Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Bielefeld

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $1,976 in Bielefeld, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Bielefeld
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Bielefeld Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Bielefeld

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,976

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Bielefeld

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

A single person spends $1,351 per month in Bucharest vs $1,976 in Bielefeld, rent included.

Bucharest $1,351
Bielefeld $1,976

A couple spends around $2,033 per month in Bucharest vs $3,009 in Bielefeld, rent included.

Bucharest $2,033
Bielefeld $3,009

A family of three spends $2,715 per month in Bucharest vs $4,042 in Bielefeld, rent included.

Bucharest $2,715
Bielefeld $4,042

Bucharest is about 32% cheaper than Bielefeld, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bucharest and Bielefeld sit above the global median – Bucharest by 1%, Bielefeld by 47%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 RON 68.4

$13.45 €12.01

7.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 273

$83.7 €74.7

-31.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 RON 35.46

$12.54 €11.19

-40.19%

Cappuccino

$3.43 RON 16.20

$3.86 €3.44

-11.14%

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

$2.46 RON 11.63

$2.94 €2.62

-16.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.01

$2.84 €2.54

-17.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 RON 17.97

$5.21 €4.65

-27.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.41

$5.18 €4.62

-20.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.79

$1.29 €1.15

27.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.39

$2.20 €1.96

-38.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.42

$3.96 €3.53

-55.05%

Eggs

$3.66 RON 17.33

$3.71 €3.31

-1.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 RON 40.54

$14.75 €13.16

-41.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RON 32.17

$11.38 €10.16

-40.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 RON 55.4

$23.35 €20.84

-49.81%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.11

$3.34 €2.98

-61.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.37

$2.08 €1.86

-25.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.28

$2.06 €1.83

-25.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 RON 11.75

$5.25 €4.68

-52.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.92

$1.34 €1.20

-38.06%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.77

$1.29 €1.15

-37.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 3.98

$1.58 €1.41

-46.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 RON 4.39

$1.02 €0.91

-8.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 RON 30.45

$9.50 €8.47

-32.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 RON 29.91

$6.26 €5.58

0.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.94

$1.05 €0.93

20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 RON 7.59

$1.64 €1.47

-2.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.85

$3.45 €3.08

-76.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.13 RON 99.9

$65.6 €58.6

-67.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$5.23 €4.66

-88.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.91

$2.88 €2.57

-78.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.19

$36.66 €32.71

-83.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.27

$2.10 €1.87

-6.67%

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

$28.1K RON 133.1K

$32.9K €29.4K

-14.45%

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

$26.3K RON 124.3K

$37.7K €33.7K

-30.31%

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

$197 RON 931

$300 €268

-34.48%

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

$8.34 RON 39.44

$30.52 €27.24

-72.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.19 RON 43.47

$43.32 €38.66

-78.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.87 RON 236

$33.98 €30.32

46.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 118

$38.27 €34.16

-34.70%

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 RON 40.01

$15.61 €13.93

-45.80%

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

$639 RON 3,023

$409 €365

56.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.1K

$28.5K €25.4K

-49.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 RON 429

$92.0 €82.1

-1.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 RON 180

$39.46 €35.21

-3.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 RON 377

$86.8 €77.5

-8.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 RON 441

$240 €214

-61.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 RON 3,184

$694 €619

-2.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 RON 2,123

$632 €564

-28.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 RON 5,195

$1,211 €1,080

-9.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 RON 3,448

$1,158 €1,033

-37.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,740 RON 17.7K

$4,593 €4,099

-18.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 RON 10.4K

$2,241 €2,000

-2.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,323 RON 6,259

$2,852 €2,545

-53.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

3.95

70.63%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Last update for Bielefeld: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$449 33.5%

Bielefeld

$632 32% 40.7% $183

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.8%

Bielefeld

$251 12.7% 11.3% $25

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$222 16.5%

Bielefeld

$347 17.6% 56.3% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 16%

Bielefeld

$374 19% 74.6% $160

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$136 10.1%

Bielefeld

$206 10.4% 51.9% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Bielefeld

$65 3.3% 2.4% $1.6

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Bielefeld

$99 5% 253% $71

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $673 in Bucharest versus $694 in Bielefeld. 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 115% higher in Bielefeld, 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 $84.0 in Bielefeld. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $347 – making Bucharest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇩🇪 Bielefeld

🕒 Local time

08:22 8:22 AM

07:22 7:22 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

328,012

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Bielefeld 1,540 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Bielefeld

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 Bielefeld: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Bielefeld is pricier by about 46%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,027 per month in Bucharest and $2,965 in Bielefeld. 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.

Groceries cost about 56% more in Bielefeld, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58.0 in Bucharest and $84.0 in Bielefeld. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bucharest, where all-in costs run around $1,351, than in Bielefeld at $1,976. In Bucharest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bielefeld it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bucharest – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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, Bielefeld makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.