Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bistrita and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bistrita: $849 a month against $1,354 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Bistrita
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Bistrita Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Bistrita

🇷🇴 Romania

$849

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,354

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $849 per month in Bistrita vs $1,354 in Bucharest, rent included.

Bistrita $849
Bucharest $1,354

A couple spends around $1,284 per month in Bistrita vs $2,043 in Bucharest, rent included.

Bistrita $1,284
Bucharest $2,043

A family of three spends $1,720 per month in Bistrita vs $2,733 in Bucharest, rent included.

Bistrita $1,720
Bucharest $2,733

Bistrita is about 37% cheaper than Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.29 RON 30.05

$14.66 RON 70.1

-57.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.15 RON 149

$57.7 RON 276

-46.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.30 RON 30.09

$7.52 RON 35.92

-16.22%

Cappuccino

$2.22 RON 10.61

$3.56 RON 16.99

-37.64%

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

$1.63 RON 7.79

$2.47 RON 11.81

-34.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 RON 6.47

$2.18 RON 10.44

-38.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.06 RON 9.83

$3.69 RON 17.62

-44.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 RON 15.13

$4.28 RON 20.45

-25.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 RON 5.86

$1.67 RON 7.99

-26.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 RON 5.03

$1.35 RON 6.45

-22.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.04 RON 4.97

$1.78 RON 8.48

-41.57%

Eggs

$2.57 RON 12.30

$3.56 RON 17.02

-27.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.21 RON 29.69

$9.12 RON 43.60

-31.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.99 RON 28.64

$6.82 RON 32.58

-12.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.03 RON 52.7

$12.13 RON 58.0

-9.07%

Apples (1kg)

$0.87 RON 4.17

$1.26 RON 6.04

-30.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 RON 6.90

$1.62 RON 7.76

-11.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 RON 7.41

$1.56 RON 7.45

-0.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.02 RON 9.66

$2.54 RON 12.14

-20.47%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 RON 3.63

$0.78 RON 3.74

-2.56%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 RON 3.07

$0.77 RON 3.70

-16.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 RON 4.92

$0.89 RON 4.24

15.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 RON 2.99

$0.90 RON 4.30

-30.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.37 RON 25.64

$6.55 RON 31.30

-18.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.38 RON 25.73

$6.37 RON 30.42

-15.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 RON 4.34

$1.24 RON 5.94

-26.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 RON 5.12

$1.62 RON 7.75

-33.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 RON 2.09

$0.85 RON 4.08

-48.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.03 RON 101

$20.71 RON 99.0

1.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.69 RON 3.32

$0.61 RON 2.93

13.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 RON 3.55

$0.61 RON 2.93

21.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.35 RON 35.13

$6.16 RON 29.45

19.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 RON 7.35

$2.00 RON 9.55

-23.00%

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

$27.3K RON 130.6K

$27.9K RON 133.5K

-2.22%

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

$24.1K RON 115.2K

$25.3K RON 121.0K

-4.83%

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

$175 RON 835

$192 RON 918

-8.99%

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

$5.75 RON 27.46

$7.92 RON 37.83

-27.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.00 RON 28.67

$8.96 RON 42.81

-33.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.70 RON 190

$49.99 RON 239

-20.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.80 RON 147

$24.81 RON 119

24.14%

Cinema Ticket

$6.19 RON 29.59

$8.51 RON 40.65

-27.26%

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

$305 RON 1,457

$686 RON 3,278

-55.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,850 RON 42.3K

$14.4K RON 68.9K

-38.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.24 RON 178

$90.2 RON 431

-58.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.70 RON 128

$38.74 RON 185

-31.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.0 RON 301

$78.9 RON 377

-20.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.2 RON 354

$92.1 RON 440

-19.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$217 RON 1,037

$711 RON 3,398

-69.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$187 RON 894

$462 RON 2,207

-59.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$393 RON 1,876

$1,053 RON 5,034

-62.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 RON 1,478

$723 RON 3,453

-57.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,477 RON 7,060

$3,634 RON 17.4K

-59.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,155 RON 5,517

$2,173 RON 10.4K

-46.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$985 RON 4,709

$1,354 RON 6,470

-27.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.73

6.75

-0.30%

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

Last update for Bistrita: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bistrita

$187 22%

Bucharest

$462 34.1% 147% $275

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bistrita

$187 22%

Bucharest

$209 15.4% 12% $22

Groceries & Markets

Bistrita

$181 21.3%

Bucharest

$225 16.6% 24.3% $44

Eating Out

Bistrita

$124 14.7%

Bucharest

$228 16.9% 83.4% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Bistrita

$91 10.7%

Bucharest

$135 10% 49.1% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Bistrita

$52 6.1%

Bucharest

$67 5% 28.6% $15

Getting Around

Bistrita

$27 3.2%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 2.3% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $217 in Bistrita versus $711 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 37% 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 $31 in Bistrita versus $58 in Bucharest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $181 vs $225 – making Bistrita the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bistrita

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

16:27 4:27 PM

Same time as Bistrita

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,076

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Bistrita Bucharest 320 km

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Bistrita
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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

Bistrita vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest costs about 59% more than Bistrita, 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 $1,273 per month in Bistrita and $2,030 in Bucharest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bistrita, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $217 there versus $711 in Bucharest.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $849 in Bistrita and $1,354 in Bucharest. That makes Bistrita about 37% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $305 per month in Bistrita and $686 in Bucharest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $849 in Bistrita and $1,354 in Bucharest. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Bistrita – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Bistrita. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bucharest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.