Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bourges and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $1,937 in Bourges, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in Bourges
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Bourges Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Bourges

🇫🇷 France

$1,937

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,937 in Bourges versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Bourges $1,937
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,009 in Bourges versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Bourges $3,009
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,081 in Bourges versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Bourges $4,081
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Bourges is roughly 45% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bourges is 43% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.67 €14.83

$14.49 RON 68.6

15.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.1 €71.2

$58.1 RON 275

37.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.27 €11.81

$7.48 RON 35.40

77.41%

Cappuccino

$5.09 €4.52

$3.44 RON 16.29

47.97%

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

$4.60 €4.09

$2.37 RON 11.22

94.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 €2.51

$2.30 RON 10.88

22.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.88 €7.01

$3.70 RON 17.51

112.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.90 €6.13

$4.16 RON 19.69

65.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 €1.01

$1.67 RON 7.90

-31.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.47 €2.20

$1.37 RON 6.50

80.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 €1.95

$1.72 RON 8.14

27.91%

Eggs

$4.39 €3.91

$3.64 RON 17.22

20.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.00 €19.57

$9.08 RON 42.98

142.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.69 €12.17

$6.84 RON 32.35

100.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.35 €19.88

$12.00 RON 56.8

86.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 €2.95

$1.23 RON 5.80

169.92%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$1.63 RON 7.73

36.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.89 €2.57

$1.57 RON 7.45

84.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.31 €3.83

$2.54 RON 12.01

69.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 €1.77

$0.79 RON 3.75

151.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 €2.21

$0.77 RON 3.66

222.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.91 €1.69

$0.87 RON 4.13

119.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.99 RON 4.70

-11.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.52 €12.92

$6.31 RON 29.86

130.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.83 €7.85

$6.20 RON 29.34

42.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.19 RON 5.63

124.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 €3.11

$1.57 RON 7.45

122.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.87 €1.66

$0.86 RON 4.08

117.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.81 €43.41

$21.10 RON 99.8

131.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.23 €8.21

$0.64 RON 3.05

1342.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 €1.33

$0.60 RON 2.86

150.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.30 €40.30

$6.43 RON 30.43

604.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.01

$1.96 RON 9.25

14.80%

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

$34.1K €30.4K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

17.73%

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

$34.5K €30.7K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

29.65%

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

$243 €216

$196 RON 927

23.89%

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

$7.81 €6.95

$8.04 RON 38.04

-2.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.20 €26.86

$9.35 RON 44.21

222.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.97 €32.00

$50.2 RON 238

-28.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

Cinema Ticket

$14.57 €12.96

$8.15 RON 38.55

78.77%

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

$1,795 €1,597

$628 RON 2,971

185.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K €9,018

$14.1K RON 66.6K

-28.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 €96.4

$89.6 RON 424

20.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.7 €46.03

$38.32 RON 181

35.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 €106

$79.3 RON 375

50.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$160 €142

$90.4 RON 428

76.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$627 €558

$678 RON 3,209

-7.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$609 €542

$448 RON 2,121

35.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,186 €1,055

$1,083 RON 5,125

9.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,121 €997

$725 RON 3,430

54.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,900 €3,469

$3,751 RON 17.7K

3.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,026 €2,691

$2,195 RON 10.4K

37.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,821 €2,510

$1,329 RON 6,290

112.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.4

6.75

-49.63%

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

Last update for Bourges: 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

Bourges

$609 31.5%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 26.4% $161

Groceries & Markets

Bourges

$394 20.4%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 42.9% $169

Eating Out

Bourges

$317 16.4%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 29% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bourges

$281 14.5%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 24% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Bourges

$198 10.2%

Bucharest

$134 10% 32.2% $64

Getting Around

Bourges

$73 3.8%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 61.4% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Bourges

$65 3.4%

Bucharest

$67 5% 2.2% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $627 in Bourges and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bourges pays 112% 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: $80.0 in Bourges vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $394 vs $225 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Bourges

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

10:40 10:40 AM

11:40 11:40 AM

1 h ahead of Bourges

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

63,702

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

Bourges Bucharest 1,850 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Bourges
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

Bourges vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest wins on cost – living expenses run 45% lower than in Bourges. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bucharest the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 112% higher in Bourges, 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: $627 in Bourges versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Bucharest – a meal for two runs $58.0 versus $80.0 in Bourges. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,937 per month in Bourges versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 45% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,937 in Bourges, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Bourges. The gap between the two cities makes Bucharest the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bucharest delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,340 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bucharest hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Bourges and Bucharest are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bucharest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Bourges. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.