Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Bialystok

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $1,450 in Bialystok, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bialystok outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Bialystok
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Bialystok Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Bialystok

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,450

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Bialystok

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

A single person spends $1,340 per month in Bucharest vs $1,450 in Bialystok, rent included.

Bucharest $1,340
Bialystok $1,450

A couple spends around $2,037 per month in Bucharest vs $2,061 in Bialystok, rent included.

Bucharest $2,037
Bialystok $2,061

A family of three spends $2,734 per month in Bucharest vs $2,672 in Bialystok, rent included.

Bucharest $2,734
Bialystok $2,672

Bucharest is about 8% cheaper than Bialystok, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Bucharest sits 1% below the global median, while Bialystok is 7% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$9.82 zł 38.15

47.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$45.59 zł 177

27.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$9.01 zł 35.02

-16.98%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$3.60 zł 13.99

-4.44%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$1.80 zł 6.99

31.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$1.57 zł 6.11

46.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$3.47 zł 13.48

6.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$3.03 zł 11.77

37.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$1.06 zł 4.11

57.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$1.01 zł 3.93

35.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$2.22 zł 8.63

-22.52%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$3.82 zł 14.84

-4.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$9.25 zł 35.94

-1.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$5.78 zł 22.47

18.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$11.23 zł 43.63

6.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$1.20 zł 4.68

2.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$1.83 zł 7.09

-10.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.57 zł 6.08

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$2.00 zł 7.78

27.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$1.04 zł 4.05

-24.04%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$1.17 zł 4.54

-34.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$1.12 zł 4.35

-22.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$0.62 zł 2.40

59.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$5.07 zł 19.70

24.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$6.29 zł 24.45

-1.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.15 zł 4.47

3.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.46 zł 5.66

7.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$1.10 zł 4.26

-21.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$32.94 zł 128

-35.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$2.01 zł 7.81

-68.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.65 zł 2.52

-7.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$12.95 zł 50.3

-50.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$1.55 zł 6.01

26.45%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$30.2K zł 117.4K

-4.03%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$27.0K zł 105.0K

-1.45%

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

$196 RON 927

$298 zł 1,157

-34.23%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$8.38 zł 32.54

-4.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$17.99 zł 69.9

-48.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$41.37 zł 161

21.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$27.66 zł 107

-8.42%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$6.71 zł 26.08

21.46%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$359 zł 1,394

74.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$4,280 zł 16.6K

229.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$98.7 zł 383

-9.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$36.27 zł 141

5.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$86.0 zł 334

-7.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$89.9 zł 349

0.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$541 zł 2,101

25.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$496 zł 1,925

-9.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$820 zł 3,187

32.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$720 zł 2,799

0.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$2,620 zł 10.2K

43.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$2,272 zł 8,826

-3.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$1,462 zł 5,680

-9.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

7.07

-4.53%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bialystok: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Bialystok

$496 34.2% 10.5% $47

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Bialystok

$186 12.8% 17.5% $40

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Bialystok

$207 14.3% 8% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Bialystok

$324 22.4% 52% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Bialystok

$140 9.7% 4.4% $5.9

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Bialystok

$55 3.8% 17.6% $12

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Bialystok

$43 2.9% 51% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $678 in Bucharest versus $541 in Bialystok. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 10% higher in Bialystok, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58.0 in Bucharest versus $46.00 in Bialystok. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $207 – making Bialystok the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇵🇱 Bialystok

🕒 Local time

21:27 9:27 PM

20:27 8:27 PM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

297,554

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1 PLN = 0.257 USD

1 PLN = 0.229 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PLN, 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).

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.89 PLN (1 PLN = 0.257 USD). 1 EUR = 4.37 PLN (1 PLN = 0.229 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Bialystok 990 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Bialystok

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 Bialystok: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bialystok costs about 8% more than Bucharest, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,011 per month in Bucharest and $2,175 in Bialystok. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bucharest, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $628 per month in Bucharest and $359 in Bialystok. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 9% cheaper in Bialystok – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bucharest, where all-in costs run around $1,340, than in Bialystok at $1,450. In Bucharest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bialystok it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bucharest costs $1,340 versus $1,450 in Bialystok. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Bucharest. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bialystok makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.