Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Carthage

For one person, living is cheaper in Carthage: $693 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Carthage
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Carthage Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Carthage

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$693

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Carthage

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $693 in Carthage.

Bucharest $1,340
Carthage $693

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $1,100 in Carthage.

Bucharest $2,037
Carthage $1,100

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $1,508 in Carthage.

Bucharest $2,734
Carthage $1,508

Living in Bucharest is roughly 93% more expensive than in Carthage, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Carthage 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$4.09 TND 12.26

254.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$22.71 TND 68.0

155.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$5.89 TND 17.65

26.99%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$1.15 TND 3.44

199.13%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$0.73 TND 2.20

224.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$0.29 TND 0.88

693.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$1.70 TND 5.08

117.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$2.05 TND 6.14

102.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$0.49 TND 1.46

240.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$0.26 TND 0.78

426.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$1.78 TND 5.33

-3.37%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$1.84 TND 5.50

97.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$10.20 TND 30.56

-10.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$5.74 TND 17.21

19.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$14.42 TND 43.20

-16.78%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$1.31 TND 3.92

-6.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$3.65 TND 10.93

-55.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.17 TND 3.49

34.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$0.83 TND 2.48

206.02%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$0.90 TND 2.70

-12.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$0.69 TND 2.07

11.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$0.53 TND 1.60

64.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$0.34 TND 1.03

191.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$3.59 TND 10.75

75.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$6.62 TND 19.82

-6.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.23 TND 3.68

-3.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.24 TND 3.72

26.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$0.43 TND 1.30

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$13.96 TND 41.82

51.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$0.31 TND 0.92

106.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.34 TND 1.03

76.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$1.78 TND 5.34

261.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$0.88 TND 2.63

122.73%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$39.9K TND 119.4K

-27.26%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$35.4K TND 106.1K

-24.83%

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

$196 RON 927

$45.22 TND 135

333.19%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$9.23 TND 27.63

-12.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$20.98 TND 62.9

-55.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$32.18 TND 96.4

56.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$13.26 TND 39.70

91.03%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$5.17 TND 15.49

57.64%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$104 TND 311

503.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$3,218 TND 9,637

337.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$43.72 TND 131

104.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$59.3 TND 178

-35.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$114 TND 340

-30.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$67.7 TND 203

33.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$211 TND 633

221.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$154 TND 463

190.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$209 TND 625

419.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$272 TND 815

166.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$972 TND 2,911

285.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$622 TND 1,862

253.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$269 TND 807

393.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

10.28

-34.34%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Carthage: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Carthage

$154 22.3% 65.6% $294

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Carthage

$81 11.7% 64.1% $144

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Carthage

$194 28% 13.8% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Carthage

$75 10.9% 64.6% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Carthage

$128 18.5% 4.5% $6

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Carthage

$43 6.1% 36.1% $24

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Carthage

$18 2.6% 37.1% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $211 in Carthage. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 393% 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 $23.00 in Carthage for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $194 per month, with Carthage cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇹🇳 Carthage

🕒 Local time

12:52 12:52 PM

10:52 10:52 AM

2 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

21,276

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1 TND = 0.334 USD

1 TND = 0.297 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 2.99 TND (1 TND = 0.334 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 TND (1 TND = 0.297 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Carthage 1,570 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Carthage

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 Carthage: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Carthage differ by about 93% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $693 including rent). Carthage is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 393% 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 $211 in Carthage. 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 $693 in Carthage – a 93% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Carthage runs roughly 51% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $693 in Carthage versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Carthage but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Carthage 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 Carthage gentler on the wallet – expenses run 93% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.