Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Ajka

For one person, living is cheaper in Ajka: $1,250 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Ajka
Learn more

Ajka Living Index

Jump to prices

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Ajka

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,250

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Ajka

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 Ajka actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,250 in Ajka.

Bucharest $1,340
Ajka $1,250

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $1,798 in Ajka.

Bucharest $2,037
Ajka $1,798

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $2,346 in Ajka.

Bucharest $2,734
Ajka $2,346

Living in Bucharest is roughly 7% more expensive than in Ajka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Ajka 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$9.21 Ft 2,974

57.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$22.56 Ft 7,287

157.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$7.71 Ft 2,491

-2.98%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$1.09 Ft 351

215.60%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$1.13 Ft 365

109.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$0.57 Ft 185

303.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$1.26 Ft 408

193.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$1.14 Ft 367

264.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$1.17 Ft 378

42.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$1.36 Ft 439

0.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$2.42 Ft 783

-28.93%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$3.71 Ft 1,200

-1.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$10.47 Ft 3,383

-13.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$6.39 Ft 2,064

7.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$16.37 Ft 5,288

-26.70%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$2.26 Ft 731

-45.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$2.16 Ft 697

-24.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$2.06 Ft 666

-23.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$3.36 Ft 1,084

-24.40%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$1.03 Ft 334

-23.30%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$1.10 Ft 354

-30.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$1.60 Ft 517

-45.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$0.55 Ft 177

80.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$8.01 Ft 2,588

-21.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$5.44 Ft 1,758

13.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.21 Ft 391

-1.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$2.06 Ft 666

-23.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$1.29 Ft 415

-33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$24.41 Ft 7,886

-13.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$3.03 Ft 977

-78.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$1.73 Ft 559

-65.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$18.19 Ft 5,878

-64.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$1.83 Ft 592

7.10%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$29.4K Ft 9.5M

-1.44%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$37.4K Ft 12.1M

-28.70%

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

$196 RON 927

$129 Ft 41.7K

51.83%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$21.99 Ft 7,106

-63.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$20.10 Ft 6,494

-53.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$46.90 Ft 15.2K

7.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$19.02 Ft 6,146

33.18%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$8.70 Ft 2,811

-6.32%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$253 Ft 81.6K

148.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$6,842 Ft 2.2M

105.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$116 Ft 37.6K

-23.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$33.27 Ft 10.7K

15.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$92.3 Ft 29.8K

-14.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$111 Ft 35.8K

-18.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$587 Ft 189.7K

15.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$439 Ft 141.8K

2.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$664 Ft 214.7K

63.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$603 Ft 194.9K

20.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$2,832 Ft 915.0K

32.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$2,573 Ft 831.4K

-14.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

6.67

1.20%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ajka: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Ajka

$439 35.1% 2.1% $9.4

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Ajka

$125 10% 44.4% $100

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Ajka

$251 20.1% 11.5% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Ajka

$171 13.7% 19.8% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Ajka

$159 12.7% 18.5% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Ajka

$64 5.1% 3.4% $2.2

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Ajka

$41 3.3% 46.1% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $587 in Ajka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $58.0 in Bucharest vs $23.00 in Ajka. Groceries flip the comparison at $225 vs $251, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇭🇺 Ajka

🕒 Local time

21:39 9:39 PM

20:39 8:39 PM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

26,408

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bucharest Ajka 730 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Ajka

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 Ajka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Ajka differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $1,250 including rent). Ajka is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,011 in Bucharest and $1,875 in Ajka to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $678 in Bucharest versus $587 in Ajka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ajka runs roughly 16% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $628 in Bucharest versus $253 in Ajka. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,250 in Ajka versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ajka but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Ajka 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 Ajka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.