Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Arklow

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $2,624 in Arklow, rent and utilities included – about $15,400 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
128

Cost of Living Index in Arklow
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Arklow Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Arklow

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,624

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Arklow

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

A single person spends $1,340 per month in Bucharest vs $2,624 in Arklow, rent included.

Bucharest $1,340
Arklow $2,624

A couple spends around $2,037 per month in Bucharest vs $3,680 in Arklow, rent included.

Bucharest $2,037
Arklow $3,680

A family of three spends $2,734 per month in Bucharest vs $4,737 in Arklow, rent included.

Bucharest $2,734
Arklow $4,737

Bucharest is about 49% cheaper than Arklow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Bucharest sits 1% below the global median, while Arklow is 94% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.7

$22.34 €19.84

-35.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$89.5 €79.5

-35.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.46

$11.25 €9.99

-33.51%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.31

$4.12 €3.66

-16.50%

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

$2.37 RON 11.24

$2.93 €2.60

-19.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.90

$2.25 €2.00

2.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.53

$5.47 €4.86

-32.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.72

$5.16 €4.58

-19.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.91

$1.69 €1.50

-1.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.51

$2.23 €1.98

-38.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.15

$1.90 €1.69

-9.47%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.24

$4.64 €4.12

-21.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 43.04

$14.19 €12.60

-36.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.40

$13.17 €11.69

-48.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.9

$16.67 €14.80

-28.01%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.81

$3.26 €2.90

-62.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.74

$2.90 €2.58

-43.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.46

$3.42 €3.04

-54.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.03

$4.70 €4.18

-45.96%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$2.36 €2.09

-66.53%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$1.83 €1.62

-57.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$1.45 €1.29

-40.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.71

$2.15 €1.91

-53.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.90

$20.31 €18.04

-68.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.39

$13.59 €12.07

-54.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$4.08 €3.62

-70.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.46

$3.61 €3.20

-56.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$2.40 €2.14

-64.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 100.0

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$5.18 €4.60

-87.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$1.54 €1.37

-61.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.48

$33.30 €29.57

-80.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.27

$2.12 €1.89

-7.55%

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

$29.0K RON 137.4K

$38.8K €34.4K

-25.24%

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

$26.6K RON 126.2K

$37.3K €33.1K

-28.59%

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

$196 RON 928

$240 €213

-18.35%

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

$8.04 RON 38.10

$22.10 €19.62

-63.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.28

$55.2 €49.00

-83.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$57.5 €51.1

-12.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.61

$13.58 €12.06

-39.99%

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

$628 RON 2,976

$1,066 €947

-41.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.7K

$5,404 €4,800

160.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 425

$93.9 €83.4

-4.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 182

$43.32 €38.47

-11.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 376

$106 €94.5

-25.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$118 €105

-23.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,214

$1,566 €1,391

-56.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,124

$1,325 €1,176

-66.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,133

$2,857 €2,538

-62.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,435

$1,819 €1,616

-60.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,299

$4,863 €4,319

-72.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

4.14

63.04%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Arklow: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Arklow

$1.3K 50.5% 196% $876

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Arklow

$320 12.2% 42.2% $95

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Arklow

$392 14.9% 74.1% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Arklow

$317 12.1% 48.7% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Arklow

$163 6.2% 21.5% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Arklow

$85 3.2% 27.3% $18

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Arklow

$23 * 0.9% 20.2% $5.7

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $678 in Bucharest versus $1,566 in Arklow. 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 266% higher in Arklow, 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 $89.0 in Arklow. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $392 – making Bucharest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇮🇪 Arklow

🕒 Local time

07:29 7:29 AM

05:29 5:29 AM

2 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

13,399

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.74 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.888 EUR (1 EUR = 1.13 USD).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Arklow 2,520 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Arklow

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 Arklow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest, $2,624 in Arklow – roughly 96% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,011 per month in Bucharest and $3,936 in Arklow. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58.0 in Bucharest and $89.0 in Arklow. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 74% more in Arklow, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bucharest, where all-in costs run around $1,340, than in Arklow at $2,624. In Bucharest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arklow 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 $2,624 in Arklow. 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, Arklow makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.