Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ben Arous and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Ben Arous: $698 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Ben Arous
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Ben Arous Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Ben Arous

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$698

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $698 per month in Ben Arous vs $1,340 in Bucharest, rent included.

Ben Arous $698
Bucharest $1,340

A couple spends around $1,098 per month in Ben Arous vs $2,037 in Bucharest, rent included.

Ben Arous $1,098
Bucharest $2,037

A family of three spends $1,497 per month in Ben Arous vs $2,734 in Bucharest, rent included.

Ben Arous $1,497
Bucharest $2,734

Ben Arous is about 48% cheaper than Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ben Arous and Bucharest are more affordable than the global median – Ben Arous 48% lower, Bucharest 1% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.31 TND 15.90

$14.49 RON 68.6

-63.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.81 TND 59.3

$58.1 RON 275

-65.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.06 TND 15.14

$7.48 RON 35.40

-32.35%

Cappuccino

$1.16 TND 3.48

$3.44 RON 16.29

-66.28%

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

$0.65 TND 1.95

$2.37 RON 11.22

-72.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 TND 0.81

$2.30 RON 10.88

-88.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.65 TND 4.95

$3.70 RON 17.51

-55.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 TND 6.12

$4.16 RON 19.69

-50.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.52 TND 1.54

$1.67 RON 7.90

-68.86%

White Bread (500g)

$0.10 TND 0.29

$1.37 RON 6.50

-92.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 TND 5.08

$1.72 RON 8.14

-1.16%

Eggs

$1.48 TND 4.43

$3.64 RON 17.22

-59.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.27 TND 30.76

$9.08 RON 42.98

13.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.91 TND 17.70

$6.84 RON 32.35

-13.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.19 TND 51.5

$12.00 RON 56.8

43.25%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 TND 5.01

$1.23 RON 5.80

35.77%

Banana (1kg)

$4.47 TND 13.38

$1.63 RON 7.73

174.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.95 TND 2.84

$1.57 RON 7.45

-39.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.80 TND 2.41

$2.54 RON 12.01

-68.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 TND 2.69

$0.79 RON 3.75

13.92%

Onion (1kg)

$0.66 TND 1.97

$0.77 RON 3.66

-14.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.52 TND 1.56

$0.87 RON 4.13

-40.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 TND 0.93

$0.99 RON 4.70

-68.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.49 TND 10.46

$6.31 RON 29.86

-44.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.62 TND 19.82

$6.20 RON 29.34

6.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 TND 2.99

$1.19 RON 5.63

-15.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 TND 3.68

$1.57 RON 7.45

-21.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 TND 1.14

$0.86 RON 4.08

-55.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.56 TND 40.61

$21.10 RON 99.8

-35.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 TND 0.93

$0.64 RON 3.05

-51.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 TND 0.92

$0.60 RON 2.86

-48.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.75 TND 5.23

$6.43 RON 30.43

-72.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 TND 2.58

$1.96 RON 9.25

-56.12%

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

$39.9K TND 119.6K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

37.76%

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

$23.0K TND 69.0K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

-13.49%

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

$53.9 TND 162

$196 RON 927

-72.47%

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

$9.87 TND 29.56

$8.04 RON 38.04

22.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.83 TND 62.4

$9.35 RON 44.21

122.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.08 TND 96.1

$50.2 RON 238

-36.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 TND 49.46

$25.33 RON 120

-34.78%

Cinema Ticket

$5.11 TND 15.29

$8.15 RON 38.55

-37.30%

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

$61.0 TND 183

$628 RON 2,971

-90.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,947 TND 5,830

$14.1K RON 66.6K

-86.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.31 TND 130

$89.6 RON 424

-51.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.2 TND 180

$38.32 RON 181

56.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.8 TND 257

$79.3 RON 375

8.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.95 TND 141

$90.4 RON 428

-48.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$209 TND 626

$678 RON 3,209

-69.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$156 TND 467

$448 RON 2,121

-65.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 TND 1,155

$1,083 RON 5,125

-64.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$267 TND 799

$725 RON 3,430

-63.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$933 TND 2,795

$3,751 RON 17.7K

-75.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$415 TND 1,243

$2,195 RON 10.4K

-81.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$247 TND 739

$1,329 RON 6,290

-81.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.5

6.75

55.56%

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

Last update for Ben Arous: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ben Arous

$204 29.3%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 10.2% $21

Accommodation & Living

Ben Arous

$156 22.4%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 187% $292

Clothing & Footwear

Ben Arous

$106 15.2%

Bucharest

$134 10% 26% $28

Eating Out

Ben Arous

$88 12.6%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 157% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ben Arous

$85 12.1%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 152% $129

Sport & Entertainment

Ben Arous

$42 6.1%

Bucharest

$67 5% 57.3% $24

Getting Around

Ben Arous

$17 2.4%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 66.7% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $209 in Ben Arous 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.

Salaries run about 439% higher in Bucharest, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Ben Arous versus $58.0 in Bucharest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $204 vs $225 – making Ben Arous the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇳 Ben Arous

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

23:10 11:10 PM

01:10 1:10 AM

2 h ahead of Ben Arous

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

88,322

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 TND = 0.334 USD

1 TND = 0.297 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to TND – Tunisian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇳 Tunisian Dinar (د.ت)

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 2.99 TND (1 TND = 0.334 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 TND (1 TND = 0.297 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to TND in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ben Arous Bucharest 1,590 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ben Arous
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

Ben Arous vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $698 in Ben Arous, $1,340 in Bucharest – roughly 92% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,047 per month in Ben Arous and $2,011 in Bucharest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ben Arous, 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 $20.00 in Ben Arous and $58.0 in Bucharest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $698 in Ben Arous and $1,340 in Bucharest. That's a gap of about 92%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ben Arous, where all-in costs run around $698, than in Bucharest at $1,340. In Ben Arous 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 $698 in Ben Arous to $1,340 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 Ben Arous. 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.