Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Burrel

For one person, living is cheaper in Burrel: $1,101 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bucharest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Burrel
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Burrel Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Burrel

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,101

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Burrel

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,101 in Burrel.

Bucharest $1,340
Burrel $1,101

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $1,673 in Burrel.

Bucharest $2,037
Burrel $1,673

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $2,244 in Burrel.

Bucharest $2,734
Burrel $2,244

Living in Bucharest is roughly 22% more expensive than in Burrel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Burrel 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 69.3

$9.87 ALL 807

46.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 278

$38.18 ALL 3,121

52.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.78

$7.44 ALL 608

0.54%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.46

$1.89 ALL 155

82.01%

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

$2.37 RON 11.34

$1.85 ALL 151

28.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 11.00

$0.69 ALL 56.5

233.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.69

$2.42 ALL 198

52.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.90

$3.31 ALL 271

25.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.98

$1.95 ALL 159

-14.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.57

$0.92 ALL 75.1

48.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.22

$2.08 ALL 170

-17.31%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.40

$2.70 ALL 221

34.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 43.43

$10.15 ALL 830

-10.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.69

$8.53 ALL 697

-19.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 57.4

$14.15 ALL 1,157

-15.19%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.86

$1.98 ALL 162

-37.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.81

$2.24 ALL 183

-27.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.53

$1.66 ALL 136

-5.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.14

$1.58 ALL 129

60.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.78

$1.05 ALL 85.5

-24.76%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.69

$1.22 ALL 100

-36.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.17

$1.19 ALL 97.5

-26.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.75

$0.78 ALL 63.9

26.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 30.17

$4.23 ALL 346

49.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.65

$8.13 ALL 664

-23.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.68

$1.80 ALL 147

-33.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.53

$1.81 ALL 148

-13.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.12

$0.55 ALL 45.20

56.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 101

$19.06 ALL 1,559

10.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.08

$3.64 ALL 298

-82.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.89

$3.88 ALL 317

-84.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.76

$18.24 ALL 1,492

-64.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.35

$2.15 ALL 176

-8.84%

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

$29.0K RON 138.6K

$33.8K ALL 2.8M

-14.31%

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

$26.6K RON 127.4K

$24.7K ALL 2.0M

7.89%

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

$196 RON 937

$61.9 ALL 5,064

216.26%

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

$8.04 RON 38.45

$16.84 ALL 1,377

-52.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.68

$12.32 ALL 1,008

-24.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 240

$55.9 ALL 4,570

-10.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 121

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.96

$8.33 ALL 681

-2.16%

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

$628 RON 3,003

$96.4 ALL 7,878

551.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 67.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 428

$49.48 ALL 4,046

81.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 183

$54.4 ALL 4,445

-29.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 379

$99.7 ALL 8,149

-20.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 432

$146 ALL 11.9K

-38.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,243

$469 ALL 38.3K

44.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,144

$333 ALL 27.2K

34.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,179

$694 ALL 56.8K

56.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,466

$470 ALL 38.4K

54.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.9K

$1,809 ALL 147.9K

107.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.5K

$1,239 ALL 101.3K

77.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,356

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

35.00%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Burrel: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Burrel

$333 30.3% 25.7% $115

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Burrel

$153 13.9% 32.1% $72

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Burrel

$250 22.7% 11% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Burrel

$91 8.3% 57.3% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Burrel

$157 14.3% 17.5% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Burrel

$73 6.6% 9.1% $6

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Burrel

$44 4% 57.1% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $469 in Burrel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $58.0 in Bucharest vs $38.00 in Burrel. Groceries flip the comparison at $225 vs $250, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇦🇱 Burrel

🕒 Local time

14:02 2:02 PM

13:02 1:02 PM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

10,862

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Albanian Lek ALL L

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

100 ALL = 1.22 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ALL, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 4.78 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 81.76 ALL (100 ALL = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 91.27 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Burrel 590 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Burrel

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 Burrel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Burrel differ by about 22% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $1,101 including rent). Burrel 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 $1,651 in Burrel 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 $469 in Burrel. 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 $1,101 in Burrel – a 22% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Burrel runs roughly 11% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,101 in Burrel versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Burrel but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Burrel 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.

Safety-wise, Bucharest and Burrel 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 Burrel gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.