Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Chitila

For one person, living is cheaper in Chitila: $1,079 a month against $1,354 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Chitila
Learn more

Chitila Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,354

/mo nomad

Chitila

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,079

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Chitila

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,354 in Bucharest versus $1,079 in Chitila.

Bucharest $1,354
Chitila $1,079

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,043 in Bucharest versus $1,671 in Chitila.

Bucharest $2,043
Chitila $1,671

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,733 in Bucharest versus $2,262 in Chitila.

Bucharest $2,733
Chitila $2,262

Living in Bucharest is roughly 25% more expensive than in Chitila, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.66 RON 70.5

$12.82 RON 61.6

14.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 277

$57.0 RON 274

1.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 RON 36.14

$7.18 RON 34.51

4.74%

Cappuccino

$3.56 RON 17.09

$3.33 RON 16.00

6.91%

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

$2.47 RON 11.88

$1.74 RON 8.37

41.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 RON 10.50

$1.29 RON 6.22

68.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 RON 17.73

$2.17 RON 10.44

70.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 RON 20.57

$3.10 RON 14.88

38.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 8.04

$1.58 RON 7.57

5.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.49

$1.19 RON 5.71

13.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.53

$1.72 RON 8.25

3.49%

Eggs

$3.56 RON 17.12

$2.99 RON 14.36

19.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.12 RON 43.86

$7.82 RON 37.59

16.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.82 RON 32.77

$5.59 RON 26.85

22.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.13 RON 58.3

$8.87 RON 42.64

36.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 RON 6.08

$1.28 RON 6.18

-1.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 RON 7.80

$1.58 RON 7.59

2.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.49

$1.52 RON 7.32

2.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.21

$2.50 RON 12.02

1.60%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 RON 3.76

$0.83 RON 4.00

-6.02%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.72

$0.74 RON 3.54

4.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 RON 4.27

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 RON 4.32

$0.81 RON 3.88

11.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 RON 31.49

$6.50 RON 31.23

0.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.37 RON 30.60

$6.49 RON 31.21

-1.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 RON 5.98

$1.07 RON 5.15

15.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 RON 7.80

$1.67 RON 8.01

-2.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 RON 4.11

$0.77 RON 3.69

10.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.71 RON 99.6

$21.66 RON 104

-4.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 RON 2.95

$0.64 RON 3.10

-4.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.95

$0.64 RON 3.08

-4.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.16 RON 29.62

$6.17 RON 29.68

-0.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 RON 9.60

$1.92 RON 9.25

4.17%

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

$27.9K RON 134.4K

$28.6K RON 137.5K

-2.27%

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

$25.3K RON 121.7K

$25.4K RON 122.1K

-0.32%

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

$192 RON 923

$165 RON 793

16.42%

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

$7.92 RON 38.06

$8.09 RON 38.91

-2.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.96 RON 43.06

$9.35 RON 44.95

-4.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.99 RON 240

$37.67 RON 181

32.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 RON 119

$20.39 RON 98.0

21.68%

Cinema Ticket

$8.51 RON 40.90

$6.87 RON 33.02

23.87%

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

$686 RON 3,297

$563 RON 2,706

21.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 69.3K

$6,961 RON 33.5K

107.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.2 RON 434

$84.0 RON 404

7.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.74 RON 186

$45.20 RON 217

-14.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.9 RON 379

$88.8 RON 427

-11.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 RON 443

$87.1 RON 419

5.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$711 RON 3,419

$382 RON 1,838

85.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 RON 2,220

$288 RON 1,384

60.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 RON 5,064

$585 RON 2,812

80.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$723 RON 3,474

$445 RON 2,138

62.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,634 RON 17.5K

$1,838 RON 8,838

97.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,173 RON 10.4K

$1,335 RON 6,418

62.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,354 RON 6,508

$845 RON 4,060

60.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chitila: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$462 34.1%

Chitila

$288 26.7% 37.7% $174

Eating Out

Bucharest

$228 16.9%

Chitila

$193 17.9% 15.3% $35

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.6%

Chitila

$198 18.3% 12% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$209 15.4%

Chitila

$182 16.9% 12.7% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$135 10%

Chitila

$137 12.7% 1.7% $2.3

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Chitila

$51 4.8% 23.3% $16

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Chitila

$29 2.7% 2.8% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $711 in Bucharest and $382 in Chitila. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 60% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $58 in Bucharest vs $57 in Chitila for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $198 per month, with Chitila cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇷🇴 Chitila

🕒 Local time

13:55 1:55 PM

Same time as Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

10,866

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Bucharest Chitila 12 km

From you

Bucharest
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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 Chitila: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Chitila differ by about 25% in total monthly costs ($1,354 vs $1,079 including rent). Chitila is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 60% 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: $711 in Bucharest versus $382 in Chitila. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Bucharest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,354 per month in Bucharest versus $1,079 in Chitila – a 25% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Chitila gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Chitila wins on affordability, Bucharest on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.