Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brazzaville and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $1,931 in Brazzaville, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Brazzaville outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

93

Cost of Living Index in Brazzaville
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Brazzaville Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Brazzaville

🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo

$1,931

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,931 per month in Brazzaville vs $1,351 in Bucharest, rent included.

Brazzaville $1,931
Bucharest $1,351

A couple spends around $2,959 per month in Brazzaville vs $2,033 in Bucharest, rent included.

Brazzaville $2,959
Bucharest $2,033

A family of three spends $3,986 per month in Brazzaville vs $2,715 in Bucharest, rent included.

Brazzaville $3,986
Bucharest $2,715

Brazzaville costs about 43% more than Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Brazzaville and Bucharest sit above the global median – Brazzaville by 44%, Bucharest by 1%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.22 FCFA 4,812

$14.46 RON 68.4

-43.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.75 FCFA 29.1K

$57.7 RON 273

-13.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.85 FCFA 2,839

$7.50 RON 35.46

-35.33%

Cappuccino

$4.05 FCFA 2,370

$3.43 RON 16.20

18.08%

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

$1.59 FCFA 929

$2.46 RON 11.63

-35.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 FCFA 766

$2.33 RON 11.01

-43.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.58 FCFA 3,264

$3.80 RON 17.97

46.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 FCFA 2,157

$4.10 RON 19.41

-10.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.75 FCFA 1,608

$1.65 RON 7.79

66.67%

White Bread (500g)

$4.81 FCFA 2,813

$1.35 RON 6.39

256.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.00 FCFA 1,754

$1.78 RON 8.42

68.54%

Eggs

$2.87 FCFA 1,678

$3.66 RON 17.33

-21.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.06 FCFA 9,399

$8.57 RON 40.54

87.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.45 FCFA 5,527

$6.80 RON 32.17

38.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.39 FCFA 8,422

$11.72 RON 55.4

22.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.42 FCFA 1,413

$1.29 RON 6.11

87.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 FCFA 1,022

$1.56 RON 7.37

12.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.57 FCFA 2,089

$1.54 RON 7.28

131.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.91 FCFA 1,701

$2.48 RON 11.75

17.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 FCFA 1,509

$0.83 RON 3.92

210.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 FCFA 1,376

$0.80 RON 3.77

193.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 FCFA 796

$0.84 RON 3.98

61.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 FCFA 487

$0.93 RON 4.39

-10.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.73 FCFA 2,181

$6.44 RON 30.45

-42.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.38 FCFA 6,075

$6.32 RON 29.91

64.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.94

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 RON 7.59

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 FCFA 145

$0.81 RON 3.85

-69.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.00 FCFA 13.5K

$21.13 RON 99.9

8.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.73 FCFA 1,011

$0.60 RON 2.86

188.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 FCFA 768

$0.61 RON 2.91

114.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.75 FCFA 3,946

$6.17 RON 29.19

9.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 FCFA 798

$1.96 RON 9.27

-30.61%

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

$29.5K FCFA 17.2M

$28.1K RON 133.1K

4.63%

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

$26.9K FCFA 15.7M

$26.3K RON 124.3K

2.39%

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

$839 FCFA 491.1K

$197 RON 931

326.39%

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

$17.27 FCFA 10.1K

$8.34 RON 39.44

107.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.17 FCFA 24.7K

$9.19 RON 43.47

358.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.27 FCFA 15.4K

$49.87 RON 236

-47.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.90 FCFA 8,133

$24.99 RON 118

-44.38%

Cinema Ticket

$5.60 FCFA 3,279

$8.46 RON 40.01

-33.81%

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

$52.2 FCFA 30.5K

$639 RON 3,023

-91.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 RON 429

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 RON 180

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 RON 377

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 RON 441

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,175 FCFA 687.2K

$673 RON 3,184

74.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 FCFA 264.1K

$449 RON 2,123

0.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,203 FCFA 1.9M

$1,098 RON 5,195

191.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,449 FCFA 848.0K

$729 RON 3,448

98.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,458 FCFA 2.0M

$3,740 RON 17.7K

-7.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,979 FCFA 1.7M

$2,189 RON 10.4K

36.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$451 FCFA 264.1K

$1,323 RON 6,259

-65.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.54

6.74

-2.97%

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

Last update for Brazzaville: October 6, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brazzaville

$899 46.5%

Bucharest

$214 16% 76.1% $684

Accommodation & Living

Brazzaville

$451 23.4%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 0.6% $2.5

Groceries & Markets

Brazzaville

$338 * 17.5%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 34.3% $116

Eating Out

Brazzaville

$176 9.1%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 28.3% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Brazzaville

$37 1.9%

Bucharest

$67 5% 78.2% $29

Getting Around

Brazzaville

$32 1.7%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 13.1% $4.2

Clothing & Footwear

Brazzaville

- * 0%

Bucharest

$136 10.1%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,175 in Brazzaville 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 193% higher in Bucharest, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Brazzaville versus $58.0 in Bucharest. Groceries tell a different story – $338 in Brazzaville vs $222 in Bucharest – so Bucharest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇬 Brazzaville

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

11:25 11:25 AM

13:25 1:25 PM

2 h ahead of Brazzaville

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,932,610 Capital

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to XAF – Central African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 Central African CFA Franc (Fr)

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.53 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).

USD to XAF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Brazzaville Bucharest 5,520 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Brazzaville
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

Brazzaville vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brazzaville costs about 43% more than Bucharest, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,897 per month in Brazzaville and $2,027 in Bucharest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bucharest, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Brazzaville and $58.0 in Bucharest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,931 in Brazzaville and $1,351 in Bucharest. That's a gap of about 43%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bucharest, where all-in costs run around $1,351, than in Brazzaville at $1,931. In Bucharest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brazzaville it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bucharest costs $1,351 versus $1,931 in Brazzaville. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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