Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Besancon and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $1,755 in Besancon, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Besancon
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Besancon Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Besancon

🇫🇷 France

$1,755

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,755 in Besancon versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Besancon $1,755
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,536 in Besancon versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Besancon $2,536
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,318 in Besancon versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Besancon $3,318
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Besancon is roughly 31% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Besancon is 30% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.89

$14.49 RON 69.0

15.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.2 €49.19

$58.1 RON 276

-5.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.94 €9.76

$7.48 RON 35.61

46.26%

Cappuccino

$3.03 €2.71

$3.44 RON 16.38

-11.92%

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

$2.36 €2.10

$2.37 RON 11.28

-0.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 €1.38

$2.30 RON 10.95

-32.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.58 €5.87

$3.70 RON 17.61

77.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 €4.96

$4.16 RON 19.81

33.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.67 RON 7.94

-23.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.37 RON 6.54

24.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.72 RON 8.19

24.42%

Eggs

$4.41 €3.94

$3.64 RON 17.32

21.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.97 €17.81

$9.08 RON 43.23

119.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.95 €9.77

$6.84 RON 32.54

60.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.96

$12.00 RON 57.1

49.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.23 RON 5.83

115.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.63 RON 7.78

38.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 €2.43

$1.57 RON 7.49

73.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.46 €2.19

$2.54 RON 12.09

-3.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.54 €2.27

$0.79 RON 3.77

221.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 €2.16

$0.77 RON 3.68

214.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 €1.28

$0.87 RON 4.15

64.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.04

$0.99 RON 4.73

18.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.78 €12.29

$6.31 RON 30.03

118.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.39 €8.37

$6.20 RON 29.52

51.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.85 €4.32

$1.19 RON 5.66

307.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 €2.90

$1.57 RON 7.50

107.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.68 €1.50

$0.86 RON 4.10

95.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.17 €39.40

$21.10 RON 100

109.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 €2.71

$0.64 RON 3.06

375.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.12 €1.89

$0.60 RON 2.87

253.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.05 €26.80

$6.43 RON 30.62

367.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.96 RON 9.31

8.67%

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

$34.4K €30.7K

$29.0K RON 138.0K

18.66%

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

$34.3K €30.6K

$26.6K RON 126.8K

28.69%

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

$225 €200

$196 RON 932

14.64%

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

$14.65 €13.07

$8.04 RON 38.27

82.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.19 €30.50

$9.35 RON 44.48

265.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.44 €23.58

$50.2 RON 239

-47.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 €17.55

$25.33 RON 121

-22.31%

Cinema Ticket

$11.32 €10.10

$8.15 RON 38.78

38.90%

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

$339 €302

$628 RON 2,989

-46.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,309 €6,520

$14.1K RON 67.0K

-48.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.0 €88.3

$89.6 RON 426

10.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.58 €34.41

$38.32 RON 182

0.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.0 €83.0

$79.3 RON 377

17.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €110

$90.4 RON 430

36.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$635 €566

$678 RON 3,228

-6.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$590 €527

$448 RON 2,134

31.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$991 €884

$1,083 RON 5,155

-8.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$803 €717

$725 RON 3,450

10.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,822 €2,517

$3,751 RON 17.9K

-24.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,245 €2,002

$2,195 RON 10.4K

2.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,181 €1,945

$1,329 RON 6,327

64.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.62

6.75

-46.37%

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

Last update for Besancon: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Besancon

$590 33.6%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 24.1% $142

Groceries & Markets

Besancon

$356 20.3%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 36.8% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Besancon

$273 15.6%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 22% $60

Eating Out

Besancon

$262 15%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 14.2% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Besancon

$159 9.1%

Bucharest

$134 10% 16% $26

Getting Around

Besancon

$65 3.7%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 56.3% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Besancon

$49 2.8%

Bucharest

$67 5% 35.6% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $635 in Besancon and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Besancon pays 64% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $55.0 in Besancon vs $58.0 in Bucharest. Groceries flip the comparison at $356 vs $225, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Besancon

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

01:33 1:33 AM

02:33 2:33 AM

1 h ahead of Besancon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

119,198

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Besancon Bucharest 1,580 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Besancon
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

Besancon vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest wins on cost – living expenses run 31% lower than in Besancon. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bucharest the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 64% higher in Besancon, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $635 in Besancon versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 109% less than in Besancon. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $339 in Besancon versus $628 in Bucharest. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,755 in Besancon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Besancon. The gap between the two cities makes Bucharest the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bucharest delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,340 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bucharest hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Besancon and Bucharest are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bucharest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Besancon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.