Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Bielsko-biala

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $1,480 in Bielsko-biala, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bielsko-biala outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
72

Cost of Living Index in Bielsko-biala
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Bielsko-biala Living Index

Jump to prices

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Bielsko-biala

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,480

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Bielsko-biala

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 Bielsko-biala actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,480 in Bielsko-biala.

Bucharest $1,340
Bielsko-biala $1,480

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $2,131 in Bielsko-biala.

Bucharest $2,037
Bielsko-biala $2,131

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $2,782 in Bielsko-biala.

Bucharest $2,734
Bielsko-biala $2,782

Living in Bucharest costs roughly 9% less than in Bielsko-biala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% below, Bielsko-biala is 10% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$9.45 zł 36.70

53.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$45.98 zł 179

26.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$8.95 zł 34.76

-16.42%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$3.61 zł 14.03

-4.71%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$2.21 zł 8.60

7.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$1.36 zł 5.27

69.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$3.77 zł 14.66

-1.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$3.79 zł 14.73

9.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$1.04 zł 4.03

60.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$1.11 zł 4.30

23.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$1.39 zł 5.40

23.74%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$2.87 zł 11.16

26.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$8.22 zł 31.95

10.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$5.86 zł 22.77

16.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$9.75 zł 37.88

23.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$1.17 zł 4.56

5.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$1.61 zł 6.25

1.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$2.11 zł 8.19

-25.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$1.94 zł 7.53

30.93%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$0.80 zł 3.10

-1.25%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$0.79 zł 3.07

-2.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$1.04 zł 4.03

-16.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$0.62 zł 2.41

59.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$4.91 zł 19.09

28.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$6.33 zł 24.61

-2.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.10 zł 4.29

8.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.65 zł 6.41

-4.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$1.25 zł 4.85

-31.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$36.33 zł 141

-41.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$1.51 zł 5.85

-57.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.54 zł 2.09

11.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$9.36 zł 36.38

-31.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$1.66 zł 6.46

18.07%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$30.8K zł 119.7K

-5.87%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$25.6K zł 99.5K

3.98%

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

$196 RON 927

$291 zł 1,132

-32.79%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$8.48 zł 32.95

-5.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$16.92 zł 65.8

-44.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$40.85 zł 159

22.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$44.81 zł 174

-43.47%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$7.08 zł 27.51

15.11%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$286 zł 1,111

119.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$2,529 zł 9,825

456.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$72.8 zł 283

23.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$40.10 zł 156

-4.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$88.2 zł 343

-10.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$95.2 zł 370

-5.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$605 zł 2,351

12.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$551 zł 2,139

-18.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$1,700 zł 6,606

-36.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$864 zł 3,355

-16.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$2,428 zł 9,433

54.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$1,942 zł 7,545

13.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$1,435 zł 5,574

-7.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

6.87

-1.75%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bielsko-biala: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Bielsko-biala

$551 37.2% 22.8% $102

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Bielsko-biala

$186 12.6% 17.2% $39

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Bielsko-biala

$192 13% 14.5% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Bielsko-biala

$317 21.4% 48.6% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Bielsko-biala

$133 9% 0.4% $0.6

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Bielsko-biala

$55 3.7% 17.3% $12

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Bielsko-biala

$46 3.1% 61.3% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $605 in Bielsko-biala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bielsko-biala pays 8% 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 $46.00 in Bielsko-biala for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $192 per month, with Bielsko-biala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇵🇱 Bielsko-biala

🕒 Local time

17:55 5:55 PM

16:55 4:55 PM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

169,756

💱 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 Bielsko-biala 800 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Bielsko-biala

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 Bielsko-biala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Bielsko-biala differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $1,480 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 8% lower in Bielsko-biala. 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 $605 in Bielsko-biala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 72% less than in Bielsko-biala. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $628 in Bucharest versus $286 in Bielsko-biala. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,480 in Bielsko-biala, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Bielsko-biala. The gap between the two cities makes Bucharest 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 Bielsko-biala 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 Bucharest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Bielsko-biala. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.