Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Budaun

For one person, living is cheaper in Budaun: $360 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
17

Cost of Living Index in Budaun
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Budaun Living Index

Jump to prices

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Budaun

🇮🇳 India

$360

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Budaun

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $360 in Budaun.

Bucharest $1,340
Budaun $360

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $598 in Budaun.

Bucharest $2,037
Budaun $598

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $836 in Budaun.

Bucharest $2,734
Budaun $836

Living in Bucharest is roughly 272% more expensive than in Budaun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Budaun 73% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$3.60 ₹342

302.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$20.73 ₹1,969

180.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$2.67 ₹253

180.15%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$0.54 ₹51.2

537.04%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$0.35 ₹33.18

577.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$0.15 ₹14.19

1433.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$1.87 ₹178

97.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$1.56 ₹148

166.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$0.65 ₹62.2

156.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$0.30 ₹28.24

356.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$0.54 ₹51.6

218.52%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$0.62 ₹58.7

487.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$4.56 ₹433

99.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$2.11 ₹200

224.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$1.08 ₹103

13.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$0.43 ₹41.23

279.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$0.51 ₹48.32

207.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$0.40 ₹38.06

535.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$0.28 ₹26.39

182.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$0.30 ₹28.23

156.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$0.10 ₹9.24

770.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$0.31 ₹29.66

219.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$2.25 ₹214

180.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$2.56 ₹243

142.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.22 ₹116

-2.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$2.05 ₹195

-23.41%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$3.17 ₹301

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$0.24 ₹22.84

258.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$7.79 ₹740

170.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$1.03 ₹98.1

-37.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.11 ₹10.60

445.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$1.54 ₹146

317.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$1.02 ₹97.2

92.16%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$5,173 ₹491.3K

460.52%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$18.4K ₹1.7M

44.74%

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

$196 RON 927

$42.17 ₹4,004

364.52%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$3.95 ₹375

103.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$6.95 ₹660

34.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$15.61 ₹1,482

221.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$6.20 ₹589

308.55%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$5.26 ₹500

54.94%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$104 ₹9,837

506.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$2,209 ₹209.8K

537.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$24.23 ₹2,301

269.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$28.78 ₹2,733

33.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$53.0 ₹5,028

49.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$44.22 ₹4,199

104.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$121 ₹11.5K

462.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$74.2 ₹7,050

503.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$264 ₹25.1K

309.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$174 ₹16.5K

317.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$953 ₹90.5K

293.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$553 ₹52.5K

296.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

8.33

-18.97%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Budaun: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Budaun

$74 20.6% 83.4% $374

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Budaun

$58 16% 74.4% $168

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Budaun

$71 19.8% 68.3% $154

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Budaun

$53 14.7% 75.1% $160

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Budaun

$68 18.8% 49.5% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Budaun

$26 7.3% 60.7% $40

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Budaun

$10 2.9% 63.3% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $121 in Budaun. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $58.0 in Bucharest vs $21.00 in Budaun for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $71.0 per month, with Budaun cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇮🇳 Budaun

🕒 Local time

00:47 12:47 AM

03:17 3:17 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

159,300

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Budaun 4,990 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Budaun

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 Budaun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Budaun differ by about 272% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $360 including rent). Budaun is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,011 in Bucharest and $541 in Budaun to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $678 in Bucharest versus $121 in Budaun. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,340 per month in Bucharest versus $360 in Budaun – a 272% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Budaun runs roughly 171% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $360 in Budaun versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Budaun but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Budaun 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.

Expats usually find Budaun gentler on the wallet – expenses run 272% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.