Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Bistrita

For one person, living is cheaper in Bistrita: $849 a month against $1,354 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Bistrita
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Bistrita Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,354

/mo nomad

Bistrita

🇷🇴 Romania

$849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Bistrita

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

A single person spends $1,354 per month in Bucharest vs $849 in Bistrita, rent included.

Bucharest $1,354
Bistrita $849

A couple spends around $2,043 per month in Bucharest vs $1,284 in Bistrita, rent included.

Bucharest $2,043
Bistrita $1,284

A family of three spends $2,733 per month in Bucharest vs $1,720 in Bistrita, rent included.

Bucharest $2,733
Bistrita $1,720

Bucharest costs about 59% more than Bistrita, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.66 RON 70.1

$6.29 RON 30.05

133.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 276

$31.15 RON 149

85.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 RON 35.92

$6.30 RON 30.09

19.37%

Cappuccino

$3.56 RON 16.99

$2.22 RON 10.61

60.36%

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

$2.47 RON 11.81

$1.63 RON 7.79

51.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 RON 10.44

$1.35 RON 6.47

61.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 RON 17.62

$2.06 RON 9.83

79.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 RON 20.45

$3.17 RON 15.13

35.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.99

$1.23 RON 5.86

35.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.45

$1.05 RON 5.03

28.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.48

$1.04 RON 4.97

71.15%

Eggs

$3.56 RON 17.02

$2.57 RON 12.30

38.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.12 RON 43.60

$6.21 RON 29.69

46.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.82 RON 32.58

$5.99 RON 28.64

13.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.13 RON 58.0

$11.03 RON 52.7

9.97%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 RON 6.04

$0.87 RON 4.17

44.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 RON 7.76

$1.44 RON 6.90

12.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.45

$1.55 RON 7.41

0.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.14

$2.02 RON 9.66

25.74%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 RON 3.74

$0.76 RON 3.63

2.63%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.70

$0.64 RON 3.07

20.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 RON 4.24

$1.03 RON 4.92

-13.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 RON 4.30

$0.63 RON 2.99

42.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 RON 31.30

$5.37 RON 25.64

21.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.37 RON 30.42

$5.38 RON 25.73

18.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 RON 5.94

$0.91 RON 4.34

36.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 RON 7.75

$1.07 RON 5.12

51.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 RON 4.08

$0.44 RON 2.09

93.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.71 RON 99.0

$21.03 RON 101

-1.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 RON 2.93

$0.69 RON 3.32

-11.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.93

$0.74 RON 3.55

-17.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.16 RON 29.45

$7.35 RON 35.13

-16.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 RON 9.55

$1.54 RON 7.35

29.87%

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

$27.9K RON 133.5K

$27.3K RON 130.6K

2.27%

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

$25.3K RON 121.0K

$24.1K RON 115.2K

5.07%

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

$192 RON 918

$175 RON 835

9.88%

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

$7.92 RON 37.83

$5.75 RON 27.46

37.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.96 RON 42.81

$6.00 RON 28.67

49.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.99 RON 239

$39.70 RON 190

25.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 RON 119

$30.80 RON 147

-19.45%

Cinema Ticket

$8.51 RON 40.65

$6.19 RON 29.59

37.48%

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

$686 RON 3,278

$305 RON 1,457

124.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.9K

$8,850 RON 42.3K

62.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.2 RON 431

$37.24 RON 178

142.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.74 RON 185

$26.70 RON 128

45.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.9 RON 377

$63.0 RON 301

25.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 RON 440

$74.2 RON 354

24.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$711 RON 3,398

$217 RON 1,037

227.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 RON 2,207

$187 RON 894

146.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 RON 5,034

$393 RON 1,876

168.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$723 RON 3,453

$309 RON 1,478

133.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,634 RON 17.4K

$1,477 RON 7,060

145.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,173 RON 10.4K

$1,155 RON 5,517

88.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,354 RON 6,470

$985 RON 4,709

37.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

6.73

0.30%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bistrita: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$462 34.1%

Bistrita

$187 22% 59.5% $275

Eating Out

Bucharest

$228 16.9%

Bistrita

$124 14.7% 45.5% $104

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.6%

Bistrita

$181 21.3% 19.5% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$209 15.4%

Bistrita

$187 22% 10.7% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$135 10%

Bistrita

$91 10.7% 32.9% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Bistrita

$52 6.1% 22.3% $15

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Bistrita

$27 3.2% 2.2% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $711 in Bucharest versus $217 in Bistrita. 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 37% higher in Bucharest, 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 in Bucharest versus $31 in Bistrita. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $181 – making Bistrita the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇷🇴 Bistrita

🕒 Local time

20:10 8:10 PM

Same time as Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

75,076

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Bucharest Bistrita 320 km

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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 Bistrita: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest costs about 59% more than Bistrita, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,030 per month in Bucharest and $1,273 in Bistrita. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bistrita, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $217 there versus $711 in Bucharest.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,354 in Bucharest and $849 in Bistrita. That makes Bistrita about 37% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $686 per month in Bucharest and $305 in Bistrita. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,354 in Bucharest and $849 in Bistrita. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

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