Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bridgend and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $2,403 in Bridgend, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

118

Cost of Living Index in Bridgend
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Bridgend Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Bridgend

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,403

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,403 in Bridgend versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Bridgend $2,403
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,539 in Bridgend versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Bridgend $3,539
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,675 in Bridgend versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Bridgend $4,675
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Bridgend is roughly 79% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bridgend is 78% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.59 £15.44

$14.49 RON 68.6

42.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.1 £64.6

$58.1 RON 275

48.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.60 £7.95

$7.48 RON 35.40

41.71%

Cappuccino

$4.86 £3.64

$3.44 RON 16.29

41.28%

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

$2.52 £1.89

$2.37 RON 11.22

6.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 £1.34

$2.30 RON 10.88

-22.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.75 £5.06

$3.70 RON 17.51

82.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.37 £4.78

$4.16 RON 19.69

53.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 £1.23

$1.67 RON 7.90

-2.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 £1.37

$1.37 RON 6.50

33.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.73 £2.05

$1.72 RON 8.14

58.72%

Eggs

$6.25 £4.69

$3.64 RON 17.22

71.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.23 £6.93

$9.08 RON 42.98

1.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.63 £8.72

$6.84 RON 32.35

70.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.48 £10.87

$12.00 RON 56.8

20.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 £2.21

$1.23 RON 5.80

139.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 £1.17

$1.63 RON 7.73

-4.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.74 £2.05

$1.57 RON 7.45

74.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.30 £2.48

$2.54 RON 12.01

29.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.25

$0.79 RON 3.75

111.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 £1.14

$0.77 RON 3.66

97.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 £0.90

$0.87 RON 4.13

39.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 £1.19

$0.99 RON 4.70

59.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.75 £17.82

$6.31 RON 29.86

276.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.44 £7.83

$6.20 RON 29.34

68.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.97 £2.23

$1.19 RON 5.63

149.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 £2.40

$1.57 RON 7.45

103.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.40 £2.55

$0.86 RON 4.08

295.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.9 £73.4

$21.10 RON 99.8

363.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.84 £3.63

$0.64 RON 3.05

656.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.03 £1.52

$0.60 RON 2.86

238.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.85 £19.39

$6.43 RON 30.43

302.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 £1.52

$1.96 RON 9.25

3.06%

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

$37.7K £28.3K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

29.97%

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

$50.8K £38.1K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

90.77%

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

$360 £270

$196 RON 927

83.79%

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

$25.43 £19.08

$8.04 RON 38.04

216.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.20 £26.40

$9.35 RON 44.21

276.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.82 £35.88

$50.2 RON 238

-4.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.51 £7.89

$25.33 RON 120

-58.51%

Cinema Ticket

$13.12 £9.85

$8.15 RON 38.55

60.98%

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

$1,617 £1,213

$628 RON 2,971

157.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.9K £16.5K

$14.1K RON 66.6K

55.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.5 £65.6

$89.6 RON 424

-2.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.20 £33.91

$38.32 RON 181

17.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.1 £66.1

$79.3 RON 375

11.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.1 £68.3

$90.4 RON 428

0.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 £914

$678 RON 3,209

79.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$998 £749

$448 RON 2,121

122.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,141 £856

$1,083 RON 5,125

5.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,671 £1,253

$725 RON 3,430

130.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,014 £3,761

$3,751 RON 17.7K

33.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,851 £2,889

$2,195 RON 10.4K

75.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,290 £1,718

$1,329 RON 6,290

72.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.09

6.75

-24.59%

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

Last update for Bridgend: 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

Bridgend

$998 41.5%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 55.1% $549

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bridgend

$421 17.5%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 49.3% $207

Groceries & Markets

Bridgend

$325 13.5%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 30.8% $100

Eating Out

Bridgend

$318 13.3%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 29.3% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Bridgend

$140 5.8%

Bucharest

$134 10% 4.6% $6.4

Getting Around

Bridgend

$126 5.3%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 77.7% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Bridgend

$74 3.1%

Bucharest

$67 5% 10.2% $7.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,219 in Bridgend and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bridgend pays 72% 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: $86.0 in Bridgend vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $225 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Bridgend

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

20:11 8:11 PM

22:11 10:11 PM

2 h ahead of Bridgend

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

46,757

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bridgend Bucharest 2,330 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bridgend
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

Bridgend vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bridgend and Bucharest differ by about 79% in total monthly costs ($2,403 vs $1,340 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 72% higher in Bridgend, 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: $1,219 in Bridgend versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,617 in Bridgend versus $628 in Bucharest. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 45% higher in Bridgend. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $2,403 in Bridgend, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Bridgend. The gap between the two cities makes Bucharest 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.

Expats usually find Bucharest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 79% less than in Bridgend. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.