-27.89%

Cinema Ticket

$6.61 RON 31.28

$8.24 RON 39.01

-19.78%

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

$465 RON 2,202

$636 RON 3,007

-26.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,715 RON 36.5K

$14.6K RON 69.0K

-47.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.0 RON 293

$88.5 RON 419

-30.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.81 RON 165

$38.77 RON 183

-10.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 RON 344

$78.8 RON 373

-7.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.2 RON 408

$90.6 RON 428

-4.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$407 RON 1,927

$695 RON 3,288

-41.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$269 RON 1,271

$446 RON 2,109

-39.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$651 RON 3,081

$1,084 RON 5,130

-39.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 RON 2,387

$712 RON 3,368

-29.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,755 RON 8,305

$3,797 RON 18.0K

-53.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,263 RON 5,976

$2,202 RON 10.4K

-42.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,354 RON 6,406

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 17, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barlad

$269 27.6%

Bucharest

$446 33.3% 65.9% $177

Groceries & Markets

Barlad

$190 19.5%

Bucharest

$225 16.9% 18.6% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barlad

$175 18%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 21.6% $38

Eating Out

Barlad

$152 15.6%

Bucharest

$226 16.9% 48.4% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Barlad

$115 11.8%

Bucharest

$133 10% 16% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Barlad

$47 4.9%

Bucharest

$66 4.9% 39.7% $19

Getting Around

Barlad

$26 2.7%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 7% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $407 in Barlad versus $695 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 $41.00 in Barlad versus $58.0 in Bucharest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $190 vs $225 – making Barlad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Barlad

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

08:21 8:21 AM

Same time as Barlad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

77,518

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Barlad Bucharest 230 km

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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: $975 in Barlad, $1,337 in Bucharest – roughly 37% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,462 per month in Barlad and $2,006 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 6% less in Barlad. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $465 per month in Barlad and $636 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 $975, than in Bucharest at $1,337. 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 $975 in Barlad to $1,337 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.