Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Brasov

For one person, living costs are similar in Bucharest and in Brasov: $1,354 and $1,329 a month, rent and utilities included.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Brasov
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Brasov Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,354

/mo nomad

Brasov

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,329

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Brasov

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,354 in Bucharest versus $1,329 in Brasov.

Bucharest $1,354
Brasov $1,329

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,043 in Bucharest versus $2,100 in Brasov.

Bucharest $2,043
Brasov $2,100

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,733 in Bucharest versus $2,872 in Brasov.

Bucharest $2,733
Brasov $2,872

Monthly costs are close between Bucharest and Brasov; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.66 RON 70.1

$11.18 RON 53.4

31.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 276

$51.6 RON 247

11.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 RON 35.92

$7.52 RON 35.96

Cappuccino

$3.56 RON 16.99

$3.56 RON 17.02

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

$2.47 RON 11.81

$2.47 RON 11.79

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 RON 10.44

$2.24 RON 10.71

-2.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 RON 17.62

$3.10 RON 14.84

19.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 RON 20.45

$3.43 RON 16.39

24.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.99

$1.58 RON 7.53

5.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.45

$1.37 RON 6.57

-1.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.48

$1.74 RON 8.34

2.30%

Eggs

$3.56 RON 17.02

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.12 RON 43.60

$8.89 RON 42.46

2.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.82 RON 32.58

$6.71 RON 32.08

1.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.13 RON 58.0

$12.46 RON 59.5

-2.65%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 RON 6.04

$1.52 RON 7.29

-17.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 RON 7.76

$1.56 RON 7.46

3.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.45

$1.58 RON 7.57

-1.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.14

$2.59 RON 12.37

-1.93%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 RON 3.74

$0.78 RON 3.71

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.70

$0.86 RON 4.10

-10.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 RON 4.24

$0.91 RON 4.36

-2.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 RON 4.30

$0.77 RON 3.66

16.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 RON 31.30

$6.03 RON 28.81

8.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.37 RON 30.42

$7.29 RON 34.84

-12.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 RON 5.94

$1.18 RON 5.65

5.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 RON 7.75

$1.87 RON 8.91

-13.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 RON 4.08

$1.02 RON 4.88

-16.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.71 RON 99.0

$23.18 RON 111

-10.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 RON 2.93

$0.64 RON 3.04

-4.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.93

$0.67 RON 3.22

-8.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.16 RON 29.45

$6.65 RON 31.76

-7.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 RON 9.55

$1.93 RON 9.21

3.63%

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

$27.9K RON 133.5K

$28.1K RON 134.5K

-0.69%

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

$25.3K RON 121.0K

$24.9K RON 119.1K

1.58%

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

$192 RON 918

$179 RON 856

7.27%

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

$7.92 RON 37.83

$7.57 RON 36.18

4.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.96 RON 42.81

$9.32 RON 44.55

-3.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.99 RON 239

$55.5 RON 265

-9.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 RON 119

$13.39 RON 64.0

85.29%

Cinema Ticket

$8.51 RON 40.65

$9.42 RON 45.03

-9.66%

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

$686 RON 3,278

$434 RON 2,076

57.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.9K

$6,793 RON 32.5K

112.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.2 RON 431

$52.2 RON 249

72.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.74 RON 185

$35.26 RON 168

9.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.9 RON 377

$75.5 RON 361

4.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 RON 440

$89.8 RON 429

2.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$711 RON 3,398

$684 RON 3,266

4.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 RON 2,207

$492 RON 2,350

-6.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 RON 5,034

$1,247 RON 5,957

-15.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$723 RON 3,453

$1,010 RON 4,826

-28.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,634 RON 17.4K

$3,153 RON 15.1K

15.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,173 RON 10.4K

$2,361 RON 11.3K

-8.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,354 RON 6,470

$1,096 RON 5,239

23.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

7.2

-6.25%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 26, 2026

Last update for Brasov: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$462 34.1%

Brasov

$492 37% 6.5% $30

Eating Out

Bucharest

$228 16.9%

Brasov

$196 14.8% 14.1% $32

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.6%

Brasov

$226 17% 0.4% $0.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$209 15.4%

Brasov

$196 14.8% 6.2% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$135 10%

Brasov

$114 8.6% 15.7% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Brasov

$74 5.6% 10.9% $7.3

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Brasov

$31 2.4% 12.4% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $711 in Bucharest and $684 in Brasov. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 23% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $58 in Bucharest vs $52 in Brasov. Groceries flip the comparison at $225 vs $226, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇷🇴 Brasov

🕒 Local time

10:13 10:13 AM

Same time as Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

253,200

💱 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

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Brasov 140 km

From you

Bucharest
Brasov

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 Brasov: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 23% 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 $684 in Brasov. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $686 in Bucharest versus $434 in Brasov. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 11% less than in Brasov. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Brasov gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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