Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brussels and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $2,552 in Brussels, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Brussels
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Brussels Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Brussels

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,552

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,552 in Brussels versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

Brussels $2,552
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,875 in Brussels versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

Brussels $3,875
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,197 in Brussels versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

Brussels $5,197
Bucharest $2,715

Living in Brussels is roughly 89% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Brussels 90% above, Bucharest 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.61 €20.16

$14.46 RON 68.9

56.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.2 €81.4

$57.7 RON 275

58.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.21 €13.56

$7.50 RON 35.72

102.80%

Cappuccino

$4.32 €3.85

$3.43 RON 16.32

25.95%

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

$3.78 €3.37

$2.46 RON 11.72

53.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 €2.71

$2.33 RON 11.09

30.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.53 €4.93

$3.80 RON 18.10

45.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.73 €5.11

$4.10 RON 19.56

39.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.65 RON 7.85

-20.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 €2.42

$1.35 RON 6.44

100.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.50

$1.78 RON 8.48

57.30%

Eggs

$5.33 €4.75

$3.66 RON 17.46

45.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.78 €15.86

$8.57 RON 40.84

107.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.11 €11.69

$6.80 RON 32.41

92.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.01 €19.62

$11.72 RON 55.8

87.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.12 €2.78

$1.29 RON 6.16

141.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 €2.11

$1.56 RON 7.43

51.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.75 €2.45

$1.54 RON 7.34

78.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 €3.78

$2.48 RON 11.84

70.97%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 €2.30

$0.83 RON 3.95

210.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 €1.99

$0.80 RON 3.80

178.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.80 €1.60

$0.84 RON 4.01

114.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 €1.13

$0.93 RON 4.42

36.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.68 €12.20

$6.44 RON 30.68

112.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.75 €8.69

$6.32 RON 30.13

54.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 €2.39

$1.26 RON 5.99

112.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 €2.72

$1.60 RON 7.65

91.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.88 €2.57

$0.81 RON 3.88

255.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.1 €56.2

$21.13 RON 101

198.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.86 €2.55

$0.60 RON 2.88

376.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.31 €2.06

$0.61 RON 2.93

278.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.43 €36.05

$6.17 RON 29.41

555.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.92

$1.96 RON 9.34

9.69%

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

$35.1K €31.3K

$28.1K RON 134.2K

24.68%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$26.3K RON 125.3K

26.14%

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

$285 €254

$197 RON 938

44.94%

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

$21.90 €19.52

$8.34 RON 39.74

162.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.0 €47.22

$9.19 RON 43.80

476.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.51 €29.88

$49.87 RON 238

-32.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.85 €24.83

$24.99 RON 119

11.44%

Cinema Ticket

$16.62 €14.82

$8.46 RON 40.31

96.45%

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

$1,590 €1,418

$639 RON 3,046

148.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$37.2K €33.1K

$14.4K RON 68.6K

158.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.6

$90.6 RON 432

14.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.15 €41.14

$38.05 RON 181

21.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €99.1

$79.7 RON 380

39.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 €133

$93.2 RON 444

60.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,318 €1,175

$673 RON 3,209

95.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,166 €1,039

$449 RON 2,139

159.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,442 €2,177

$1,098 RON 5,234

122.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 €1,766

$729 RON 3,474

171.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,082 €4,531

$3,740 RON 17.8K

35.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,941 €3,514

$2,189 RON 10.4K

80.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,280 €2,924

$1,323 RON 6,306

147.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.71

6.74

-44.96%

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

Last update for Brussels: 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

Brussels

$1.2K 44.8%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 61.5% $717

Groceries & Markets

Brussels

$393 15.1%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 43.6% $172

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brussels

$360 13.8%

Bucharest

$214 16% 40.5% $146

Eating Out

Brussels

$345 13.2%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 34.5% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Brussels

$185 7.1%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 26.5% $49

Getting Around

Brussels

$89 3.4%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 68.5% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Brussels

$67 2.6%

Bucharest

$67 5% 0% $0

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,318 in Brussels and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brussels pays 148% 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: $91.0 in Brussels vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $393 vs $222 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Brussels

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

05:07 5:07 AM

06:07 6:07 AM

1 h ahead of Brussels

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,137 Capital

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Brussels Bucharest 1,770 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Brussels
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

Brussels vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest wins on cost – living expenses run 89% lower than in Brussels. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bucharest the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 148% higher in Brussels, 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: $1,318 in Brussels versus $673 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 77% higher in Brussels. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Bucharest – a meal for two runs $58.0 versus $91.0 in Brussels. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $2,552 in Brussels, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Brussels. The gap between the two cities makes Bucharest the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bucharest delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,351 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bucharest hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Brussels 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 89% less than in Brussels. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.