Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Botosani

For one person, living is cheaper in Botosani: $895 a month against $1,354 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Botosani
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Botosani Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,354

/mo nomad

Botosani

🇷🇴 Romania

$895

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Botosani

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,354 in Bucharest versus $895 in Botosani.

Bucharest $1,354
Botosani $895

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,043 in Bucharest versus $1,321 in Botosani.

Bucharest $2,043
Botosani $1,321

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,733 in Bucharest versus $1,747 in Botosani.

Bucharest $2,733
Botosani $1,747

Living in Bucharest is roughly 51% more expensive than in Botosani, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.66 RON 70.5

$9.05 RON 43.47

61.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 277

$27.82 RON 134

107.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 RON 36.13

$7.22 RON 34.69

4.16%

Cappuccino

$3.56 RON 17.09

$2.27 RON 10.93

56.83%

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

$2.47 RON 11.88

$1.38 RON 6.65

78.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 RON 10.50

$1.18 RON 5.68

84.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 RON 17.72

$1.90 RON 9.16

94.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 RON 20.57

$2.31 RON 11.11

85.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 8.04

$1.39 RON 6.67

20.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.49

$1.07 RON 5.13

26.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.53

$1.46 RON 7.02

21.92%

Eggs

$3.56 RON 17.12

$2.90 RON 13.96

22.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.12 RON 43.84

$6.92 RON 33.25

31.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.82 RON 32.76

$5.91 RON 28.42

15.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.13 RON 58.3

$9.08 RON 43.66

33.59%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 RON 6.08

$1.00 RON 4.80

26.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 RON 7.80

$1.30 RON 6.25

24.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.49

$1.44 RON 6.90

8.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.21

$1.86 RON 8.92

36.56%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 RON 3.76

$0.77 RON 3.68

1.30%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.72

$0.54 RON 2.58

42.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 RON 4.27

$0.81 RON 3.88

9.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 RON 4.32

$0.71 RON 3.40

26.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 RON 31.48

$5.93 RON 28.51

10.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.37 RON 30.60

$6.40 RON 30.75

-0.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 RON 5.97

$1.03 RON 4.97

20.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 RON 7.79

$1.59 RON 7.64

1.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 RON 4.10

$0.75 RON 3.61

13.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.71 RON 99.6

$29.58 RON 142

-29.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 RON 2.95

$0.70 RON 3.38

-12.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.95

$0.72 RON 3.45

-15.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.16 RON 29.62

$7.30 RON 35.08

-15.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 RON 9.60

$1.77 RON 8.50

12.99%

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

$27.9K RON 134.3K

$26.3K RON 126.6K

6.10%

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

$25.3K RON 121.7K

$25.5K RON 122.6K

-0.74%

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

$192 RON 923

$98.7 RON 474

94.64%

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

$7.92 RON 38.05

$7.45 RON 35.83

6.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.96 RON 43.05

$8.29 RON 39.84

8.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.99 RON 240

$30.75 RON 148

62.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 RON 119

$23.24 RON 112

6.76%

Cinema Ticket

$8.51 RON 40.88

$5.30 RON 25.46

60.57%

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

$686 RON 3,296

$315 RON 1,513

117.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 69.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.2 RON 434

$45.88 RON 220

96.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.74 RON 186

$30.22 RON 145

28.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.9 RON 379

$62.5 RON 300

26.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 RON 442

$66.6 RON 320

38.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$711 RON 3,418

$391 RON 1,877

82.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 RON 2,220

$280 RON 1,347

64.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 RON 5,063

$537 RON 2,583

96.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$723 RON 3,473

$379 RON 1,820

90.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,634 RON 17.5K

$1,367 RON 6,571

165.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,173 RON 10.4K

$1,010 RON 4,853

115.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,354 RON 6,506

$974 RON 4,681

38.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

6.57

2.74%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 26, 2026

Last update for Botosani: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$462 34.1%

Botosani

$280 31.3% 39.3% $182

Eating Out

Bucharest

$228 16.9%

Botosani

$146 16.3% 36.1% $82

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.6%

Botosani

$184 20.5% 18.3% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$209 15.4%

Botosani

$114 12.8% 45.2% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$135 10%

Botosani

$92 10.3% 31.6% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Botosani

$41 4.6% 38.3% $26

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Botosani

$37 4.1% 32.6% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $711 in Bucharest and $391 in Botosani. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 39% 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 in Bucharest vs $28 in Botosani for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $184 per month, with Botosani cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇷🇴 Botosani

🕒 Local time

00:53 12:53 AM

Same time as Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

106,847

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Bucharest Botosani 370 km

From you

Bucharest
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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 Botosani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,354 in Bucharest and $895 in Botosani, so Botosani is about 34% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 39% 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: $711 in Bucharest versus $391 in Botosani. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $686 in Bucharest versus $315 in Botosani. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Bucharest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $895 in Botosani versus $1,354 in Bucharest, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Botosani but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Botosani 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.

It comes down to priorities – Botosani wins on affordability, Bucharest on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.