Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Arrest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $1,692 in Arrest, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Arrest
Learn more

Arrest Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Arrest

🇫🇷 France

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Arrest

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,692 in Arrest.

Bucharest $1,340
Arrest $1,692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $2,690 in Arrest.

Bucharest $2,037
Arrest $2,690

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $3,687 in Arrest.

Bucharest $2,734
Arrest $3,687

Living in Bucharest costs roughly 21% less than in Arrest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% below, Arrest is 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$17.07 €15.18

-15.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$55.5 €49.39

4.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$13.59 €12.09

-44.96%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$2.92 €2.60

17.81%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$3.06 €2.72

-22.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$2.07 €1.84

11.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$8.32 €7.40

-55.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$5.43 €4.83

-23.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$1.29 €1.14

29.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$1.69 €1.51

-18.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$2.56 €2.28

-32.81%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$3.97 €3.53

-8.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$10.14 €9.02

-10.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$11.97 €10.65

-42.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$15.82 €14.07

-24.15%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$3.02 €2.68

-59.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$3.00 €2.67

-45.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.43 €1.27

9.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$4.16 €3.70

-38.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$1.78 €1.58

-55.62%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$2.01 €1.79

-61.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$1.60 €1.42

-45.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$0.16 €0.14

518.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$12.68 €11.28

-50.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$5.46 €4.86

13.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.46 €1.30

-18.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.63 €1.45

-3.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$1.88 €1.68

-54.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$41.07 €36.53

-48.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$2.29 €2.04

-72.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$1.14 €1.02

-47.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$32.87 €29.24

-80.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$2.18 €1.94

-10.09%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$34.3K €30.5K

-15.54%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$36.3K €32.3K

-26.53%

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

$196 RON 927

$207 €184

-5.36%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$32.86 €29.23

-75.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$31.63 €28.13

-70.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$37.48 €33.34

34.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$15.53 €13.82

-47.52%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$899 €799

-30.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$9,786 €8,705

43.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$129 €114

-30.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$46.89 €41.71

-18.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$102 €91.1

-22.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$158 €141

-42.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$806 €717

-15.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$522 €464

-14.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$1,433 €1,275

-24.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$1,150 €1,023

-36.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$4,381 €3,897

-14.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$3,174 €2,823

-30.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

3.9

73.08%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Arrest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Arrest

$522 30.8% 16.4% $73

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Arrest

$285 16.9% 26.7% $60

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Arrest

$292 17.3% 29.9% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Arrest

$271 16% 27.3% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Arrest

$196 11.6% 46.5% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Arrest

$69 4.1% 3% $2

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Arrest

$57 3.4% 101% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $806 in Arrest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $58.0 in Bucharest vs $56.0 in Arrest. Groceries flip the comparison at $225 vs $292, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇫🇷 Arrest

🕒 Local time

18:32 6:32 PM

17:32 5:32 PM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

900

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 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 = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Arrest 1,940 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Arrest

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 Arrest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 26% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,011 in Bucharest and $2,539 in Arrest to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $678 in Bucharest versus $806 in Arrest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $628 in Bucharest versus $899 in Arrest. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 30% higher in Arrest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,692 in Arrest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Arrest. The gap between the two cities makes Bucharest the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Bucharest is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Arrest, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Bucharest and Arrest are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bucharest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Arrest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.