Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Cham

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,337 a month against $3,527 in Cham, rent and utilities included – about $26,300 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
171

Cost of Living Index in Cham
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Cham Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,337

/mo nomad

Cham

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Cham

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,337 in Bucharest versus $3,527 in Cham.

Bucharest $1,337
Cham $3,527

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,029 in Bucharest versus $5,432 in Cham.

Bucharest $2,029
Cham $5,432

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,721 in Bucharest versus $7,337 in Cham.

Bucharest $2,721
Cham $7,337

Living in Bucharest costs roughly 62% less than in Cham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% below, Cham is 160% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.45 RON 68.4

$30.40 CHF 25.04

-52.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$122 CHF 101

-52.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.53 RON 35.65

$18.19 CHF 14.98

-58.60%

Cappuccino

$3.45 RON 16.33

$6.17 CHF 5.09

-44.08%

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

$2.46 RON 11.65

$5.52 CHF 4.55

-55.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 RON 10.54

$4.81 CHF 3.96

-53.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.76 RON 17.78

$8.62 CHF 7.10

-56.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 RON 19.84

$6.60 CHF 5.44

-36.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 RON 7.67

$2.14 CHF 1.76

-24.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 RON 6.13

$3.80 CHF 3.13

-65.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 RON 8.05

$3.86 CHF 3.18

-55.96%

Eggs

$3.79 RON 17.93

$7.26 CHF 5.98

-47.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.86 RON 41.90

$26.70 CHF 21.99

-66.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.90 RON 32.67

$28.37 CHF 23.37

-75.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.14 RON 57.4

$42.48 CHF 34.98

-71.42%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.17

$4.22 CHF 3.48

-69.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 RON 7.55

$2.12 CHF 1.75

-24.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.42

$3.28 CHF 2.70

-52.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 RON 12.67

$4.59 CHF 3.78

-41.61%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 RON 3.82

$2.42 CHF 1.99

-66.53%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.73

$2.16 CHF 1.78

-63.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 RON 4.30

$2.46 CHF 2.03

-63.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 RON 4.58

$1.16 CHF 0.95

-16.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.41 RON 30.34

$10.98 CHF 9.05

-41.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 RON 29.24

$12.73 CHF 10.48

-51.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 RON 5.83

$2.78 CHF 2.29

-55.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 RON 7.91

$3.14 CHF 2.59

-46.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 RON 4.10

$4.95 CHF 4.08

-82.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.98 RON 99.3

$149 CHF 122

-85.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.66 RON 3.10

$5.29 CHF 4.36

-87.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.85

$3.40 CHF 2.80

-82.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.19 RON 29.28

$61.7 CHF 50.8

-89.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 RON 9.15

$2.32 CHF 1.91

-16.81%

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

$28.7K RON 135.9K

$39.0K CHF 32.1K

-26.39%

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

$26.3K RON 124.6K

$39.1K CHF 32.2K

-32.59%

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

$196 RON 926

$279 CHF 230

-29.88%

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

$8.49 RON 40.19

$30.94 CHF 25.48

-72.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.05 RON 42.84

$55.9 CHF 46.04

-83.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.54 RON 234

$90.5 CHF 74.5

-45.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.03 RON 118

$49.67 CHF 40.90

-49.61%

Cinema Ticket

$8.24 RON 39.01

$25.71 CHF 21.18

-67.95%

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

$636 RON 3,007

$1,791 CHF 1,475

-64.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K RON 69.0K

$32.2K CHF 26.5K

-54.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.5 RON 419

$143 CHF 118

-38.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 RON 183

$58.7 CHF 48.31

-33.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 RON 373

$168 CHF 138

-53.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 RON 428

$253 CHF 208

-64.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 RON 3,288

$1,739 CHF 1,432

-60.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 RON 2,109

$1,475 CHF 1,214

-69.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,084 RON 5,130

$2,977 CHF 2,452

-63.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$712 RON 3,368

$2,600 CHF 2,142

-72.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,797 RON 18.0K

$16.9K CHF 13.9K

-77.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,202 RON 10.4K

$13.3K CHF 10.9K

-83.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,354 RON 6,406

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

2.07

226.09%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Cham: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$446 33.3%

Cham

$1.5K 41.8% 231% $1K

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.9%

Cham

$470 13.3% 108% $244

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.9%

Cham

$604 17.1% 168% $379

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Cham

$366 10.4% 71.6% $153

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$133 10%

Cham

$280 7.9% 110% $147

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$66 4.9%

Cham

$142 4% 115% $76

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Cham

$191 5.4% 578% $163

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Bucharest and $1,739 in Cham. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $58.0 in Bucharest vs $122 in Cham for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $604 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇨🇭 Cham

🕒 Local time

21:25 9:25 PM

20:25 8:25 PM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

17,060

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Cham 1,400 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Cham

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 Cham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Cham differ by about 164% in total monthly costs ($1,337 vs $3,527 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,006 in Bucharest and $5,290 in Cham 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: $695 in Bucharest versus $1,739 in Cham. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,337 per month in Bucharest versus $3,527 in Cham – a 164% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 609% less than in Cham. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,337 in Bucharest versus $3,527 in Cham, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Cham. The gap between the two cities makes Bucharest 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 Cham 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 164% less than in Cham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.