Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Bihac

For one person, living is cheaper in Bihac: $974 a month against $1,351 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Bihac
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Bihac Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Bihac

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$974

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Bihac

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,351 in Bucharest versus $974 in Bihac.

Bucharest $1,351
Bihac $974

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,033 in Bucharest versus $1,447 in Bihac.

Bucharest $2,033
Bihac $1,447

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,715 in Bucharest versus $1,920 in Bihac.

Bucharest $2,715
Bihac $1,920

Living in Bucharest is roughly 39% more expensive than in Bihac, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% above, Bihac is 27% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 RON 68.4

$6.87 BAM 11.98

110.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 273

$29.08 BAM 50.7

98.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 RON 35.46

$5.80 BAM 10.12

29.31%

Cappuccino

$3.43 RON 16.20

$1.13 BAM 1.97

203.54%

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

$2.46 RON 11.63

$1.17 BAM 2.05

110.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.01

$0.91 BAM 1.58

156.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 RON 17.97

$1.48 BAM 2.59

156.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.41

$1.76 BAM 3.06

132.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.79

$1.37 BAM 2.39

20.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.39

$1.05 BAM 1.84

28.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.42

$2.31 BAM 4.03

-22.94%

Eggs

$3.66 RON 17.33

$3.04 BAM 5.30

20.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 RON 40.54

$9.96 BAM 17.37

-13.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RON 32.17

$7.21 BAM 12.58

-5.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 RON 55.4

$11.33 BAM 19.76

3.44%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.11

$1.73 BAM 3.01

-25.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.37

$1.79 BAM 3.13

-12.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.28

$1.45 BAM 2.53

6.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 RON 11.75

$2.05 BAM 3.59

20.98%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.92

$1.13 BAM 1.98

-26.55%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.77

$1.49 BAM 2.60

-46.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 3.98

$0.92 BAM 1.60

-8.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 RON 4.39

$0.90 BAM 1.57

3.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 RON 30.45

$3.59 BAM 6.27

79.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 RON 29.91

$8.13 BAM 14.18

-22.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.94

$1.33 BAM 2.32

-5.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 RON 7.59

$2.08 BAM 3.63

-23.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.85

$1.30 BAM 2.26

-37.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.13 RON 99.9

$34.93 BAM 61.0

-39.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$1.18 BAM 2.06

-49.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.91

$0.99 BAM 1.74

-38.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.19

$10.49 BAM 18.31

-41.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.27

$1.43 BAM 2.50

37.06%

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

$28.1K RON 133.1K

$30.6K BAM 53.4K

-8.00%

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

$26.3K RON 124.3K

$22.1K BAM 38.5K

19.13%

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

$197 RON 931

$202 BAM 353

-2.69%

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

$8.34 RON 39.44

$18.53 BAM 32.33

-54.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.19 RON 43.47

$22.20 BAM 38.73

-58.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.87 RON 236

$33.21 BAM 57.9

50.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 118

$11.59 BAM 20.21

115.62%

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 RON 40.01

$5.67 BAM 9.88

49.21%

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

$639 RON 3,023

$143 BAM 250

346.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.1K

$3,891 BAM 6,789

269.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 RON 429

$28.95 BAM 50.5

212.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 RON 180

$17.25 BAM 30.10

120.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 RON 377

$95.4 BAM 166

-16.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 RON 441

$119 BAM 208

-21.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 RON 3,184

$220 BAM 383

206.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 RON 2,123

$201 BAM 350

123.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 RON 5,195

$302 BAM 527

263.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 RON 3,448

$271 BAM 474

168.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,740 RON 17.7K

$1,445 BAM 2,522

158.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 RON 10.4K

$1,326 BAM 2,313

65.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,323 RON 6,259

$787 BAM 1,373

68.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

4.3

56.74%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Last update for Bihac: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$449 33.5%

Bihac

$201 20.4% 55.3% $248

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.8%

Bihac

$105 10.7% 53.4% $121

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$222 16.5%

Bihac

$229 23.2% 3.2% $7.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 16%

Bihac

$243 24.7% 13.4% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$136 10.1%

Bihac

$117 11.9% 13.6% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Bihac

$45 4.5% 33.3% $22

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Bihac

$46 4.7% 64.9% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $673 in Bucharest and $220 in Bihac. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 68% 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 $29.00 in Bihac. Groceries flip the comparison at $222 vs $229, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇧🇦 Bihac

🕒 Local time

08:22 8:22 AM

07:22 7:22 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

39,690

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

1 BAM = 0.573 USD

1 BAM = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BAM, USD, EUR 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).

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BAM (1 BAM = 0.573 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BAM (1 BAM = 0.511 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Bihac 810 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Bihac

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 Bihac: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Bihac differ by about 39% in total monthly costs ($1,351 vs $974 including rent). Bihac is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 68% 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: $673 in Bucharest versus $220 in Bihac. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Bihac – a meal for two runs $29.00 versus $58.0 in Bucharest. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,351 per month in Bucharest versus $974 in Bihac – a 39% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $974 in Bihac versus $1,351 in Bucharest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bihac but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Bihac 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 Bihac 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 Bihac gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.