Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bialystok and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $1,450 in Bialystok, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bialystok outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

71

Cost of Living Index in Bialystok
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Bialystok Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Bialystok

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,450

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,450 per month in Bialystok vs $1,340 in Bucharest, rent included.

Bialystok $1,450
Bucharest $1,340

A couple spends around $2,061 per month in Bialystok vs $2,037 in Bucharest, rent included.

Bialystok $2,061
Bucharest $2,037

A family of three spends $2,672 per month in Bialystok vs $2,734 in Bucharest, rent included.

Bialystok $2,672
Bucharest $2,734

Bialystok costs about 8% more than Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Bialystok sits 7% above the global median, while Bucharest is 1% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.82 zł 38.15

$14.49 RON 68.6

-32.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.59 zł 177

$58.1 RON 275

-21.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.01 zł 35.02

$7.48 RON 35.40

20.45%

Cappuccino

$3.60 zł 13.99

$3.44 RON 16.29

4.65%

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

$1.80 zł 6.99

$2.37 RON 11.22

-24.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 zł 6.11

$2.30 RON 10.88

-31.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.47 zł 13.48

$3.70 RON 17.51

-6.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 zł 11.77

$4.16 RON 19.69

-27.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 zł 4.11

$1.67 RON 7.90

-36.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 zł 3.93

$1.37 RON 6.50

-26.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 zł 8.63

$1.72 RON 8.14

29.07%

Eggs

$3.82 zł 14.84

$3.64 RON 17.22

4.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.25 zł 35.94

$9.08 RON 42.98

1.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.78 zł 22.47

$6.84 RON 32.35

-15.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.23 zł 43.63

$12.00 RON 56.8

-6.42%

Apples (1kg)

$1.20 zł 4.68

$1.23 RON 5.80

-2.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 zł 7.09

$1.63 RON 7.73

12.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 zł 6.08

$1.57 RON 7.45

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 zł 7.78

$2.54 RON 12.01

-21.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 zł 4.05

$0.79 RON 3.75

31.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 zł 4.54

$0.77 RON 3.66

51.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 zł 4.35

$0.87 RON 4.13

28.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 zł 2.40

$0.99 RON 4.70

-37.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.07 zł 19.70

$6.31 RON 29.86

-19.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.29 zł 24.45

$6.20 RON 29.34

1.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 zł 4.47

$1.19 RON 5.63

-3.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 zł 5.66

$1.57 RON 7.45

-7.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 zł 4.26

$0.86 RON 4.08

27.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.94 zł 128

$21.10 RON 99.8

56.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.01 zł 7.81

$0.64 RON 3.05

214.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 zł 2.52

$0.60 RON 2.86

8.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.95 zł 50.3

$6.43 RON 30.43

101.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 zł 6.01

$1.96 RON 9.25

-20.92%

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

$30.2K zł 117.4K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

4.20%

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

$27.0K zł 105.0K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

1.47%

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

$298 zł 1,157

$196 RON 927

52.04%

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

$8.38 zł 32.54

$8.04 RON 38.04

4.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.99 zł 69.9

$9.35 RON 44.21

92.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.37 zł 161

$50.2 RON 238

-17.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.66 zł 107

$25.33 RON 120

9.20%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 zł 26.08

$8.15 RON 38.55

-17.67%

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

$359 zł 1,394

$628 RON 2,971

-42.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,280 zł 16.6K

$14.1K RON 66.6K

-69.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.7 zł 383

$89.6 RON 424

10.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.27 zł 141

$38.32 RON 181

-5.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.0 zł 334

$79.3 RON 375

8.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.9 zł 349

$90.4 RON 428

-0.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$541 zł 2,101

$678 RON 3,209

-20.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$496 zł 1,925

$448 RON 2,121

10.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$820 zł 3,187

$1,083 RON 5,125

-24.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 zł 2,799

$725 RON 3,430

-0.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,620 zł 10.2K

$3,751 RON 17.7K

-30.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,272 zł 8,826

$2,195 RON 10.4K

3.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,462 zł 5,680

$1,329 RON 6,290

9.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.07

6.75

4.74%

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

Last update for Bialystok: October 10, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bialystok

$496 34.2%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 9.5% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bialystok

$324 22.4%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 34.2% $111

Groceries & Markets

Bialystok

$207 14.3%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 8.7% $18

Eating Out

Bialystok

$186 12.8%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 21.3% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Bialystok

$140 9.7%

Bucharest

$134 10% 4.2% $5.9

Sport & Entertainment

Bialystok

$55 3.8%

Bucharest

$67 5% 21.4% $12

Getting Around

Bialystok

$43 2.9%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 33.8% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $541 in Bialystok 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 10% higher in Bialystok, 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 $46.00 in Bialystok versus $58.0 in Bucharest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $207 vs $225 – making Bialystok the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Bialystok

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

18:01 6:01 PM

19:01 7:01 PM

1 h ahead of Bialystok

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

297,554

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.257 USD

1 PLN = 0.229 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to PLN – Polish Złoty Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇱 Polish Złoty (zł)

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.89 PLN (1 PLN = 0.257 USD). 1 EUR = 4.37 PLN (1 PLN = 0.229 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to PLN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bialystok Bucharest 990 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Bialystok
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

Bialystok vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bialystok costs about 8% more than Bucharest, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,175 per month in Bialystok 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 Bucharest, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $359 per month in Bialystok and $628 in Bucharest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 9% cheaper in Bialystok – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bucharest, where all-in costs run around $1,340, than in Bialystok at $1,450. In Bucharest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bialystok it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bucharest costs $1,340 versus $1,450 in Bialystok. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Bialystok makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.