Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Benoni

For one person, living is cheaper in Benoni: $1,072 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Benoni
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Benoni Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Benoni

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,072

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Benoni

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,072 in Benoni.

Bucharest $1,340
Benoni $1,072

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $1,331 in Benoni.

Bucharest $2,037
Benoni $1,331

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $1,589 in Benoni.

Bucharest $2,734
Benoni $1,589

Living in Bucharest is roughly 25% more expensive than in Benoni, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Benoni 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$10.19 R 168

42.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$37.46 R 617

55.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$5.86 R 96.5

27.65%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$2.22 R 36.61

54.95%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$1.19 R 19.64

99.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$0.85 R 14.00

170.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$2.33 R 38.33

58.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$2.74 R 45.15

51.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$1.22 R 20.16

36.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$1.13 R 18.65

21.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$1.72 R 28.33

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$2.46 R 40.48

47.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$8.31 R 137

9.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$4.86 R 80.1

40.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$7.12 R 117

68.54%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$1.73 R 28.55

-28.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$1.63 R 26.81

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.80 R 29.58

-12.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$1.56 R 25.70

62.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$1.12 R 18.39

-29.46%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$1.22 R 20.10

-36.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$1.23 R 20.29

-29.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$1.27 R 20.97

-22.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$3.37 R 55.5

87.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$5.09 R 83.8

21.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.51 R 24.94

-21.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.95 R 32.14

-19.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$0.29 R 4.72

120.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.89 R 14.67

-32.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$14.73 R 243

-56.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$1.54 R 25.41

27.27%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$35.1K R 578.8K

-17.45%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$32.5K R 534.9K

-17.96%

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

$196 RON 927

$203 R 3,342

-3.44%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$38.42 R 633

-79.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$36.63 R 604

-74.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$18.06 R 297

178.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$7.10 R 117

14.79%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$246 R 4,051

155.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$5,577 R 91.9K

152.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$53.5 R 882

67.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$32.40 R 534

18.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$91.9 R 1,515

-13.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$84.8 R 1,397

6.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$398 R 6,557

70.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$296 R 4,881

51.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$487 R 8,029

122.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$2,041 R 33.6K

-34.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

10.91

-38.13%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Benoni: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Benoni

$296 27.6% 33.9% $152

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Benoni

$151 14.1% 32.9% $74

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Benoni

$192 17.9% 14.7% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Benoni

$278 25.9% 30.3% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Benoni

$118 11% 11.7% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Benoni

$32 3% 51.5% $34

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Benoni

$4.7 * 0.4% 83.2% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $398 in Benoni. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Benoni pays 54% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $58.0 in Bucharest vs $37.00 in Benoni for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $192 per month, with Benoni cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇿🇦 Benoni

🕒 Local time

11:15 11:15 AM

10:15 10:15 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

158,777

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bucharest Benoni 7,860 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Benoni

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 Benoni: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Benoni differ by about 25% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $1,072 including rent). Benoni is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 54% lower in Benoni. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $678 in Bucharest versus $398 in Benoni. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Bucharest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,340 per month in Bucharest versus $1,072 in Benoni – a 25% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,072 in Benoni versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Benoni but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Benoni the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Bucharest and Benoni 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 Benoni gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.