Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Birmingham

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $2,500 in Birmingham, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Birmingham
Learn more

Birmingham Living Index

Jump to prices

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Birmingham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,500

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Birmingham

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

A single person spends $1,351 per month in Bucharest vs $2,500 in Birmingham, rent included.

Bucharest $1,351
Birmingham $2,500

A couple spends around $2,033 per month in Bucharest vs $3,627 in Birmingham, rent included.

Bucharest $2,033
Birmingham $3,627

A family of three spends $2,715 per month in Bucharest vs $4,753 in Birmingham, rent included.

Bucharest $2,715
Birmingham $4,753

Bucharest is about 46% cheaper than Birmingham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Bucharest and Birmingham sit above the global median – Bucharest by 1%, Birmingham by 87%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 RON 68.4

$20.14 £15.22

-28.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 273

$101 £76.2

-42.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 RON 35.46

$9.44 £7.14

-20.55%

Cappuccino

$3.43 RON 16.20

$5.06 £3.82

-32.21%

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

$2.46 RON 11.63

$2.54 £1.92

-3.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.01

$1.95 £1.47

19.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 RON 17.97

$7.11 £5.38

-46.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.41

$6.68 £5.05

-38.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.79

$1.89 £1.43

-12.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.39

$1.85 £1.40

-27.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.42

$2.50 £1.89

-28.80%

Eggs

$3.66 RON 17.33

$3.91 £2.96

-6.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 RON 40.54

$9.06 £6.85

-5.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RON 32.17

$8.71 £6.58

-21.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 RON 55.4

$15.03 £11.36

-22.02%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.11

$2.58 £1.95

-50.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.37

$1.76 £1.33

-11.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.28

$2.44 £1.84

-36.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 RON 11.75

$3.70 £2.79

-32.97%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.92

$1.57 £1.19

-47.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.77

$1.76 £1.33

-54.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 3.98

$1.32 £1.00

-36.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 RON 4.39

$1.58 £1.19

-41.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 RON 30.45

$21.86 £16.52

-70.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 RON 29.91

$12.09 £9.14

-47.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.94

$3.67 £2.77

-65.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 RON 7.59

$3.34 £2.53

-52.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.85

$3.94 £2.98

-79.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.13 RON 99.9

$94.2 £71.2

-77.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$4.97 £3.76

-87.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.91

$2.39 £1.81

-74.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.19

$24.23 £18.31

-74.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.27

$2.07 £1.56

-5.31%

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

$28.1K RON 133.1K

$37.5K £28.3K

-24.89%

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

$26.3K RON 124.3K

$41.1K £31.1K

-36.07%

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

$197 RON 931

$316 £239

-37.67%

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

$8.34 RON 39.44

$21.37 £16.15

-60.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.19 RON 43.47

$47.44 £35.85

-80.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.87 RON 236

$38.70 £29.24

28.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 118

$30.29 £22.89

-17.50%

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 RON 40.01

$15.89 £12.01

-46.76%

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

$639 RON 3,023

$1,601 £1,210

-60.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.1K

$23.5K £17.8K

-38.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 RON 429

$106 £80.5

-14.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 RON 180

$49.76 £37.61

-23.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 RON 377

$118 £89.0

-32.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 RON 441

$149 £112

-37.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 RON 3,184

$1,395 £1,054

-51.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 RON 2,123

$1,104 £834

-59.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 RON 5,195

$2,128 £1,608

-48.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 RON 3,448

$1,719 £1,299

-57.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,740 RON 17.7K

$5,354 £4,046

-30.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 RON 10.4K

$4,174 £3,154

-47.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,323 RON 6,259

$4,523 £3,418

-70.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

5.09

32.42%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Last update for Birmingham: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$449 33.5%

Birmingham

$1.1K 44.1% 146% $655

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.8%

Birmingham

$317 12.7% 40.5% $91

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$222 16.5%

Birmingham

$312 12.5% 40.8% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 16%

Birmingham

$385 15.4% 79.4% $170

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$136 10.1%

Birmingham

$190 7.6% 40.2% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Birmingham

$70 2.8% 5.5% $3.7

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Birmingham

$127 5.1% 352% $99

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $673 in Bucharest versus $1,395 in Birmingham. 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 242% higher in Birmingham, 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 $101 in Birmingham. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $312 – making Bucharest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇬🇧 Birmingham

🕒 Local time

14:56 2:56 PM

12:56 12:56 PM

2 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

1,036,878

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, 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).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.847 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bucharest Birmingham 2,230 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Birmingham

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 Birmingham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,351 in Bucharest, $2,500 in Birmingham – roughly 85% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,027 per month in Bucharest and $3,750 in Birmingham. 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 $639 per month in Bucharest and $1,601 in Birmingham. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 41% more in Birmingham, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bucharest, where all-in costs run around $1,351, than in Birmingham at $2,500. In Bucharest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Birmingham it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Bucharest has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,351 in Bucharest to $2,500 in Birmingham. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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