Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brugge and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $2,161 in Brugge, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Brugge
Learn more

Brugge Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index

Jump to prices

Brugge

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,161

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,161 per month in Brugge vs $1,351 in Bucharest, rent included.

Brugge $2,161
Bucharest $1,351

A couple spends around $3,114 per month in Brugge vs $2,033 in Bucharest, rent included.

Brugge $3,114
Bucharest $2,033

A family of three spends $4,067 per month in Brugge vs $2,715 in Bucharest, rent included.

Brugge $4,067
Bucharest $2,715

Brugge costs about 60% more than Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Brugge and Bucharest sit above the global median – Brugge by 61%, Bucharest by 1%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.81 €20.36

$14.46 RON 68.4

57.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.7 €71.1

$57.7 RON 273

38.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.28 €10.06

$7.50 RON 35.46

50.40%

Cappuccino

$4.43 €3.95

$3.43 RON 16.20

29.15%

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

$2.95 €2.63

$2.46 RON 11.63

19.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 €2.61

$2.33 RON 11.01

25.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.43 €4.85

$3.80 RON 17.97

42.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 €4.10

$4.10 RON 19.41

12.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.65 RON 7.79

-26.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 €1.68

$1.35 RON 6.39

39.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.78 RON 8.42

13.48%

Eggs

$3.80 €3.39

$3.66 RON 17.33

3.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.45 €10.22

$8.57 RON 40.54

33.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.15 €10.85

$6.80 RON 32.17

78.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.33 €17.25

$11.72 RON 55.4

64.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.69 €2.40

$1.29 RON 6.11

108.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 €1.90

$1.56 RON 7.37

35.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.54 RON 7.28

42.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 €2.01

$2.48 RON 11.75

-9.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.27 €2.03

$0.83 RON 3.92

173.49%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 €0.87

$0.80 RON 3.77

22.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.36

$0.84 RON 3.98

82.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 €0.85

$0.93 RON 4.39

2.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.02 €11.62

$6.44 RON 30.45

102.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.36 €6.57

$6.32 RON 29.91

16.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.26 RON 5.94

-13.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 €1.78

$1.60 RON 7.59

24.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.23 €2.89

$0.81 RON 3.85

298.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.0 €49.99

$21.13 RON 99.9

165.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.35 €2.99

$0.60 RON 2.86

458.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.53 €2.26

$0.61 RON 2.91

314.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.12 €22.42

$6.17 RON 29.19

307.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.96 RON 9.27

0.51%

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

$34.9K €31.2K

$28.1K RON 133.1K

24.03%

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

$34.3K €30.6K

$26.3K RON 124.3K

30.46%

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

$214 €191

$197 RON 931

8.91%

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

$18.04 €16.10

$8.34 RON 39.44

116.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.0 €47.30

$9.19 RON 43.47

476.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.07 €37.54

$49.87 RON 236

-15.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.66 €12.19

$24.99 RON 118

-45.34%

Cinema Ticket

$14.87 €13.27

$8.46 RON 40.01

75.77%

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

$606 €541

$639 RON 3,023

-5.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,952 €4,419

$14.4K RON 68.1K

-65.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €93.0

$90.6 RON 429

14.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.8 €53.4

$38.05 RON 180

57.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.1 €79.6

$79.7 RON 377

11.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$254 €227

$93.2 RON 441

172.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$939 €838

$673 RON 3,184

39.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$831 €741

$449 RON 2,123

85.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,324 €1,181

$1,098 RON 5,195

20.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,188 €1,061

$729 RON 3,448

63.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,666 €2,379

$3,740 RON 17.7K

-28.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,502 €2,233

$2,189 RON 10.4K

14.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,551 €2,276

$1,323 RON 6,259

92.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

6.74

-47.77%

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

Last update for Brugge: October 4, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brugge

$831 38.9%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 46% $382

Eating Out

Brugge

$329 15.4%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 31.5% $104

Groceries & Markets

Brugge

$304 14.2%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 27% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brugge

$285 13.4%

Bucharest

$214 16% 24.9% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Brugge

$228 10.7%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 40.5% $93

Getting Around

Brugge

$85 4%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 67% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Brugge

$72 3.4%

Bucharest

$67 5% 7% $5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $939 in Brugge 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 93% higher in Brugge, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80.0 in Brugge versus $58.0 in Bucharest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $304 vs $222 – making Bucharest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Brugge

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

08:15 8:15 AM

09:15 9:15 AM

1 h ahead of Brugge

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

117,639

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 = 0.189 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Brugge Bucharest 1,860 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Brugge
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

Brugge vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Brugge is pricier by about 60%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,242 per month in Brugge 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,161 in Brugge and $1,351 in Bucharest. That's a gap of about 60%.

Public transport costs about 165% less in Bucharest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bucharest, where all-in costs run around $1,351, than in Brugge at $2,161. In Bucharest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brugge it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bucharest – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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