Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Best and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $2,217 in Best, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Best
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Best Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Best

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,217

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,217 per month in Best vs $1,351 in Bucharest, rent included.

Best $2,217
Bucharest $1,351

A couple spends around $3,095 per month in Best vs $2,033 in Bucharest, rent included.

Best $3,095
Bucharest $2,033

A family of three spends $3,973 per month in Best vs $2,715 in Bucharest, rent included.

Best $3,973
Bucharest $2,715

Best costs about 64% more than Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Best and Bucharest sit above the global median – Best by 65%, Bucharest by 1%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.31 €19.91

$14.46 RON 68.4

54.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.5 €77.2

$57.7 RON 273

49.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.25 €10.94

$7.50 RON 35.46

63.33%

Cappuccino

$3.65 €3.26

$3.43 RON 16.20

6.41%

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

$3.26 €2.91

$2.46 RON 11.63

32.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 €2.21

$2.33 RON 11.01

6.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.77 €5.15

$3.80 RON 17.97

51.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.90 €4.37

$4.10 RON 19.41

19.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.65 RON 7.79

-31.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.69

$1.35 RON 6.39

40.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$1.78 RON 8.42

24.72%

Eggs

$3.12 €2.79

$3.66 RON 17.33

-14.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 €10.07

$8.57 RON 40.54

31.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.49 €10.26

$6.80 RON 32.17

68.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.84 €13.24

$11.72 RON 55.4

26.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 €1.80

$1.29 RON 6.11

55.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 €1.43

$1.56 RON 7.37

2.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.54 RON 7.28

12.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.95 €4.41

$2.48 RON 11.75

99.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 €1.04

$0.83 RON 3.92

40.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 €1.06

$0.80 RON 3.77

48.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 €0.99

$0.84 RON 3.98

32.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 €0.63

$0.93 RON 4.39

-23.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.21 €10.01

$6.44 RON 30.45

74.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.55 €4.95

$6.32 RON 29.91

-12.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.34

$1.26 RON 5.94

19.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 €2.23

$1.60 RON 7.59

56.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.48 €2.22

$0.81 RON 3.85

206.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.9 €63.3

$21.13 RON 99.9

235.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.94 €3.52

$0.60 RON 2.86

556.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.89 €2.57

$0.61 RON 2.91

373.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 €26.52

$6.17 RON 29.19

381.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.35 €2.09

$1.96 RON 9.27

19.90%

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

$25.6K €22.9K

$28.1K RON 133.1K

-8.91%

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

$34.0K €30.3K

$26.3K RON 124.3K

29.25%

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

$185 €165

$197 RON 931

-5.97%

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

$14.56 €12.99

$8.34 RON 39.44

74.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.61 €33.56

$9.19 RON 43.47

309.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.32 €35.98

$49.87 RON 236

-19.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 €22.60

$24.99 RON 118

1.36%

Cinema Ticket

$13.97 €12.47

$8.46 RON 40.01

65.13%

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

$1,298 €1,158

$639 RON 3,023

103.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,115 €4,564

$14.4K RON 68.1K

-64.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 €46.13

$90.6 RON 429

-42.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.89 €29.35

$38.05 RON 180

-13.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 €66.5

$79.7 RON 377

-6.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.9 €51.7

$93.2 RON 441

-37.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,544 €1,378

$673 RON 3,184

129.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 €982

$449 RON 2,123

145.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,975 €1,763

$1,098 RON 5,195

79.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,352 €1,206

$729 RON 3,448

85.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,221 €4,659

$3,740 RON 17.7K

39.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,354 €3,886

$2,189 RON 10.4K

98.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,077 €3,639

$1,323 RON 6,259

208.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.54

6.74

-47.48%

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

Last update for Best: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Best

$1.1K 49.9%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 59.2% $651

Eating Out

Best

$321 14.6%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 29.6% $95

Groceries & Markets

Best

$281 12.8%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 21.1% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Best

$237 10.8%

Bucharest

$214 16% 9.6% $23

Getting Around

Best

$99 4.5%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 71.7% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Best

$98 4.4%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 39% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Best

$68 3.1%

Bucharest

$67 5% 2.2% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,544 in Best 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.

Salaries run about 208% higher in Best, 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 $86.0 in Best versus $58.0 in Bucharest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $281 vs $222 – making Bucharest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Best

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

13:45 1:45 PM

14:45 2:45 PM

1 h ahead of Best

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,988

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Best Bucharest 1,720 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Best
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

Best vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Best is pricier by about 64%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,325 per month in Best 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 Bucharest, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,217 in Best and $1,351 in Bucharest. That's a gap of about 64%.

Public transport costs about 235% less in Bucharest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bucharest, where all-in costs run around $1,351, than in Best at $2,217. In Bucharest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Best it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

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 Bucharest. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Best makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.