Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barry and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $2,320 in Barry, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Barry
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,320
/mo nomad
Bucharest
🇷🇴 Romania
$1,340
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,320 per month in Barry vs $1,340 in Bucharest, rent included.

  • Barry $2,320
  • Bucharest $1,340

A couple spends around $3,444 per month in Barry vs $2,037 in Bucharest, rent included.

  • Barry $3,444
  • Bucharest $2,037

A family of three spends $4,567 per month in Barry vs $2,734 in Bucharest, rent included.

  • Barry $4,567
  • Bucharest $2,734

Barry costs about 73% more than Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Barry sits 72% above the global median, while Bucharest is 1% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barry
Bucharest
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.80 £15.60
$14.49 RON 68.6
43.55%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$84.1 £63.1
$58.1 RON 275
44.71%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.78 £8.08
$7.48 RON 35.40
44.12%
Cappuccino
$4.48 £3.36
$3.44 RON 16.29
30.23%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 £1.96
$2.37 RON 11.22
10.13%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.97 £1.48
$2.30 RON 10.88
-14.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.59 £5.69
$3.70 RON 17.51
105.14%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.43 £4.83
$4.16 RON 19.69
54.57%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barry
Bucharest
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.73 £1.30
$1.67 RON 7.90
3.59%
White Bread (500g)
$1.72 £1.29
$1.37 RON 6.50
25.55%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.22 £1.66
$1.72 RON 8.14
29.07%
Eggs
$4.39 £3.29
$3.64 RON 17.22
20.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.23 £6.18
$9.08 RON 42.98
-9.36%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.33 £7.00
$6.84 RON 32.35
36.40%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.15 £9.86
$12.00 RON 56.8
9.58%
Apples (1kg)
$2.65 £1.99
$1.23 RON 5.80
115.45%
Banana (1kg)
$1.54 £1.16
$1.63 RON 7.73
-5.52%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.03 £2.28
$1.57 RON 7.45
92.99%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.56 £2.67
$2.54 RON 12.01
40.16%
Potato (1kg)
$1.99 £1.49
$0.79 RON 3.75
151.90%
Onion (1kg)
$1.45 £1.08
$0.77 RON 3.66
88.31%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.09 £0.82
$0.87 RON 4.13
25.29%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.67 £1.25
$0.99 RON 4.70
68.69%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.14 £17.36
$6.31 RON 29.86
266.72%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.69 £8.02
$6.20 RON 29.34
72.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.98 £2.24
$1.19 RON 5.63
150.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.59 £2.69
$1.57 RON 7.45
128.66%
🚌 Getting Around
Barry
Bucharest
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.36 £2.52
$0.86 RON 4.08
290.70%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$97.1 £72.8
$21.10 RON 99.8
360.19%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.73 £3.55
$0.64 RON 3.05
639.06%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.66 £1.25
$0.60 RON 2.86
176.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$26.26 £19.70
$6.43 RON 30.43
308.40%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.08 £1.56
$1.96 RON 9.25
6.12%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.8K £29.1K
$29.0K RON 137.2K
33.80%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.3K £31.0K
$26.6K RON 126.0K
55.00%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barry
Bucharest
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$315 £237
$196 RON 927
60.99%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.89 £17.17
$8.04 RON 38.04
184.70%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$39.15 £29.37
$9.35 RON 44.21
318.72%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barry
Bucharest
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.99 £33.75
$50.2 RON 238
-10.43%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.00 £4.50
$25.33 RON 120
-76.31%
Cinema Ticket
$10.66 £8.00
$8.15 RON 38.55
30.80%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barry
Bucharest
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,962 £1,472
$628 RON 2,971
212.49%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$24.7K £18.5K
$14.1K RON 66.6K
75.31%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barry
Bucharest
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$101 £75.6
$89.6 RON 424
12.41%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$48.13 £36.11
$38.32 RON 181
25.60%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$107 £80.1
$79.3 RON 375
34.68%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.0 £73.6
$90.4 RON 428
8.46%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barry
Bucharest
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,203 £903
$678 RON 3,209
77.38%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$971 £729
$448 RON 2,121
116.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,134 £1,601
$1,083 RON 5,125
97.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,661 £1,246
$725 RON 3,430
129.17%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,991 £3,744
$3,751 RON 17.7K
33.05%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,857 £2,894
$2,195 RON 10.4K
75.70%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barry
Bucharest
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,329 RON 6,290
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.87
6.75
-27.85%

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

Last update for Barry: 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
Barry
$971
Bucharest
$448 53.8% $523
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barry
$377
Bucharest
$213 43.5% $164
Eating Out
Barry
$322
Bucharest
$225 30% $96
Groceries & Markets
Barry
$301
Bucharest
$225 25.2% $76
Clothing & Footwear
Barry
$159
Bucharest
$134 15.9% $25
Getting Around
Barry
$124
Bucharest
$28 77.2% $95
Sport & Entertainment
Barry
$66
Bucharest
$67 0.3% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,203 in Barry versus $678 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 $84.0 in Barry versus $58.0 in Bucharest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $301 vs $225 – making Bucharest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Barry
🇷🇴 Bucharest
🕒 Local time
20:49 8:49 PM
22:49 10:49 PM
2 h ahead of Barry
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
54,673
1,883,425 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Barry Bucharest 2,300 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Barry
  • 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
Barry vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bucharest cheaper than Barry?
Yes – Barry is pricier by about 73%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,480 per month in Barry and $2,011 in Bucharest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
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.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $1,962 per month in Barry and $628 in Bucharest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Barry and in Bucharest?
Groceries cost about 34% more in Barry, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Barry or in Bucharest?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bucharest, where all-in costs run around $1,340, than in Barry at $2,320. In Bucharest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Barry it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Barry or Bucharest more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Bucharest – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Barry or Bucharest?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Bucharest. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Barry makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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