Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bijeljina and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bijeljina: $905 a month against $1,351 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bucharest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Bijeljina
🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina
$905
/mo nomad
Bucharest
🇷🇴 Romania
$1,351
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $905 per month in Bijeljina vs $1,351 in Bucharest, rent included.

  • Bijeljina $905
  • Bucharest $1,351

A couple spends around $1,424 per month in Bijeljina vs $2,033 in Bucharest, rent included.

  • Bijeljina $1,424
  • Bucharest $2,033

A family of three spends $1,943 per month in Bijeljina vs $2,715 in Bucharest, rent included.

  • Bijeljina $1,943
  • Bucharest $2,715

Bijeljina is about 33% cheaper than Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Bijeljina sits 32% below the global median, while Bucharest is 1% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bijeljina
Bucharest
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.65 BAM 15.10
$14.46 RON 68.4
-40.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.77 BAM 60.7
$57.7 RON 273
-39.69%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.45 BAM 7.77
$7.50 RON 35.46
-40.67%
Cappuccino
$1.45 BAM 2.52
$3.43 RON 16.20
-57.73%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.69 BAM 2.96
$2.46 RON 11.63
-31.30%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.01 BAM 1.77
$2.33 RON 11.01
-56.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.69 BAM 2.95
$3.80 RON 17.97
-55.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.27 BAM 3.96
$4.10 RON 19.41
-44.63%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bijeljina
Bucharest
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.52 BAM 2.66
$1.65 RON 7.79
-7.88%
White Bread (500g)
$1.21 BAM 2.11
$1.35 RON 6.39
-10.37%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.71 BAM 2.98
$1.78 RON 8.42
-3.93%
Eggs
$3.04 BAM 5.31
$3.66 RON 17.33
-16.94%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.42 BAM 12.94
$8.57 RON 40.54
-13.42%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.75 BAM 13.53
$6.80 RON 32.17
13.97%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.47 BAM 20.01
$11.72 RON 55.4
-2.13%
Apples (1kg)
$1.57 BAM 2.74
$1.29 RON 6.11
21.71%
Banana (1kg)
$1.81 BAM 3.15
$1.56 RON 7.37
16.03%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.79 BAM 3.12
$1.54 RON 7.28
16.23%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.59 BAM 4.52
$2.48 RON 11.75
4.44%
Potato (1kg)
$1.59 BAM 2.77
$0.83 RON 3.92
91.57%
Onion (1kg)
$1.40 BAM 2.45
$0.80 RON 3.77
75.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.09 BAM 1.90
$0.84 RON 3.98
29.76%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.60 BAM 1.05
$0.93 RON 4.39
-35.48%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.72 BAM 6.49
$6.44 RON 30.45
-42.24%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.54 BAM 14.89
$6.32 RON 29.91
35.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.88 BAM 1.54
$1.26 RON 5.94
-30.16%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.46 BAM 2.54
$1.60 RON 7.59
-8.75%
🚌 Getting Around
Bijeljina
Bucharest
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.24 BAM 3.91
$0.81 RON 3.85
176.54%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$16.86 BAM 29.41
$21.13 RON 99.9
-20.21%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.40 BAM 2.45
$0.60 RON 2.86
133.33%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.59 BAM 1.03
$0.61 RON 2.91
-3.28%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.26 BAM 17.90
$6.17 RON 29.19
66.29%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.41 BAM 2.46
$1.96 RON 9.27
-28.06%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31.0K BAM 54.0K
$28.1K RON 133.1K
9.98%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.0K BAM 33.1K
$26.3K RON 124.3K
-27.76%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bijeljina
Bucharest
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$138 BAM 240
$197 RON 931
-30.12%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.44 BAM 32.17
$8.34 RON 39.44
121.10%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$24.10 BAM 42.04
$9.19 RON 43.47
162.24%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bijeljina
Bucharest
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$30.31 BAM 52.9
$49.87 RON 236
-39.22%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.73 BAM 15.23
$24.99 RON 118
-65.07%
Cinema Ticket
$4.94 BAM 8.61
$8.46 RON 40.01
-41.61%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bijeljina
Bucharest
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$203 BAM 354
$639 RON 3,023
-68.26%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,914 BAM 6,829
$14.4K RON 68.1K
-72.80%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bijeljina
Bucharest
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$56.2 BAM 98.0
$90.6 RON 429
-38.02%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.09 BAM 45.52
$38.05 RON 180
-31.43%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$129 BAM 224
$79.7 RON 377
61.51%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$120 BAM 209
$93.2 RON 441
28.17%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bijeljina
Bucharest
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$253 BAM 441
$673 RON 3,184
-62.44%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$166 BAM 290
$449 RON 2,123
-62.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$358 BAM 625
$1,098 RON 5,195
-67.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$286 BAM 498
$729 RON 3,448
-60.82%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,811 BAM 3,159
$3,740 RON 17.7K
-51.59%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,369 BAM 2,388
$2,189 RON 10.4K
-37.48%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bijeljina
Bucharest
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$739 BAM 1,290
$1,323 RON 6,259
-44.13%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6
6.74
-10.98%

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

Last update for Bijeljina: October 6, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Bijeljina
$224
Bucharest
$222 1.1% $2.4
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bijeljina
$180
Bucharest
$214 19% $34
Accommodation & Living
Bijeljina
$166
Bucharest
$449 170% $283
Clothing & Footwear
Bijeljina
$149
Bucharest
$136 8.7% $13
Eating Out
Bijeljina
$124
Bucharest
$226 82.3% $102
Sport & Entertainment
Bijeljina
$40
Bucharest
$67 66.2% $27
Getting Around
Bijeljina
$30
Bucharest
$28 7% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $253 in Bijeljina 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 79% 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 $35.00 in Bijeljina versus $58.0 in Bucharest. Groceries tell a different story – $224 in Bijeljina vs $222 in Bucharest – so Bucharest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇧🇦 Bijeljina
🇷🇴 Bucharest
🕒 Local time
05:12 5:12 AM
06:12 6:12 AM
1 h ahead of Bijeljina
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
42,278
1,883,425 Capital
Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to BAM – Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark Converter

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BAM (1 BAM = 0.573 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BAM (1 BAM = 0.511 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bijeljina Bucharest 550 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Bijeljina
  • 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
Bijeljina vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Bijeljina and in Bucharest compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $905 in Bijeljina, $1,351 in Bucharest – roughly 49% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Bijeljina compared to Bucharest?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,357 per month in Bijeljina and $2,027 in Bucharest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Bijeljina and Bucharest?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Bijeljina, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Bijeljina or Bucharest?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $905 in Bijeljina and $1,351 in Bucharest. That's a gap of about 49%.
How do commuting costs compare in Bijeljina and in Bucharest?
Public transport costs about 25% less in Bijeljina. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bijeljina, where all-in costs run around $905, than in Bucharest at $1,351. In Bijeljina it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bucharest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Bijeljina and Bucharest?
It depends on your priorities. Bucharest has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $905 in Bijeljina to $1,351 in Bucharest. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Bijeljina or Bucharest safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Bijeljina and Bucharest?
If budget matters most, go with Bijeljina. 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.

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