Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Arbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $3,464 in Arbon, rent and utilities included – about $25,500 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
167

Cost of Living Index in Arbon
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Arbon Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Arbon

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,464

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Arbon

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

A single person spends $1,340 per month in Bucharest vs $3,464 in Arbon, rent included.

Bucharest $1,340
Arbon $3,464

A couple spends around $2,037 per month in Bucharest vs $5,192 in Arbon, rent included.

Bucharest $2,037
Arbon $5,192

A family of three spends $2,734 per month in Bucharest vs $6,920 in Arbon, rent included.

Bucharest $2,734
Arbon $6,920

Bucharest is about 61% cheaper than Arbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Bucharest sits 1% below the global median, while Arbon is 157% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$29.53 CHF 24.33

-50.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$144 CHF 118

-59.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$18.95 CHF 15.61

-60.53%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$6.11 CHF 5.03

-43.70%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$5.74 CHF 4.73

-58.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$5.09 CHF 4.19

-54.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$9.00 CHF 7.42

-58.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$6.17 CHF 5.08

-32.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$2.16 CHF 1.78

-22.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$3.15 CHF 2.60

-56.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$3.79 CHF 3.12

-54.62%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$7.88 CHF 6.49

-53.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$25.14 CHF 20.71

-63.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$28.42 CHF 23.41

-75.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$41.09 CHF 33.84

-70.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$3.42 CHF 2.82

-64.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$2.00 CHF 1.65

-18.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$2.39 CHF 1.97

-34.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$5.28 CHF 4.35

-51.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$2.04 CHF 1.68

-61.27%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$2.19 CHF 1.80

-64.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$2.28 CHF 1.88

-61.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$1.22 CHF 1.01

-18.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$10.64 CHF 8.77

-40.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$16.47 CHF 13.57

-62.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$2.12 CHF 1.75

-43.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$2.25 CHF 1.85

-30.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$4.81 CHF 3.96

-82.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$96.0 CHF 79.1

-78.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$6.50 CHF 5.35

-90.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$4.73 CHF 3.89

-87.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$36.17 CHF 29.79

-82.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$2.29 CHF 1.89

-14.41%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$34.5K CHF 28.4K

-15.83%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

-32.20%

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

$196 RON 927

$275 CHF 227

-28.87%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$38.11 CHF 31.39

-78.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$54.4 CHF 44.78

-82.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$90.0 CHF 74.1

-44.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$39.06 CHF 32.17

-35.15%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$23.43 CHF 19.29

-65.22%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$2,250 CHF 1,853

-72.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$31.3K CHF 25.8K

-55.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$143 CHF 118

-37.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$65.1 CHF 53.6

-41.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$143 CHF 118

-44.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$177 CHF 146

-49.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$1,561 CHF 1,286

-56.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$1,521 CHF 1,253

-70.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$2,904 CHF 2,392

-62.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$2,322 CHF 1,912

-68.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$13.9K CHF 11.5K

-73.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$13.6K CHF 11.2K

-83.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$11.1K CHF 9,124

-88.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

1.9

255.26%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Arbon: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Arbon

$1.5K 43.9% 239% $1.1K

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Arbon

$467 13.5% 107% $242

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Arbon

$588 17% 161% $363

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Arbon

$368 10.6% 72.5% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Arbon

$238 6.9% 77.7% $104

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Arbon

$137 4% 106% $70

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Arbon

$145 4.2% 416% $117

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $678 in Bucharest versus $1,561 in Arbon. 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 733% higher in Arbon, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58.0 in Bucharest versus $144 in Arbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $588 – making Bucharest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇨🇭 Arbon

🕒 Local time

13:41 1:41 PM

12:41 12:41 PM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

15,853

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bucharest Arbon 1,330 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Arbon

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 Arbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest, $3,464 in Arbon – roughly 158% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,011 per month in Bucharest and $5,197 in Arbon. 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 $3,464 in Arbon. That's a gap of about 158%.

Public transport costs about 355% 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 Arbon at $3,464. In Bucharest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arbon 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 $3,464 in Arbon. 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, Arbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.