Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Altstätten

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $3,362 in Altstätten, rent and utilities included – about $24,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
165

Cost of Living Index in Altstätten
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Altstätten Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Altstätten

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,362

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Altstätten

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

A single person spends $1,340 per month in Bucharest vs $3,362 in Altstätten, rent included.

Bucharest $1,340
Altstätten $3,362

A couple spends around $2,037 per month in Bucharest vs $5,134 in Altstätten, rent included.

Bucharest $2,037
Altstätten $5,134

A family of three spends $2,734 per month in Bucharest vs $6,905 in Altstätten, rent included.

Bucharest $2,734
Altstätten $6,905

Bucharest is about 60% cheaper than Altstätten, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Bucharest sits 1% below the global median, while Altstätten is 149% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$29.51 CHF 24.30

-50.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$118 CHF 97.2

-50.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$17.80 CHF 14.66

-57.98%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$5.94 CHF 4.89

-42.09%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$5.13 CHF 4.22

-53.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$4.86 CHF 4.01

-52.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$9.25 CHF 7.62

-60.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$7.32 CHF 6.03

-43.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$2.19 CHF 1.80

-23.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$3.56 CHF 2.93

-61.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$3.68 CHF 3.03

-53.26%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$7.71 CHF 6.35

-52.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$25.63 CHF 21.11

-64.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$28.49 CHF 23.47

-75.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$40.80 CHF 33.60

-70.59%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$3.60 CHF 2.96

-65.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$2.03 CHF 1.67

-19.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$2.68 CHF 2.21

-41.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$4.75 CHF 3.91

-46.53%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$1.84 CHF 1.52

-57.07%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$2.10 CHF 1.73

-63.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$2.22 CHF 1.83

-60.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$1.29 CHF 1.07

-23.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$10.72 CHF 8.83

-41.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$12.90 CHF 10.63

-51.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$2.82 CHF 2.32

-57.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$3.11 CHF 2.56

-49.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$4.63 CHF 3.81

-81.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$100 CHF 82.7

-78.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$7.47 CHF 6.15

-91.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$4.66 CHF 3.84

-87.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$74.3 CHF 61.2

-91.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$2.24 CHF 1.84

-12.50%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$40.5K CHF 33.4K

-28.44%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

-32.69%

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

$196 RON 927

$277 CHF 228

-29.26%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$32.44 CHF 26.72

-75.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$55.8 CHF 45.95

-83.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$91.5 CHF 75.4

-45.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$44.93 CHF 37.01

-43.62%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$22.65 CHF 18.66

-64.02%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$2,646 CHF 2,179

-76.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$34.1K CHF 28.1K

-58.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$143 CHF 118

-37.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$57.4 CHF 47.30

-33.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$149 CHF 123

-46.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$185 CHF 152

-51.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$1,668 CHF 1,374

-59.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$1,419 CHF 1,168

-68.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$2,868 CHF 2,362

-62.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$2,429 CHF 2,000

-70.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$15.7K CHF 12.9K

-76.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$12.2K CHF 10.0K

-81.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

2.07

226.09%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Altstätten: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Altstätten

$1.4K 42.2% 216% $970

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Altstätten

$462 13.7% 105% $236

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Altstätten

$590 17.5% 162% $365

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Altstätten

$365 10.9% 71.2% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Altstätten

$241 7.2% 79.7% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Altstätten

$137 4.1% 106% $70

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Altstätten

$150 4.5% 431% $121

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $678 in Bucharest versus $1,668 in Altstätten. 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 $118 in Altstätten. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $590 – making Bucharest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇨🇭 Altstätten

🕒 Local time

07:22 7:22 AM

06:22 6:22 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

11,145

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, 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).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Altstätten 1,320 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Altstätten

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 Altstätten: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Altstätten is pricier by about 151%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,011 per month in Bucharest and $5,043 in Altstätten. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,340 in Bucharest and $3,362 in Altstätten. That's a gap of about 151%.

Public transport costs about 376% less in Bucharest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bucharest, where all-in costs run around $1,340, than in Altstätten at $3,362. In Bucharest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Altstätten it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bucharest – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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