Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Braila

For one person, living is cheaper in Braila: $1,152 a month against $1,337 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bucharest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Braila
Learn more

Braila Living Index

Jump to prices

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,337

/mo nomad

Braila

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,152

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Braila

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,337 in Bucharest versus $1,152 in Braila.

Bucharest $1,337
Braila $1,152

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,029 in Bucharest versus $1,735 in Braila.

Bucharest $2,029
Braila $1,735

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,721 in Bucharest versus $2,318 in Braila.

Bucharest $2,721
Braila $2,318

Living in Bucharest is roughly 16% more expensive than in Braila, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Braila 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.45 RON 68.4

$18.91 RON 89.5

-23.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$39.90 RON 189

45.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.53 RON 35.65

$9.06 RON 42.89

-16.89%

Cappuccino

$3.45 RON 16.33

$2.62 RON 12.40

31.68%

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

$2.46 RON 11.65

$2.10 RON 9.92

17.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 RON 10.54

$1.76 RON 8.34

26.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.76 RON 17.78

$1.71 RON 8.08

119.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 RON 19.84

$2.15 RON 10.17

94.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 RON 7.67

$1.80 RON 8.50

-10.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 RON 6.13

$1.43 RON 6.75

-9.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 RON 8.05

$1.46 RON 6.89

16.44%

Eggs

$3.79 RON 17.93

$3.31 RON 15.66

14.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.86 RON 41.90

$8.46 RON 40.05

4.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.90 RON 32.67

$7.38 RON 34.92

-6.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.14 RON 57.4

$9.41 RON 44.52

29.01%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.17

$0.99 RON 4.67

31.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 RON 7.55

$1.46 RON 6.92

9.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.42

$1.36 RON 6.45

15.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 RON 12.67

$1.20 RON 5.67

123.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 RON 3.82

$0.79 RON 3.74

2.53%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.73

$0.75 RON 3.53

5.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 RON 4.30

$0.76 RON 3.57

19.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 RON 4.58

$0.84 RON 3.96

15.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.41 RON 30.34

$6.46 RON 30.55

-0.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 RON 29.24

$5.94 RON 28.09

4.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 RON 5.83

$0.98 RON 4.65

25.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 RON 7.91

$1.53 RON 7.23

9.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 RON 4.10

$0.62 RON 2.92

40.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.98 RON 99.3

$15.94 RON 75.4

31.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.66 RON 3.10

$1.02 RON 4.84

-35.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.85

$0.74 RON 3.51

-18.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.19 RON 29.28

$6.84 RON 32.39

-9.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 RON 9.15

$1.55 RON 7.35

24.52%

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

$28.7K RON 135.9K

$26.9K RON 127.3K

6.81%

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

$26.3K RON 124.6K

$30.5K RON 144.3K

-13.66%

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

$196 RON 926

$141 RON 665

39.13%

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

$8.49 RON 40.19

$8.31 RON 39.31

2.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.05 RON 42.84

$13.12 RON 62.1

-31.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.54 RON 234

$32.16 RON 152

54.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.03 RON 118

$14.47 RON 68.5

72.98%

Cinema Ticket

$8.24 RON 39.01

$7.24 RON 34.26

13.81%

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

$636 RON 3,007

$369 RON 1,743

72.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K RON 69.0K

$8,563 RON 40.5K

70.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.5 RON 419

$99.4 RON 470

-10.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 RON 183

$60.6 RON 287

-36.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 RON 373

$93.5 RON 442

-15.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 RON 428

$125 RON 592

-27.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 RON 3,288

$391 RON 1,848

77.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 RON 2,109

$308 RON 1,457

44.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,084 RON 5,130

$537 RON 2,539

102.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$712 RON 3,368

$443 RON 2,094

60.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,797 RON 18.0K

$1,930 RON 9,133

96.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,202 RON 10.4K

$1,316 RON 6,226

67.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,354 RON 6,406

$855 RON 4,045

58.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

8.3

-18.67%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Braila: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$446 33.3%

Braila

$308 26.7% 30.9% $138

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.9%

Braila

$238 20.7% 5.6% $13

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.9%

Braila

$204 17.7% 9.7% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Braila

$162 14.1% 24% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$133 10%

Braila

$170 14.8% 27.7% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$66 4.9%

Braila

$47 4.1% 29.4% $19

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Braila

$23 2% 17.7% $5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Bucharest and $391 in Braila. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 58% 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 $40.00 in Braila for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $204 per month, with Braila cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇷🇴 Braila

🕒 Local time

23:03 11:03 PM

Same time as Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

180,302

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bucharest Braila 170 km

From you

Bucharest
Braila

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 Braila: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Braila wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Bucharest. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Braila the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 58% 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: $695 in Bucharest versus $391 in Braila. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Braila runs roughly 32% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $636 in Bucharest versus $369 in Braila. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,152 in Braila versus $1,337 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Braila but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Braila the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Braila delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,152 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Braila hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Braila gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.