Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Baia Mare

For one person, living is cheaper in Baia Mare: $935 a month against $1,354 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Baia Mare
Learn more

Baia Mare Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,354

/mo nomad

Baia Mare

🇷🇴 Romania

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Baia Mare

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,354 in Bucharest versus $935 in Baia Mare.

Bucharest $1,354
Baia Mare $935

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,043 in Bucharest versus $1,452 in Baia Mare.

Bucharest $2,043
Baia Mare $1,452

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,733 in Bucharest versus $1,969 in Baia Mare.

Bucharest $2,733
Baia Mare $1,969

Living in Bucharest is roughly 45% more expensive than in Baia Mare, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.66 RON 69.9

$12.61 RON 60.1

16.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 275

$32.99 RON 157

74.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 RON 35.84

$8.16 RON 38.92

-7.84%

Cappuccino

$3.56 RON 16.95

$2.07 RON 9.86

71.98%

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

$2.47 RON 11.78

$1.81 RON 8.64

36.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 RON 10.41

$1.39 RON 6.63

56.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 RON 17.58

$1.61 RON 7.67

129.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 RON 20.40

$2.15 RON 10.23

99.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.97

$1.45 RON 6.91

15.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.44

$1.40 RON 6.70

-3.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.46

$1.54 RON 7.33

15.58%

Eggs

$3.56 RON 16.98

$2.82 RON 13.45

26.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.12 RON 43.49

$5.92 RON 28.24

54.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.82 RON 32.50

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.13 RON 57.8

$10.77 RON 51.3

12.63%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 RON 6.03

$1.08 RON 5.16

16.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 RON 7.74

$1.47 RON 6.99

10.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.43

$1.37 RON 6.52

13.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.11

$2.61 RON 12.45

-2.68%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 RON 3.73

$0.92 RON 4.39

-15.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.69

$1.08 RON 5.16

-28.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 RON 4.23

$1.11 RON 5.30

-19.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 RON 4.29

$0.81 RON 3.85

11.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 RON 31.22

$6.12 RON 29.15

7.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.37 RON 30.35

$4.52 RON 21.53

40.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 RON 5.93

$1.05 RON 4.98

18.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 RON 7.73

$1.62 RON 7.72

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 RON 4.07

$0.71 RON 3.37

19.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.71 RON 98.8

$14.38 RON 68.6

44.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 RON 2.93

$0.77 RON 3.66

-20.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.92

$0.75 RON 3.55

-18.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.16 RON 29.38

$5.94 RON 28.34

3.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 RON 9.52

$1.73 RON 8.27

15.61%

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

$27.9K RON 133.2K

$28.5K RON 136.0K

-2.07%

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

$25.3K RON 120.7K

$25.2K RON 119.9K

0.66%

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

$192 RON 916

$102 RON 488

87.66%

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

$7.92 RON 37.74

$15.11 RON 72.0

-47.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.96 RON 42.70

$11.75 RON 56.0

-23.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.99 RON 238

$37.40 RON 178

33.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 RON 118

$16.21 RON 77.3

53.05%

Cinema Ticket

$8.51 RON 40.55

$10.01 RON 47.70

-14.99%

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

$686 RON 3,270

$520 RON 2,480

31.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.7K

$5,441 RON 25.9K

164.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.2 RON 430

$37.34 RON 178

141.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.74 RON 185

$42.05 RON 200

-7.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.9 RON 376

$62.3 RON 297

26.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 RON 439

$74.7 RON 356

23.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$711 RON 3,390

$368 RON 1,753

93.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 RON 2,202

$255 RON 1,215

81.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 RON 5,022

$582 RON 2,774

81.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$723 RON 3,444

$440 RON 2,096

64.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,634 RON 17.3K

$2,187 RON 10.4K

66.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,173 RON 10.4K

$1,477 RON 7,041

47.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,354 RON 6,454

$853 RON 4,069

58.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

7.48

-9.76%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 26, 2026

Last update for Baia Mare: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$462 34.1%

Baia Mare

$255 27.3% 44.8% $207

Eating Out

Bucharest

$228 16.9%

Baia Mare

$175 18.7% 23.1% $53

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.6%

Baia Mare

$199 21.3% 11.3% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$209 15.4%

Baia Mare

$129 13.8% 38.2% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$135 10%

Baia Mare

$97 10.4% 27.9% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Baia Mare

$57 6.1% 14.3% $9.6

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Baia Mare

$22 2.3% 22% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $711 in Bucharest and $368 in Baia Mare. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 59% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $58 in Bucharest vs $33 in Baia Mare for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $199 per month, with Baia Mare cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇷🇴 Baia Mare

🕒 Local time

12:30 12:30 PM

Same time as Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

123,738

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Bucharest Baia Mare 410 km

From you

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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 Baia Mare: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baia Mare is about 31% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 59% higher in Bucharest, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $711 in Bucharest versus $368 in Baia Mare. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $686 in Bucharest versus $520 in Baia Mare. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Bucharest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Baia Mare gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.