Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Brussels

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $2,552 in Brussels, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index
126

Cost of Living Index in Brussels
Learn more

Brussels Living Index

Jump to prices

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Brussels

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,552

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Brussels

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,351 in Bucharest versus $2,552 in Brussels.

Bucharest $1,351
Brussels $2,552

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,033 in Bucharest versus $3,875 in Brussels.

Bucharest $2,033
Brussels $3,875

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,715 in Bucharest versus $5,197 in Brussels.

Bucharest $2,715
Brussels $5,197

Living in Bucharest costs roughly 47% less than in Brussels, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bucharest 1% above, Brussels 90% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 RON 68.9

$22.61 €20.16

-36.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 275

$91.2 €81.4

-36.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 RON 35.72

$15.21 €13.56

-50.69%

Cappuccino

$3.43 RON 16.32

$4.32 €3.85

-20.60%

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

$2.46 RON 11.72

$3.78 €3.37

-34.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.09

$3.04 €2.71

-23.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 RON 18.10

$5.53 €4.93

-31.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.56

$5.73 €5.11

-28.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.85

$1.31 €1.17

25.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.44

$2.71 €2.42

-50.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.48

$2.80 €2.50

-36.43%

Eggs

$3.66 RON 17.46

$5.33 €4.75

-31.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 RON 40.84

$17.78 €15.86

-51.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RON 32.41

$13.11 €11.69

-48.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 RON 55.8

$22.01 €19.62

-46.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.16

$3.12 €2.78

-58.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.43

$2.37 €2.11

-34.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.34

$2.75 €2.45

-44.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 RON 11.84

$4.24 €3.78

-41.51%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.95

$2.58 €2.30

-67.83%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.80

$2.23 €1.99

-64.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 4.01

$1.80 €1.60

-53.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 RON 4.42

$1.27 €1.13

-26.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 RON 30.68

$13.68 €12.20

-52.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 RON 30.13

$9.75 €8.69

-35.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.99

$2.68 €2.39

-52.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 RON 7.65

$3.06 €2.72

-47.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.88

$2.88 €2.57

-71.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.13 RON 101

$63.1 €56.2

-66.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.88

$2.86 €2.55

-79.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.93

$2.31 €2.06

-73.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.41

$40.43 €36.05

-84.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.34

$2.15 €1.92

-8.84%

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

$28.1K RON 134.2K

$35.1K €31.3K

-19.79%

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

$26.3K RON 125.3K

$33.2K €29.6K

-20.72%

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

$197 RON 938

$285 €254

-31.00%

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

$8.34 RON 39.74

$21.90 €19.52

-61.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.19 RON 43.80

$53.0 €47.22

-82.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.87 RON 238

$33.51 €29.88

48.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 119

$27.85 €24.83

-10.27%

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 RON 40.31

$16.62 €14.82

-49.10%

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

$639 RON 3,046

$1,590 €1,418

-59.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.6K

$37.2K €33.1K

-61.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 RON 432

$104 €92.6

-12.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 RON 181

$46.15 €41.14

-17.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 RON 380

$111 €99.1

-28.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 RON 444

$149 €133

-37.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 RON 3,209

$1,318 €1,175

-48.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 RON 2,139

$1,166 €1,039

-61.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 RON 5,234

$2,442 €2,177

-55.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 RON 3,474

$1,980 €1,766

-63.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,740 RON 17.8K

$5,082 €4,531

-26.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 RON 10.4K

$3,941 €3,514

-44.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,323 RON 6,306

$3,280 €2,924

-59.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

3.71

81.67%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Last update for Brussels: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$449 33.5%

Brussels

$1.2K 44.8% 160% $717

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.8%

Brussels

$345 13.2% 52.8% $119

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$222 16.5%

Brussels

$393 15.1% 77.4% $172

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 16%

Brussels

$360 13.8% 68% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$136 10.1%

Brussels

$185 7.1% 36.1% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Brussels

$67 2.6% 0% $0

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Brussels

$89 3.4% 217% $61

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $673 in Bucharest and $1,318 in Brussels. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brussels pays 148% 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 $91.0 in Brussels for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $393 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇧🇪 Brussels

🕒 Local time

06:47 6:47 AM

05:47 5:47 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

188,137 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.77 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bucharest Brussels 1,770 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Brussels

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 Brussels: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest wins on cost – living expenses run 89% lower than in Brussels. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bucharest the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 148% lower in Brussels. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $673 in Bucharest versus $1,318 in Brussels. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 77% higher in Brussels. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Bucharest – a meal for two runs $58.0 versus $91.0 in Brussels. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $2,552 in Brussels, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Brussels. The gap between the two cities makes Bucharest the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bucharest delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,351 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bucharest hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Bucharest and Brussels are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bucharest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 89% less than in Brussels. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.