Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Brissago

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,337 a month against $3,504 in Brissago, rent and utilities included – about $26,000 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
166

Cost of Living Index in Brissago
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Brissago Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,337

/mo nomad

Brissago

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,504

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Brissago

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

A single person spends $1,337 per month in Bucharest vs $3,504 in Brissago, rent included.

Bucharest $1,337
Brissago $3,504

A couple spends around $2,029 per month in Bucharest vs $5,141 in Brissago, rent included.

Bucharest $2,029
Brissago $5,141

A family of three spends $2,721 per month in Bucharest vs $6,777 in Brissago, rent included.

Bucharest $2,721
Brissago $6,777

Bucharest is about 62% cheaper than Brissago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.45 RON 69.0

$29.38 CHF 24.29

-50.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 277

$123 CHF 102

-52.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.53 RON 35.98

$15.55 CHF 12.85

-51.58%

Cappuccino

$3.45 RON 16.48

$6.77 CHF 5.60

-49.04%

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

$2.46 RON 11.76

$6.33 CHF 5.23

-61.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 RON 10.64

$7.21 CHF 5.96

-69.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.76 RON 17.95

$9.14 CHF 7.56

-58.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 RON 20.02

$7.99 CHF 6.60

-47.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 RON 7.74

$2.12 CHF 1.75

-23.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 RON 6.19

$3.00 CHF 2.48

-56.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 RON 8.12

$3.14 CHF 2.59

-45.86%

Eggs

$3.79 RON 18.10

$7.88 CHF 6.52

-51.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.86 RON 42.29

$24.67 CHF 20.39

-64.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.90 RON 32.97

$29.66 CHF 24.52

-76.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.14 RON 58.0

$39.72 CHF 32.84

-69.44%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.23

$4.03 CHF 3.33

-67.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 RON 7.62

$2.00 CHF 1.65

-20.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.49

$2.76 CHF 2.28

-43.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 RON 12.78

$4.76 CHF 3.93

-43.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 RON 3.86

$1.66 CHF 1.37

-51.20%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.76

$2.07 CHF 1.71

-61.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 RON 4.34

$2.30 CHF 1.90

-60.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 RON 4.62

$1.35 CHF 1.12

-28.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.41 RON 30.62

$11.12 CHF 9.19

-42.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 RON 29.51

$12.14 CHF 10.03

-49.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 RON 5.89

$2.19 CHF 1.81

-43.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 RON 7.99

$2.99 CHF 2.47

-44.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 RON 4.14

$4.69 CHF 3.88

-81.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.98 RON 100

$92.5 CHF 76.5

-77.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.66 RON 3.13

$8.06 CHF 6.67

-91.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.88

$4.57 CHF 3.78

-86.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.19 RON 29.55

$108 CHF 88.9

-94.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 RON 9.23

$2.29 CHF 1.89

-15.72%

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

$28.7K RON 137.2K

$39.6K CHF 32.7K

-27.44%

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

$26.3K RON 125.7K

$39.2K CHF 32.4K

-32.85%

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

$196 RON 934

$279 CHF 231

-29.99%

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

$8.49 RON 40.57

$28.26 CHF 23.36

-69.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.05 RON 43.24

$56.1 CHF 46.39

-83.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.54 RON 237

$79.8 CHF 65.9

-37.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.03 RON 120

$42.62 CHF 35.23

-41.27%

Cinema Ticket

$8.24 RON 39.37

$24.22 CHF 20.02

-65.98%

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

$636 RON 3,035

$3,145 CHF 2,600

-79.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K RON 69.6K

$30.8K CHF 25.5K

-52.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.5 RON 423

$141 CHF 117

-37.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 RON 185

$61.7 CHF 51.0

-37.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 RON 376

$154 CHF 128

-48.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 RON 432

$197 CHF 163

-53.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 RON 3,318

$1,807 CHF 1,494

-61.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 RON 2,128

$1,563 CHF 1,292

-71.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,084 RON 5,178

$2,635 CHF 2,178

-58.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$712 RON 3,400

$2,281 CHF 1,886

-68.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,797 RON 18.1K

$18.9K CHF 15.6K

-79.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,202 RON 10.5K

$10.9K CHF 9,040

-79.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,354 RON 6,466

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

2.46

174.39%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Brissago: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$446 33.3%

Brissago

$1.6K 44.6% 251% $1.1K

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.9%

Brissago

$479 13.7% 112% $253

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.9%

Brissago

$579 16.5% 157% $354

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Brissago

$364 10.4% 70.7% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$133 10%

Brissago

$249 7.1% 86.7% $116

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$66 4.9%

Brissago

$128 3.7% 94.1% $62

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Brissago

$142 4.1% 406% $114

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $695 in Bucharest versus $1,807 in Brissago. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58 in Bucharest versus $123 in Brissago. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $579 – making Bucharest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇨🇭 Brissago

🕒 Local time

00:14 12:14 AM

23:14 11:14 PM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

1,800

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 4.78 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 0.827 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Brissago 1,370 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Brissago

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 Brissago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,337 in Bucharest, $3,504 in Brissago – roughly 162% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,006 per month in Bucharest and $5,256 in Brissago. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $695 there versus $1,807 in Brissago.

Groceries cost about 157% more in Brissago, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58 in Bucharest and $123 in Brissago. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bucharest, where all-in costs run around $1,337, than in Brissago at $3,504. In Bucharest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brissago it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Bucharest is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 162% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.