Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Alexandra

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandra: $1,074 a month against $1,337 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Alexandra
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Alexandra Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,337

/mo nomad

Alexandra

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,074

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Alexandra

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

A single person spends $1,337 per month in Bucharest vs $1,074 in Alexandra, rent included.

Bucharest $1,337
Alexandra $1,074

A couple spends around $2,029 per month in Bucharest vs $1,742 in Alexandra, rent included.

Bucharest $2,029
Alexandra $1,742

A family of three spends $2,721 per month in Bucharest vs $2,409 in Alexandra, rent included.

Bucharest $2,721
Alexandra $2,409

Bucharest costs about 24% more than Alexandra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Bucharest and Alexandra are more affordable than the global median – Bucharest 1% lower, Alexandra 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.45 RON 68.4

$9.26 R 152

56.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$36.55 R 602

58.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.53 RON 35.65

$5.35 R 88.1

40.75%

Cappuccino

$3.45 RON 16.33

$2.20 R 36.24

56.82%

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

$2.46 RON 11.65

$1.08 R 17.87

127.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 RON 10.54

$0.80 R 13.19

178.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.76 RON 17.78

$2.40 R 39.58

56.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 RON 19.84

$2.78 R 45.85

50.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 RON 7.67

$1.17 R 19.23

38.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 RON 6.13

$1.09 R 17.92

19.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 RON 8.05

$1.80 R 29.62

-5.56%

Eggs

$3.79 RON 17.93

$2.43 R 40.11

55.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.86 RON 41.90

$8.66 R 143

2.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.90 RON 32.67

$5.12 R 84.3

34.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.14 RON 57.4

$7.12 R 117

70.51%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.17

$1.75 R 28.80

-25.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 RON 7.55

$1.61 R 26.53

-0.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.42

$1.72 R 28.30

-8.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 RON 12.67

$1.63 R 26.86

64.42%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 RON 3.82

$1.09 R 18.04

-25.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.73

$1.18 R 19.39

-33.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 RON 4.30

$1.20 R 19.71

-24.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 RON 4.58

$1.32 R 21.76

-26.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.41 RON 30.34

$3.20 R 52.7

100.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 RON 29.24

$5.09 R 83.9

21.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 RON 5.83

$1.58 R 26.08

-22.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 RON 7.91

$1.90 R 31.36

-12.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 RON 4.10

$1.33 R 21.94

-34.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.98 RON 99.3

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.66 RON 3.10

$0.29 R 4.75

127.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.85

$0.78 R 12.78

-23.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.19 RON 29.28

$14.57 R 240

-57.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 RON 9.15

$1.57 R 25.92

22.93%

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

$28.7K RON 135.9K

$36.2K R 597.0K

-20.72%

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

$26.3K RON 124.6K

$34.1K R 562.3K

-22.86%

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

$196 RON 926

$155 R 2,550

26.40%

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

$8.49 RON 40.19

$36.96 R 609

-77.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.05 RON 42.84

$38.04 R 627

-76.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.54 RON 234

$33.24 R 548

49.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.03 RON 118

$10.48 R 173

138.84%

Cinema Ticket

$8.24 RON 39.01

$7.50 R 124

9.87%

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

$636 RON 3,007

$244 R 4,019

160.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K RON 69.0K

$5,468 R 90.1K

166.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.5 RON 419

$54.6 R 899

62.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 RON 183

$32.16 R 530

20.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 RON 373

$93.5 R 1,540

-15.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 RON 428

$85.1 R 1,402

6.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 RON 3,288

$394 R 6,483

76.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 RON 2,109

$332 R 5,468

34.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,084 RON 5,130

$844 R 13.9K

28.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$712 RON 3,368

$833 R 13.7K

-14.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,797 RON 18.0K

$919 R 15.1K

313.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,202 RON 10.4K

$644 R 10.6K

241.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,354 RON 6,406

$1,775 R 29.2K

-23.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

10.91

-38.13%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Alexandra: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$446 33.3%

Alexandra

$332 30.9% 25.5% $114

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.9%

Alexandra

$142 13.2% 37.2% $84

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.9%

Alexandra

$194 18.1% 14% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Alexandra

$230 21.4% 7.8% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$133 10%

Alexandra

$119 11.1% 10.6% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$66 4.9%

Alexandra

$48 4.5% 26.9% $18

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Alexandra

$9.5 * 0.9% 66.3% $19

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $695 in Bucharest versus $394 in Alexandra. 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 31% higher in Alexandra, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58.0 in Bucharest versus $37.00 in Alexandra. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $194 – making Alexandra the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇿🇦 Alexandra

🕒 Local time

16:08 4:08 PM

15:08 3:08 PM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

179,624

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bucharest Alexandra 7,850 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Alexandra

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 Alexandra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest costs about 24% more than Alexandra, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,006 per month in Bucharest and $1,612 in Alexandra. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Alexandra, 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 $1,337 in Bucharest and $1,074 in Alexandra. That's a gap of about 24%.

Kindergarten costs $636 per month in Bucharest and $244 in Alexandra. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Alexandra, where all-in costs run around $1,074, than in Bucharest at $1,337. In Alexandra it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bucharest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Alexandra costs $1,074 versus $1,337 in Bucharest. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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