Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Biella and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $1,453 in Biella, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. The total is higher in Biella despite lower rent and utilities.

71

Cost of Living Index in Biella
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Biella Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Biella

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,453

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,453 in Biella versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Biella $1,453
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,249 in Biella versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Biella $2,249
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,046 in Biella versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Biella $3,046
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Biella is roughly 8% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Biella is 8% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.91 €15.04

$14.49 RON 68.6

16.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.0 €59.6

$58.1 RON 275

15.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.80 €9.61

$7.48 RON 35.40

44.39%

Cappuccino

$1.77 €1.57

$3.44 RON 16.29

-48.55%

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

$2.92 €2.60

$2.37 RON 11.22

23.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 €1.16

$2.30 RON 10.88

-43.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.11 €4.54

$3.70 RON 17.51

38.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.99

$4.16 RON 19.69

7.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.10

$1.67 RON 7.90

-25.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 €1.94

$1.37 RON 6.50

59.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.90 €2.58

$1.72 RON 8.14

68.60%

Eggs

$3.75 €3.34

$3.64 RON 17.22

3.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.50 €12.90

$9.08 RON 42.98

59.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.11 €8.11

$6.84 RON 32.35

33.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.04 €18.72

$12.00 RON 56.8

75.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 €2.77

$1.23 RON 5.80

152.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.63 RON 7.73

30.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.00 €1.78

$1.57 RON 7.45

27.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.65 €4.14

$2.54 RON 12.01

83.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.87 €1.67

$0.79 RON 3.75

136.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$0.77 RON 3.66

129.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.36

$0.87 RON 4.13

75.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.34 €0.30

$0.99 RON 4.70

-65.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.63 €5.90

$6.31 RON 29.86

5.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.57 €5.84

$6.20 RON 29.34

5.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 €1.77

$1.19 RON 5.63

67.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.57 RON 7.45

68.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.01 €1.79

$0.86 RON 4.08

133.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.10 €33.89

$21.10 RON 99.8

80.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$14.72 €13.10

$0.64 RON 3.05

2200.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 €1.51

$0.60 RON 2.86

183.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.90 €25.70

$6.43 RON 30.43

349.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 €1.82

$1.96 RON 9.25

4.59%

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

$35.7K €31.7K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

22.96%

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

$35.0K €31.2K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

31.47%

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

$192 €171

$196 RON 927

-1.75%

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

$7.90 €7.03

$8.04 RON 38.04

-1.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.83 €23.87

$9.35 RON 44.21

186.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.3 €59.0

$50.2 RON 238

32.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.49 €21.78

$25.33 RON 120

-3.32%

Cinema Ticket

$8.75 €7.78

$8.15 RON 38.55

7.36%

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

$688 €612

$628 RON 2,971

9.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K €9,087

$14.1K RON 66.6K

-27.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.9 €77.3

$89.6 RON 424

-3.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.89 €39.93

$38.32 RON 181

17.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.3 €75.9

$79.3 RON 375

7.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 €98.4

$90.4 RON 428

22.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$421 €375

$678 RON 3,209

-37.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$365 €325

$448 RON 2,121

-18.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$687 €611

$1,083 RON 5,125

-36.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 €505

$725 RON 3,430

-21.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,589 €1,414

$3,751 RON 17.7K

-57.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$871 €775

$2,195 RON 10.4K

-60.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,889 €1,680

$1,329 RON 6,290

42.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.65

6.75

-45.93%

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

Last update for Biella: 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

Biella

$365 25.1%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 22.9% $83

Groceries & Markets

Biella

$320 22%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 29.8% $95

Eating Out

Biella

$240 16.5%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 6.3% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Biella

$227 15.6%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 6.1% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Biella

$147 10.2%

Bucharest

$134 10% 9.2% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Biella

$84 5.8%

Bucharest

$67 5% 20.6% $17

Getting Around

Biella

$69 4.8%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 59.3% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $421 in Biella and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Biella pays 42% 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: $67.0 in Biella vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $225 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Biella

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

13:31 1:31 PM

14:31 2:31 PM

1 h ahead of Biella

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

45,740

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 = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Biella Bucharest 1,420 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Biella
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

Biella vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Biella and Bucharest differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($1,453 vs $1,340 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 42% higher in Biella, 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: $421 in Biella versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $688 in Biella versus $628 in Bucharest. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 42% higher in Biella. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,453 in Biella, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Biella. The gap between the two cities makes Bucharest the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Bucharest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Biella. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.