Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Birjand

For one person, living is cheaper in Birjand: $531 a month against $1,371 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 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
26

Cost of Living Index in Birjand
Learn more

Birjand Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,371

/mo nomad

Birjand

🇮🇷 Iran

$531

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Birjand

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

A single person spends $1,371 per month in Bucharest vs $531 in Birjand, rent included.

Bucharest $1,371
Birjand $531

A couple spends around $2,067 per month in Bucharest vs $842 in Birjand, rent included.

Bucharest $2,067
Birjand $842

A family of three spends $2,764 per month in Bucharest vs $1,154 in Birjand, rent included.

Bucharest $2,764
Birjand $1,154

Bucharest costs about 158% more than Birjand, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.51 RON 69.0

$2.96 $2.96

390.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 RON 291

$15.89 $15.89

285.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.46 RON 35.50

$3.89 $3.89

91.77%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.72 $0.72

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.11 $1.11

Cappuccino

$3.64 RON 17.33

$1.10 $1.10

230.91%

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

$2.62 RON 12.44

$0.52 $0.52

403.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 RON 11.24

$1.02 $1.02

131.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.78 RON 18.00

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 RON 19.54

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 RON 7.90

$0.65 $0.65

155.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 RON 6.64

$0.51 $0.51

174.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 RON 8.54

$2.08 $2.08

-13.94%

Eggs

$3.63 RON 17.27

$1.20 $1.20

202.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.92 RON 42.43

$4.36 $4.36

104.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.86 RON 32.65

$3.33 $3.33

106.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.99 RON 57.0

$10.18 $10.18

17.78%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.17

$1.03 $1.03

26.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.77

$1.63 $1.63

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.10

$0.82 $0.82

81.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.09

$0.60 $0.60

323.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 RON 3.86

$0.55 $0.55

47.27%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.79

$0.51 $0.51

56.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 RON 4.07

$0.57 $0.57

50.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RON 4.46

$0.24 $0.24

291.67%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.81 $0.81

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 $0.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 $1.35

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.60 RON 31.42

$2.46 $2.46

168.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.33 RON 30.11

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.64

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 RON 7.54

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 RON 4.64

$0.17 $0.17

476.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.91 RON 99.5

$9.63 $9.63

117.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.42 $0.42

42.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 RON 2.93

$0.29 $0.29

113.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.37 RON 30.28

$2.67 $2.67

138.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 RON 9.63

$0.08 $0.08

2425.00%

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

$28.2K RON 134.1K

$50.1K $50.1K

-43.68%

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

$26.3K RON 125.0K

$46.2K $46.2K

-43.16%

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

$196 RON 933

$13.20 $13.20

1386.21%

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

$8.60 RON 40.89

$1.52 $1.52

465.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.20 RON 43.74

$4.02 $4.02

128.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 RON 243

$18.86 $18.86

170.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.04 RON 119

$13.64 $13.64

83.58%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 RON 39.31

$2.03 $2.03

306.90%

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

$681 RON 3,237

$106 $106

542.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K RON 89.1K

$2,419 $2,419

674.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 RON 444

$23.11 $23.11

303.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.87 RON 190

$27.81 $27.81

43.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 RON 381

$97.7 $97.7

-18.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 RON 431

$72.0 $72.0

25.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$731 RON 3,477

$296 $296

147.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 RON 2,234

$209 $209

124.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,110 RON 5,282

$783 $783

41.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 RON 3,435

$361 $361

99.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 RON 17.8K

$1,165 $1,165

221.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,233 RON 10.6K

$537 $537

315.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,365 RON 6,494

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

24.3

-72.22%

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

Last update for Bucharest: November 2, 2026

Last update for Birjand: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$470 34.3%

Birjand

$209 39.4% 55.5% $261

Eating Out

Bucharest

$229 16.7%

Birjand

$55 10.3% 76.2% $175

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.4%

Birjand

$114 21.5% 49.3% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 15.6%

Birjand

$19 3.5% 91.2% $195

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$137 10%

Birjand

$99 18.7% 27.4% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$68 4.9%

Birjand

$23 4.3% 66.1% $45

Getting Around

Bucharest

$29 2.1%

Birjand

$12 2.3% 57.3% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $731 in Bucharest versus $296 in Birjand. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Bucharest versus $16 in Birjand. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $114 – making Birjand the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇮🇷 Birjand

🕒 Local time

00:48 12:48 AM

02:18 2:18 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

203,636

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 4.76 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Birjand 3,120 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Birjand

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 Birjand: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,371 in Bucharest, $531 in Birjand – Birjand comes out roughly 61% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,056 per month in Bucharest and $796 in Birjand. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Birjand, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $296 there versus $731 in Bucharest.

Groceries cost about 97% more in Bucharest, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Bucharest and $16 in Birjand. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Birjand, where all-in costs run around $531, than in Bucharest at $1,371. In Birjand it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bucharest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Birjand is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 61% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.