Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Bhilai

For one person, living is cheaper in Bhilai: $326 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 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
16

Cost of Living Index in Bhilai
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Bhilai Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Bhilai

🇮🇳 India

$326

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Bhilai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $326 in Bhilai.

Bucharest $1,340
Bhilai $326

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $555 in Bhilai.

Bucharest $2,037
Bhilai $555

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $784 in Bhilai.

Bucharest $2,734
Bhilai $784

Living in Bucharest is roughly 311% more expensive than in Bhilai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Bhilai 76% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$2.59 ₹246

459.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$9.13 ₹867

536.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$3.09 ₹293

142.07%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$1.97 ₹187

74.62%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$0.29 ₹27.28

717.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$0.20 ₹18.62

1050.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$1.55 ₹147

138.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$2.86 ₹271

45.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$0.51 ₹48.54

227.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$0.35 ₹33.68

291.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$0.63 ₹60.0

173.02%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$0.95 ₹90.2

283.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$4.13 ₹392

119.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$2.88 ₹273

137.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$2.31 ₹219

-46.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$0.57 ₹54.3

185.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$0.87 ₹83.0

80.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$0.44 ₹41.59

477.27%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$0.38 ₹36.44

107.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$0.48 ₹45.82

60.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$0.25 ₹23.54

248.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$0.29 ₹27.38

241.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$5.10 ₹484

23.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$4.58 ₹435

35.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.64 ₹156

-27.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$2.65 ₹252

-40.75%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$3.83 ₹364

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$0.38 ₹36.12

126.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$6.62 ₹629

218.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$1.06 ₹101

-39.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.22 ₹20.91

172.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$1.85 ₹176

247.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$1.10 ₹104

78.18%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$11.7K ₹1.1M

147.01%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$18.4K ₹1.7M

44.73%

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

$196 RON 927

$31.51 ₹2,992

521.68%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$3.12 ₹297

157.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$4.74 ₹450

97.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$6.97 ₹662

620.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$3.20 ₹303

691.56%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$3.46 ₹329

135.55%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$80.2 ₹7,617

682.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$1,061 ₹100.7K

1227.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$23.55 ₹2,236

280.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$28.89 ₹2,744

32.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$23.92 ₹2,272

231.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$23.95 ₹2,275

277.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$72.1 ₹6,842

841.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$56.5 ₹5,361

694.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$259 ₹24.6K

317.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$206 ₹19.6K

251.84%

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

$651 ₹61.8K

104.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

8.82

-23.47%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bhilai: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Bhilai

$56 17.3% 87.4% $392

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Bhilai

$69 21.2% 69.3% $156

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Bhilai

$92 28.1% 59.3% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Bhilai

$39 12.1% 81.5% $174

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Bhilai

$45 13.9% 66.3% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Bhilai

$14 4.3% 79.1% $53

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Bhilai

$10 3.2% 63.5% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $72.1 in Bhilai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 104% 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 $9.00 in Bhilai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $92.0 per month, with Bhilai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇮🇳 Bhilai

🕒 Local time

22:22 10:22 PM

00:52 12:52 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

627,734

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR 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).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Bhilai 5,640 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Bhilai

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 Bhilai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Bhilai differ by about 311% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $326 including rent). Bhilai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 104% 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: $678 in Bucharest versus $72.1 in Bhilai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $628 in Bucharest versus $80.2 in Bhilai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 145% higher in Bucharest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $326 in Bhilai versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bhilai but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Bhilai 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.

Expats usually find Bhilai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 311% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.