Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brno and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $1,880 in Brno, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

90

Cost of Living Index in Brno
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Brno Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index

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Brno

🇨🇿 Czech Republic

$1,880

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,880 in Brno versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

Brno $1,880
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,627 in Brno versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

Brno $2,627
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,373 in Brno versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

Brno $3,373
Bucharest $2,715

Living in Brno is roughly 39% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Brno 40% above, Bucharest 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.32 Kč 203

$14.46 RON 68.9

-35.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.93 Kč 998

$57.7 RON 275

-20.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.15 Kč 199

$7.50 RON 35.72

22.00%

Cappuccino

$3.61 Kč 78.4

$3.43 RON 16.32

5.25%

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

$1.73 Kč 37.51

$2.46 RON 11.72

-29.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 Kč 28.08

$2.33 RON 11.09

-44.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.69 Kč 58.6

$3.80 RON 18.10

-29.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 Kč 61.2

$4.10 RON 19.56

-31.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Kč 24.48

$1.65 RON 7.85

-31.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.39 Kč 30.23

$1.35 RON 6.44

2.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.34 Kč 50.8

$1.78 RON 8.48

31.46%

Eggs

$3.60 Kč 78.2

$3.66 RON 17.46

-1.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 Kč 278

$8.57 RON 40.84

49.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.14 Kč 199

$6.80 RON 32.41

34.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.61 Kč 361

$11.72 RON 55.8

41.72%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 Kč 39.10

$1.29 RON 6.16

39.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 Kč 38.33

$1.56 RON 7.43

12.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 Kč 46.34

$1.54 RON 7.34

38.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.25 Kč 70.6

$2.48 RON 11.84

31.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 Kč 22.91

$0.83 RON 3.95

26.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 Kč 22.94

$0.80 RON 3.80

32.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Kč 33.88

$0.84 RON 4.01

85.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 Kč 15.55

$0.93 RON 4.42

-22.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.47 Kč 162

$6.44 RON 30.68

15.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.96 Kč 151

$6.32 RON 30.13

10.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 Kč 19.45

$1.26 RON 5.99

-28.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 Kč 35.36

$1.60 RON 7.65

1.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 Kč 25.59

$0.81 RON 3.88

45.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.78 Kč 539

$21.13 RON 101

17.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 Kč 61.5

$0.60 RON 2.88

371.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 Kč 41.05

$0.61 RON 2.93

209.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.71 Kč 363

$6.17 RON 29.41

170.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.89 Kč 40.98

$1.96 RON 9.34

-3.57%

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

$31.7K Kč 688.8K

$28.1K RON 134.2K

12.60%

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

$29.7K Kč 645.1K

$26.3K RON 125.3K

12.90%

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

$296 Kč 6,442

$197 RON 938

50.59%

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

$22.10 Kč 480

$8.34 RON 39.74

164.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.27 Kč 419

$9.19 RON 43.80

109.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.7 Kč 1,167

$49.87 RON 238

7.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.92 Kč 281

$24.99 RON 119

-48.30%

Cinema Ticket

$12.78 Kč 278

$8.46 RON 40.31

51.06%

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

$727 Kč 15.8K

$639 RON 3,046

13.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K Kč 255.6K

$14.4K RON 68.6K

-18.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.0 Kč 1,824

$90.6 RON 432

-7.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.32 Kč 811

$38.05 RON 181

-1.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 Kč 2,188

$79.7 RON 380

26.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 Kč 2,649

$93.2 RON 444

30.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$954 Kč 20.7K

$673 RON 3,209

41.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$809 Kč 17.6K

$449 RON 2,139

80.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,518 Kč 33.0K

$1,098 RON 5,234

38.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 Kč 25.9K

$729 RON 3,474

63.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,265 Kč 136.2K

$3,740 RON 17.8K

67.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,258 Kč 114.3K

$2,189 RON 10.4K

140.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,862 Kč 40.5K

$1,323 RON 6,306

40.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.65

6.74

-31.01%

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

Last update for Brno: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brno

$809 43.3%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 44.5% $360

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brno

$338 18.1%

Bucharest

$214 16% 36.5% $123

Groceries & Markets

Brno

$269 14.4%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 17.6% $47

Eating Out

Brno

$176 9.5%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 27.9% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Brno

$155 8.3%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 12.3% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Brno

$79 4.2%

Bucharest

$67 5% 15.7% $12

Getting Around

Brno

$42 2.2%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 32.8% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $954 in Brno and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brno pays 41% 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: $46.00 in Brno vs $58.0 in Bucharest. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $222, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇿 Brno

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

05:48 5:48 AM

06:48 6:48 AM

1 h ahead of Brno

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

380,127

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Czech Koruna CZK Kč

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 CZK = 4.6 USD

100 CZK = 4.1 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to CZK – Czech Koruna Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇿 Czech Koruna (Kč)

Czech Koruna exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 21.73 CZK (100 CZK = 4.6 USD). 1 EUR = 24.38 CZK (100 CZK = 4.1 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.77 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to CZK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Brno Bucharest 890 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Brno
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

Brno vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 39% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 41% higher in Brno, 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: $954 in Brno versus $673 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 $46.00 in Brno. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,880 per month in Brno versus $1,351 in Bucharest – a 39% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $1,880 in Brno, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Brno. The gap between the two cities makes Bucharest the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Bucharest is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Brno, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Brno 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 39% less than in Brno. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.