Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Bexley

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $2,406 in Bexley, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Bucharest
🇷🇴 Romania
$1,340
/mo nomad
Bexley
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,406
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Bexley

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $2,406 in Bexley.

  • Bucharest $1,340
  • Bexley $2,406

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $3,558 in Bexley.

  • Bucharest $2,037
  • Bexley $3,558

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $4,709 in Bexley.

  • Bucharest $2,734
  • Bexley $4,709

Living in Bucharest costs roughly 44% less than in Bexley, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% below, Bexley is 78% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bucharest
Bexley
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$14.49 RON 68.6
$25.18 £18.89
-42.45%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$58.1 RON 275
$94.8 £71.2
-38.74%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.48 RON 35.40
$10.12 £7.60
-26.09%
Cappuccino
$3.44 RON 16.29
$4.67 £3.51
-26.34%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.37 RON 11.22
$3.03 £2.27
-21.78%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.30 RON 10.88
$2.14 £1.61
7.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.70 RON 17.51
$8.86 £6.65
-58.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.16 RON 19.69
$7.99 £5.99
-47.93%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bucharest
Bexley
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.67 RON 7.90
$1.82 £1.37
-8.24%
White Bread (500g)
$1.37 RON 6.50
$2.00 £1.50
-31.50%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.72 RON 8.14
$2.11 £1.58
-18.48%
Eggs
$3.64 RON 17.22
$4.36 £3.27
-16.51%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.08 RON 42.98
$11.93 £8.95
-23.89%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.84 RON 32.35
$9.05 £6.79
-24.42%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.00 RON 56.8
$15.19 £11.40
-21.00%
Apples (1kg)
$1.23 RON 5.80
$2.97 £2.23
-58.59%
Banana (1kg)
$1.63 RON 7.73
$1.35 £1.02
20.74%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.57 RON 7.45
$2.95 £2.21
-46.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.54 RON 12.01
$3.26 £2.44
-22.09%
Potato (1kg)
$0.79 RON 3.75
$1.61 £1.21
-50.93%
Onion (1kg)
$0.77 RON 3.66
$1.72 £1.29
-55.23%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.87 RON 4.13
$1.13 £0.85
-23.01%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.99 RON 4.70
$1.63 £1.22
-39.26%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.31 RON 29.86
$23.86 £17.90
-73.55%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.20 RON 29.34
$11.21 £8.41
-44.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.19 RON 5.63
$2.92 £2.19
-59.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.57 RON 7.45
$3.22 £2.41
-51.24%
🚌 Getting Around
Bucharest
Bexley
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.86 RON 4.08
$3.52 £2.64
-75.57%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$21.10 RON 99.8
$96.1 £72.1
-78.04%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.64 RON 3.05
$5.09 £3.82
-87.43%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.60 RON 2.86
$2.58 £1.94
-76.74%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.43 RON 30.43
$25.52 £19.15
-74.80%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.96 RON 9.25
$2.14 £1.61
-8.41%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.0K RON 137.2K
$38.6K £29.0K
-24.95%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.6K RON 126.0K
$41.0K £30.7K
-34.96%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bucharest
Bexley
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$196 RON 927
$281 £211
-30.19%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.04 RON 38.04
$16.99 £12.75
-52.68%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$9.35 RON 44.21
$39.86 £29.91
-76.54%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bucharest
Bexley
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$50.2 RON 238
$45.47 £34.11
10.47%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$25.33 RON 120
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$8.15 RON 38.55
$17.47 £13.11
-53.35%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bucharest
Bexley
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$628 RON 2,971
$2,070 £1,553
-69.66%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.1K RON 66.6K
$30.6K £23.0K
-53.97%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bucharest
Bexley
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$89.6 RON 424
$98.5 £73.9
-9.02%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.32 RON 181
$44.80 £33.61
-14.46%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.3 RON 375
$104 £78.3
-24.09%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$90.4 RON 428
$88.8 £66.6
1.79%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bucharest
Bexley
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$678 RON 3,209
$1,236 £927
-45.13%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$448 RON 2,121
$1,022 £767
-56.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,083 RON 5,125
$2,066 £1,550
-47.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$725 RON 3,430
$1,640 £1,230
-55.79%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,751 RON 17.7K
$4,968 £3,727
-24.49%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,195 RON 10.4K
$3,816 £2,863
-42.47%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bucharest
Bexley
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,329 RON 6,290
$2,368 £1,777
-43.87%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.75
4.65
45.16%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bexley: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Bucharest
$448
Bexley
$1K 128% $574
Eating Out
Bucharest
$225
Bexley
$369 63.8% $144
Groceries & Markets
Bucharest
$225
Bexley
$318 41.1% $93
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bucharest
$213
Bexley
$337 58.2% $124
Clothing & Footwear
Bucharest
$134
Bexley
$151 13.1% $18
Sport & Entertainment
Bucharest
$67
Bexley
$80 20.9% $14
Getting Around
Bucharest
$28
Bexley
$128 354% $100

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $1,236 in Bexley. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bexley pays 78% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $58.0 in Bucharest vs $95.0 in Bexley for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $318 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇷🇴 Bucharest
🇬🇧 Bexley
🕒 Local time
19:38 7:38 PM
17:38 5:38 PM
2 h behind Bucharest
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,883,425 Capital
228,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

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).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bucharest Bexley 2,070 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Bucharest
  • Bexley

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 Bexley: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Bucharest or Bexley?
Bucharest wins on cost – living expenses run 80% lower than in Bexley. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bucharest the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Bucharest or in Bexley?
On paper, salaries run 78% lower in Bexley. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Bucharest compared to Bexley?
Rent for a central apartment: $678 in Bucharest versus $1,236 in Bexley. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How expensive is transport in Bucharest compared to Bexley?
A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 355% less than in Bexley. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
How do childcare costs compare in Bucharest and in Bexley?
Childcare runs $628 in Bucharest versus $2,070 in Bexley. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Bucharest or in Bexley?
At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $2,406 in Bexley, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Bexley. The gap between the two cities makes Bucharest the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Bucharest or Bexley?
Both work as nomad bases, but Bucharest delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,340 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bucharest hard to pass up.
How safe is Bucharest compared to Bexley?
Safety-wise, Bucharest and Bexley are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Bucharest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 80% less than in Bexley. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Bucharest vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?