Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasov and Bucharest

For one person, living costs are similar in Brasov and in Bucharest: $1,310 and $1,340 a month, rent and utilities included.

63

Cost of Living Index in Brasov
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Brasov Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Brasov

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,310

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,310 in Brasov versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Brasov $1,310
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,115 in Brasov versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Brasov $2,115
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,920 in Brasov versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Brasov $2,920
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Brasov costs roughly 2% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Brasov 3% lower, Bucharest 1% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.91 RON 51.6

$14.49 RON 68.6

-24.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.7 RON 249

$58.1 RON 275

-9.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 RON 35.42

$7.48 RON 35.40

0.13%

Cappuccino

$3.58 RON 16.93

$3.44 RON 16.29

4.07%

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

$2.42 RON 11.43

$2.37 RON 11.22

2.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 RON 10.44

$2.30 RON 10.88

-3.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.16 RON 14.97

$3.70 RON 17.51

-14.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 RON 15.76

$4.16 RON 19.69

-19.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 RON 7.21

$1.67 RON 7.90

-8.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 RON 6.71

$1.37 RON 6.50

3.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.42

$1.72 RON 8.14

3.49%

Eggs

$3.60 RON 17.01

$3.64 RON 17.22

-1.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.75 RON 41.39

$9.08 RON 42.98

-3.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.95 RON 32.87

$6.84 RON 32.35

1.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.48 RON 59.1

$12.00 RON 56.8

4.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.48 RON 7.00

$1.23 RON 5.80

20.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.30

$1.63 RON 7.73

-5.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 RON 7.68

$1.57 RON 7.45

3.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.73 RON 12.91

$2.54 RON 12.01

7.48%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 RON 3.60

$0.79 RON 3.75

-3.80%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 RON 4.30

$0.77 RON 3.66

18.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 RON 4.27

$0.87 RON 4.13

3.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 RON 3.79

$0.99 RON 4.70

-19.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.97 RON 28.23

$6.31 RON 29.86

-5.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.53 RON 35.63

$6.20 RON 29.34

21.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 RON 5.81

$1.19 RON 5.63

3.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 RON 8.57

$1.57 RON 7.45

15.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 RON 5.05

$0.86 RON 4.08

24.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.18 RON 110

$21.10 RON 99.8

9.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 RON 2.98

$0.64 RON 3.05

-1.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 RON 2.94

$0.60 RON 2.86

3.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.56 RON 31.05

$6.43 RON 30.43

2.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 RON 9.08

$1.96 RON 9.25

-2.04%

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

$28.2K RON 133.3K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

-2.84%

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

$26.1K RON 123.6K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

-1.95%

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

$179 RON 849

$196 RON 927

-8.38%

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

$7.73 RON 36.56

$8.04 RON 38.04

-3.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.82 RON 41.74

$9.35 RON 44.21

-5.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.8 RON 269

$50.2 RON 238

13.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.60 RON 64.4

$25.33 RON 120

-46.31%

Cinema Ticket

$9.13 RON 43.19

$8.15 RON 38.55

12.02%

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

$450 RON 2,131

$628 RON 2,971

-28.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,955 RON 32.9K

$14.1K RON 66.6K

-50.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.1 RON 242

$89.6 RON 424

-43.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 RON 165

$38.32 RON 181

-8.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.3 RON 356

$79.3 RON 375

-5.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.7 RON 424

$90.4 RON 428

-0.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$676 RON 3,197

$678 RON 3,209

-0.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$472 RON 2,235

$448 RON 2,121

5.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 RON 6,228

$1,083 RON 5,125

21.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 RON 4,980

$725 RON 3,430

45.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,079 RON 14.6K

$3,751 RON 17.7K

-17.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,386 RON 11.3K

$2,195 RON 10.4K

8.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,102 RON 5,212

$1,329 RON 6,290

-17.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

6.75

6.67%

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

Last update for Brasov: 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

Brasov

$472 36.1%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 5.1% $24

Groceries & Markets

Brasov

$228 17.4%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 1.4% $3.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasov

$196 15%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 8.8% $17

Eating Out

Brasov

$194 14.8%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 16.3% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Brasov

$113 8.6%

Bucharest

$134 10% 18.6% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Brasov

$75 5.7%

Bucharest

$67 5% 11.4% $8.5

Getting Around

Brasov

$31 2.4%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 9.5% $3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $676 in Brasov and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 21% 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: $53.0 in Brasov vs $58.0 in Bucharest. Groceries flip the comparison at $228 vs $225, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Brasov

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

11:03 11:03 AM

Same time as Brasov

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

253,200

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Brasov vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brasov and Bucharest differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($1,310 vs $1,340 including rent). Brasov is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 21% lower in Bucharest. 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: $676 in Brasov versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Brasov – a meal for two runs $53.0 versus $58.0 in Bucharest. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,310 per month in Brasov versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,310 in Brasov versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Brasov but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Brasov 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.

Safety-wise, Brasov 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 Brasov gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.