Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Chengalpattu

For one person, living is cheaper in Chengalpattu: $341 a month against $1,337 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index
16

Cost of Living Index in Chengalpattu
Learn more

Chengalpattu Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,337

/mo nomad

Chengalpattu

🇮🇳 India

$341

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Chengalpattu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,337 in Bucharest versus $341 in Chengalpattu.

Bucharest $1,337
Chengalpattu $341

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,029 in Bucharest versus $531 in Chengalpattu.

Bucharest $2,029
Chengalpattu $531

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

Bucharest $2,721
Chengalpattu $721

Living in Bucharest is roughly 292% more expensive than in Chengalpattu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Chengalpattu 75% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.45 RON 68.4

$1.03 ₹97.7

1302.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$9.24 ₹878

528.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.53 RON 35.65

$2.97 ₹282

153.54%

Cappuccino

$3.45 RON 16.33

$1.67 ₹158

106.59%

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

$2.46 RON 11.65

$0.41 ₹39.05

500.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 RON 10.54

$0.20 ₹18.97

1015.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.76 RON 17.78

$1.84 ₹174

104.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 RON 19.84

$2.98 ₹283

40.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 RON 7.67

$0.66 ₹62.7

145.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 RON 6.13

$0.45 ₹42.65

188.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 RON 8.05

$0.53 ₹50.3

220.75%

Eggs

$3.79 RON 17.93

$0.96 ₹91.1

294.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.86 RON 41.90

$4.38 ₹416

102.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.90 RON 32.67

$2.80 ₹266

146.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.14 RON 57.4

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.17

$1.83 ₹174

-28.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 RON 7.55

$0.64 ₹60.5

150.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.42

$0.95 ₹90.0

65.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 RON 12.67

$0.45 ₹42.62

495.56%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 RON 3.82

$0.32 ₹30.13

153.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.73

$0.40 ₹37.54

97.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 RON 4.30

$0.46 ₹43.97

97.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 RON 4.58

$0.31 ₹29.77

212.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.41 RON 30.34

$5.13 ₹487

24.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 RON 29.24

$4.16 ₹395

48.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 RON 5.83

$2.07 ₹197

-40.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 RON 7.91

$3.04 ₹288

-45.07%

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

$3.34 ₹317

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 RON 4.10

$0.25 ₹23.46

248.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.98 RON 99.3

$7.06 ₹671

197.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.66 RON 3.10

$0.88 ₹83.5

-25.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.85

$0.25 ₹23.68

140.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.19 RON 29.28

$1.61 ₹153

284.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 RON 9.15

$1.08 ₹103

78.70%

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

$28.7K RON 135.9K

$12.4K ₹1.2M

131.60%

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

$26.3K RON 124.6K

$19.4K ₹1.8M

35.88%

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

$196 RON 926

$34.67 ₹3,292

464.23%

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

$8.49 RON 40.19

$3.38 ₹321

151.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.05 RON 42.84

$6.68 ₹634

35.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.54 RON 234

$14.69 ₹1,395

237.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.03 RON 118

$4.80 ₹455

421.46%

Cinema Ticket

$8.24 RON 39.01

$2.98 ₹283

176.51%

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

$636 RON 3,007

$47.19 ₹4,481

1246.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K RON 69.0K

$1,428 ₹135.6K

920.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.5 RON 419

$21.59 ₹2,050

310.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 RON 183

$23.24 ₹2,207

66.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 RON 373

$38.95 ₹3,699

102.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 RON 428

$28.68 ₹2,723

215.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 RON 3,288

$96.8 ₹9,190

618.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 RON 2,109

$65.0 ₹6,177

585.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,084 RON 5,130

$185 ₹17.6K

485.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$712 RON 3,368

$137 ₹13.0K

421.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,797 RON 18.0K

$713 ₹67.7K

432.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,202 RON 10.4K

$454 ₹43.1K

384.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,354 RON 6,406

$580 ₹55.1K

133.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

8.75

-22.86%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chengalpattu: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$446 33.3%

Chengalpattu

$65 19.1% 85.4% $381

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.9%

Chengalpattu

$55 16% 75.7% $171

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.9%

Chengalpattu

$95 27.9% 57.7% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Chengalpattu

$45 13.1% 79% $168

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$133 10%

Chengalpattu

$51 14.8% 62.1% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$66 4.9%

Chengalpattu

$21 6.1% 68.7% $45

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Chengalpattu

$10 3% 63.8% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Bucharest and $96.8 in Chengalpattu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 134% 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 $9.00 in Chengalpattu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $95.0 per month, with Chengalpattu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇮🇳 Chengalpattu

🕒 Local time

21:33 9:33 PM

00:03 12:03 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

65,689

💱 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 22, 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 22, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bucharest Chengalpattu 6,190 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Chengalpattu

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 Chengalpattu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Chengalpattu differ by about 292% in total monthly costs ($1,337 vs $341 including rent). Chengalpattu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 134% 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: $695 in Bucharest versus $96.8 in Chengalpattu. 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 $341 in Chengalpattu – a 292% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Chengalpattu runs roughly 197% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $341 in Chengalpattu versus $1,337 in Bucharest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Chengalpattu but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Chengalpattu 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 Chengalpattu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 292% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.