Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Abidjan

For one person, living is cheaper in Abidjan: $1,211 a month against $1,371 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Abidjan
Learn more

Abidjan Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,371

/mo nomad

Abidjan

🇨🇮 Ivory Coast

$1,211

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Abidjan

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bucharest and in Abidjan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,371 in Bucharest versus $1,211 in Abidjan.

Bucharest $1,371
Abidjan $1,211

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,067 in Bucharest versus $2,096 in Abidjan.

Bucharest $2,067
Abidjan $2,096

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,764 in Bucharest versus $2,982 in Abidjan.

Bucharest $2,764
Abidjan $2,982

Living in Bucharest is roughly 13% more expensive than in Abidjan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.51 RON 69.0

$2.53 F CFA 1,478

473.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 RON 291

$69.1 F CFA 40.3K

-11.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.46 RON 35.46

$10.33 F CFA 6,030

-27.78%

Cappuccino

$3.64 RON 17.31

$1.86 F CFA 1,088

95.70%

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

$2.62 RON 12.43

$0.72 F CFA 422

263.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 RON 11.23

$0.75 F CFA 437

214.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.78 RON 17.98

$1.00 F CFA 584

278.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 RON 19.52

$1.66 F CFA 969

147.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 RON 7.89

$2.10 F CFA 1,225

-20.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 RON 6.64

$0.55 F CFA 318

154.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 RON 8.53

$1.14 F CFA 667

57.02%

Eggs

$3.63 RON 17.25

$2.22 F CFA 1,295

63.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.92 RON 42.38

$25.58 F CFA 14.9K

-65.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.86 RON 32.62

$5.92 F CFA 3,453

15.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.99 RON 57.0

$7.00 F CFA 4,087

71.29%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.16

$4.45 F CFA 2,600

-70.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.76

$1.02 F CFA 596

59.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.09

$2.01 F CFA 1,171

-25.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.08

$2.32 F CFA 1,355

9.48%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 RON 3.86

$1.76 F CFA 1,026

-53.98%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.78

$1.66 F CFA 970

-51.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 RON 4.07

$0.55 F CFA 318

56.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RON 4.46

$0.81 F CFA 472

16.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.60 RON 31.38

$1.68 F CFA 980

292.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.33 RON 30.08

$6.14 F CFA 3,585

3.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.64

$1.04 F CFA 605

14.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 RON 7.53

$1.12 F CFA 653

41.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 RON 4.64

$0.98 F CFA 575

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.91 RON 99.4

$42.94 F CFA 25.1K

-51.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$1.75 F CFA 1,021

-65.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 RON 2.93

$1.69 F CFA 987

-63.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.37 RON 30.25

$25.84 F CFA 15.1K

-75.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 RON 9.62

$1.45 F CFA 847

39.31%

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

$28.2K RON 134.0K

$28.2K F CFA 16.4M

0.10%

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

$26.3K RON 124.8K

$26.7K F CFA 15.6M

-1.74%

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

$196 RON 932

$164 F CFA 95.7K

19.64%

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

$8.60 RON 40.84

$21.00 F CFA 12.3K

-59.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.20 RON 43.69

$34.61 F CFA 20.2K

-73.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 RON 242

$70.9 F CFA 41.4K

-27.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.04 RON 119

$20.94 F CFA 12.2K

19.58%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 RON 39.27

$8.71 F CFA 5,084

-5.17%

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

$681 RON 3,234

$367 F CFA 214.1K

85.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K RON 89.0K

$11.2K F CFA 6.5M

67.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 RON 443

$91.6 F CFA 53.5K

1.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.87 RON 189

$37.14 F CFA 21.7K

7.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 RON 381

$66.5 F CFA 38.8K

20.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 RON 431

$141 F CFA 82.1K

-35.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$731 RON 3,473

$828 F CFA 483.5K

-11.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 RON 2,232

$352 F CFA 205.2K

33.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,110 RON 5,276

$2,835 F CFA 1.7M

-60.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 RON 3,431

$979 F CFA 571.5K

-26.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 RON 17.8K

$2,039 F CFA 1.2M

83.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,233 RON 10.6K

$523 F CFA 305.2K

327.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,365 RON 6,487

$215 F CFA 125.6K

534.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

15.75

-57.14%

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

Last update for Bucharest: November 2, 2026

Last update for Abidjan: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$470 34.3%

Abidjan

$352 29.1% 25.2% $118

Eating Out

Bucharest

$229 16.7%

Abidjan

$88 7.3% 61.7% $141

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.4%

Abidjan

$255 21.1% 13.6% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 15.6%

Abidjan

$220 18.1% 2.6% $5.6

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$137 10%

Abidjan

$151 12.5% 10.5% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$68 4.9%

Abidjan

$88 7.3% 30.7% $21

Getting Around

Bucharest

$29 2.1%

Abidjan

$57 4.7% 100% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $731 in Bucharest and $828 in Abidjan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays about 6.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Bucharest vs $69 in Abidjan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $255 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇨🇮 Abidjan

🕒 Local time

07:57 7:57 AM

05:57 5:57 AM

2 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

7,567,409

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XOF, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.33 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 584 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 655 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bucharest Abidjan 5,240 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Abidjan

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

Bucharest vs Abidjan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Abidjan is about 12% cheaper overall, especially in eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Bucharest is about 6.3 times higher, 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: $731 in Bucharest versus $828 in Abidjan. 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 $61 versus $69 in Abidjan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,371 per month in Bucharest versus $1,211 in Abidjan – Abidjan is about 12% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Abidjan wins on affordability, Bucharest on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.