Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Alton

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $2,530 in Alton, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Alton
Learn more

Alton Living Index

Jump to prices

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Alton

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,530

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Alton

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

A single person spends $1,340 per month in Bucharest vs $2,530 in Alton, rent included.

Bucharest $1,340
Alton $2,530

A couple spends around $2,037 per month in Bucharest vs $3,777 in Alton, rent included.

Bucharest $2,037
Alton $3,777

A family of three spends $2,734 per month in Bucharest vs $5,024 in Alton, rent included.

Bucharest $2,734
Alton $5,024

Bucharest is about 47% cheaper than Alton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Bucharest sits 1% below the global median, while Alton is 87% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$26.36 £19.78

-45.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$105 £78.8

-44.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$10.66 £8.00

-29.83%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$5.55 £4.17

-38.02%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$3.00 £2.25

-21.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$2.10 £1.58

9.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$9.03 £6.77

-59.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$7.83 £5.87

-46.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$1.88 £1.41

-11.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$2.09 £1.57

-34.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$2.37 £1.78

-27.43%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$3.37 £2.53

8.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$12.69 £9.52

-28.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$10.83 £8.12

-36.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$17.10 £12.83

-29.82%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$3.11 £2.33

-60.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$1.40 £1.05

16.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$3.00 £2.25

-47.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$3.33 £2.49

-23.72%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$1.67 £1.25

-52.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$1.81 £1.36

-57.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$1.45 £1.09

-40.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$1.87 £1.40

-47.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$23.32 £17.49

-72.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$10.63 £7.98

-41.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$2.34 £1.76

-49.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$2.67 £2.01

-41.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$3.34 £2.51

-74.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$96.8 £72.6

-78.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$5.49 £4.12

-88.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$3.37 £2.53

-82.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$25.82 £19.37

-75.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$2.12 £1.59

-7.55%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$38.8K £29.1K

-25.27%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$40.6K £30.4K

-34.34%

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

$196 RON 927

$366 £275

-46.48%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$17.92 £13.44

-55.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$40.71 £30.54

-77.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$45.21 £33.92

11.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$17.61 £13.21

-53.72%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$2,896 £2,173

-78.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$35.1K £26.3K

-59.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$113 £84.6

-20.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$54.4 £40.77

-29.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$125 £94.1

-36.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$97.4 £73.0

-7.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$1,241 £931

-45.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$992 £744

-54.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$2,118 £1,589

-48.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$1,668 £1,252

-56.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$5,099 £3,825

-26.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$3,932 £2,950

-44.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

4.65

45.16%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Alton: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Alton

$992 39.2% 121% $544

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Alton

$391 15.4% 73.5% $166

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Alton

$334 13.2% 48.4% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Alton

$425 16.8% 99.1% $211

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Alton

$175 6.9% 31% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Alton

$80 3.2% 20.9% $14

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Alton

$133 5.2% 370% $104

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $678 in Bucharest versus $1,241 in Alton. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58.0 in Bucharest versus $105 in Alton. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $334 – making Bucharest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇬🇧 Alton

🕒 Local time

06:31 6:31 AM

04:31 4:31 AM

2 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

17,816

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bucharest Alton 2,140 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Alton

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 Alton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest, $2,530 in Alton – roughly 89% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,011 per month in Bucharest and $3,795 in Alton. 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.

Public transport costs about 359% less in Bucharest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $628 per month in Bucharest and $2,896 in Alton. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bucharest, where all-in costs run around $1,340, than in Alton at $2,530. In Bucharest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Alton it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Bucharest has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,340 in Bucharest to $2,530 in Alton. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Alton makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.