Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Botosani and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Botosani: $895 a month against $1,354 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Botosani
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Botosani Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Botosani

🇷🇴 Romania

$895

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,354

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $895 in Botosani versus $1,354 in Bucharest.

Botosani $895
Bucharest $1,354

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,321 in Botosani versus $2,043 in Bucharest.

Botosani $1,321
Bucharest $2,043

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,747 in Botosani versus $2,733 in Bucharest.

Botosani $1,747
Bucharest $2,733

Living in Botosani costs roughly 34% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.05 RON 43.47

$14.66 RON 70.5

-38.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.82 RON 134

$57.7 RON 277

-51.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.22 RON 34.69

$7.52 RON 36.13

-3.99%

Cappuccino

$2.27 RON 10.93

$3.56 RON 17.09

-36.24%

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

$1.38 RON 6.65

$2.47 RON 11.88

-44.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 RON 5.68

$2.18 RON 10.50

-45.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.90 RON 9.16

$3.69 RON 17.72

-48.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 RON 11.11

$4.28 RON 20.57

-46.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 RON 6.67

$1.67 RON 8.04

-16.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 RON 5.13

$1.35 RON 6.49

-20.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.46 RON 7.02

$1.78 RON 8.53

-17.98%

Eggs

$2.90 RON 13.96

$3.56 RON 17.12

-18.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.92 RON 33.25

$9.12 RON 43.84

-24.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.91 RON 28.42

$6.82 RON 32.76

-13.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.08 RON 43.66

$12.13 RON 58.3

-25.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.00 RON 4.80

$1.26 RON 6.08

-20.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.25

$1.62 RON 7.80

-19.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 RON 6.90

$1.56 RON 7.49

-7.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.86 RON 8.92

$2.54 RON 12.21

-26.77%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.68

$0.78 RON 3.76

-1.28%

Onion (1kg)

$0.54 RON 2.58

$0.77 RON 3.72

-29.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.81 RON 3.88

$0.89 RON 4.27

-8.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 RON 3.40

$0.90 RON 4.32

-21.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.93 RON 28.51

$6.55 RON 31.48

-9.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.40 RON 30.75

$6.37 RON 30.60

0.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 RON 4.97

$1.24 RON 5.97

-16.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 RON 7.64

$1.62 RON 7.79

-1.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 RON 3.61

$0.85 RON 4.10

-11.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.58 RON 142

$20.71 RON 99.6

42.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.70 RON 3.38

$0.61 RON 2.95

14.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.72 RON 3.45

$0.61 RON 2.95

18.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.30 RON 35.08

$6.16 RON 29.62

18.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 RON 8.50

$2.00 RON 9.60

-11.50%

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

$26.3K RON 126.6K

$27.9K RON 134.3K

-5.75%

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

$25.5K RON 122.6K

$25.3K RON 121.7K

0.75%

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

$98.7 RON 474

$192 RON 923

-48.62%

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

$7.45 RON 35.83

$7.92 RON 38.05

-5.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.29 RON 39.84

$8.96 RON 43.05

-7.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.75 RON 148

$49.99 RON 240

-38.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.24 RON 112

$24.81 RON 119

-6.33%

Cinema Ticket

$5.30 RON 25.46

$8.51 RON 40.88

-37.72%

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

$315 RON 1,513

$686 RON 3,296

-54.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 69.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.88 RON 220

$90.2 RON 434

-49.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.22 RON 145

$38.74 RON 186

-21.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.5 RON 300

$78.9 RON 379

-20.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.6 RON 320

$92.1 RON 442

-27.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$391 RON 1,877

$711 RON 3,418

-45.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$280 RON 1,347

$462 RON 2,220

-39.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$537 RON 2,583

$1,053 RON 5,063

-48.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$379 RON 1,820

$723 RON 3,473

-47.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,367 RON 6,571

$3,634 RON 17.5K

-62.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,010 RON 4,853

$2,173 RON 10.4K

-53.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$974 RON 4,681

$1,354 RON 6,506

-28.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

6.75

-2.67%

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

Last update for Botosani: 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

Botosani

$280 31.3%

Bucharest

$462 34.1% 64.8% $182

Groceries & Markets

Botosani

$184 20.5%

Bucharest

$225 16.6% 22.4% $41

Eating Out

Botosani

$146 16.3%

Bucharest

$228 16.9% 56.5% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Botosani

$114 12.8%

Bucharest

$209 15.4% 82.6% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Botosani

$92 10.3%

Bucharest

$135 10% 46.2% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Botosani

$41 4.6%

Bucharest

$67 5% 62.1% $26

Getting Around

Botosani

$37 4.1%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 24.6% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $391 in Botosani and $711 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 39% 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: $28 in Botosani vs $58 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $184 vs $225 per month, with Botosani cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Botosani

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

23:18 11:18 PM

Same time as Botosani

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

106,847

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Botosani Bucharest 370 km

From you

Botosani
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

Botosani vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $895 in Botosani and $1,354 in Bucharest, so Botosani is about 34% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 28% lower in Botosani. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $391 in Botosani versus $711 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $315 in Botosani versus $686 in Bucharest. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Bucharest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $895 in Botosani versus $1,354 in Bucharest, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Botosani but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Botosani 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.

It comes down to priorities – Botosani wins on affordability, Bucharest on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.