Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Buzau

For one person, living is cheaper in Buzau: $979 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Buzau
Learn more

Buzau Living Index

Jump to prices

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Buzau

🇷🇴 Romania

$979

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Buzau

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $979 in Buzau.

Bucharest $1,340
Buzau $979

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $1,449 in Buzau.

Bucharest $2,037
Buzau $1,449

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $1,919 in Buzau.

Bucharest $2,734
Buzau $1,919

Living in Bucharest is roughly 37% more expensive than in Buzau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Buzau 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$10.42 RON 49.30

39.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$24.71 RON 117

135.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$6.30 RON 29.79

18.73%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$2.02 RON 9.58

70.30%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$1.93 RON 9.12

22.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$1.50 RON 7.08

53.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$1.66 RON 7.85

122.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$1.71 RON 8.10

143.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$1.76 RON 8.32

-5.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$1.31 RON 6.21

4.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$1.45 RON 6.84

18.62%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$3.10 RON 14.67

17.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$7.50 RON 35.47

21.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$6.62 RON 31.33

3.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$11.10 RON 52.5

8.11%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$0.95 RON 4.50

29.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$1.63 RON 7.72

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.11 RON 5.25

41.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$1.23 RON 5.83

106.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$0.67 RON 3.18

17.91%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$0.78 RON 3.68

-1.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$0.48 RON 2.28

81.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$0.66 RON 3.11

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$6.24 RON 29.54

1.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$6.43 RON 30.42

-3.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$0.76 RON 3.58

56.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.43 RON 6.77

9.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$0.66 RON 3.10

30.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$21.60 RON 102

-2.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$0.52 RON 2.47

23.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.49 RON 2.32

22.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$6.19 RON 29.27

3.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$1.65 RON 7.81

18.79%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$19.4K RON 91.7K

49.58%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$21.1K RON 100.0K

26.02%

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

$196 RON 927

$119 RON 563

64.75%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$7.87 RON 37.24

2.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$7.72 RON 36.53

21.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$32.03 RON 152

56.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$17.85 RON 84.5

41.90%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$6.89 RON 32.60

18.29%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$285 RON 1,348

120.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$6,766 RON 32.0K

108.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$54.5 RON 258

64.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$57.7 RON 273

-33.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$97.5 RON 461

-18.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$84.1 RON 398

7.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$344 RON 1,629

97.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$292 RON 1,379

53.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$606 RON 2,867

78.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$423 RON 2,002

71.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$1,475 RON 6,976

154.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$1,194 RON 5,648

83.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$850 RON 4,021

56.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

6.97

-3.16%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Buzau: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Buzau

$292 29.8% 35% $157

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Buzau

$152 15.5% 32.5% $73

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Buzau

$196 20% 13% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Buzau

$134 13.7% 36.9% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Buzau

$132 13.5% 1.3% $1.7

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Buzau

$46 4.7% 31.1% $21

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Buzau

$27 2.8% 3.6% $1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $344 in Buzau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 56% 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 $25.00 in Buzau for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $196 per month, with Buzau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇷🇴 Buzau

🕒 Local time

05:39 5:39 AM

Same time as Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

115,494

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Bucharest Buzau 98 km

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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 Buzau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Buzau differ by about 37% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $979 including rent). Buzau is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 56% 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: $678 in Bucharest versus $344 in Buzau. 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 $979 in Buzau – a 37% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Buzau runs roughly 2% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $979 in Buzau versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Buzau but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Buzau 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 Buzau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.