Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Chittagong

For one person, living is cheaper in Chittagong: $375 a month against $1,351 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index
18

Cost of Living Index in Chittagong
Learn more

Chittagong Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Chittagong

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$375

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Chittagong

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,351 in Bucharest versus $375 in Chittagong.

Bucharest $1,351
Chittagong $375

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,033 in Bucharest versus $624 in Chittagong.

Bucharest $2,033
Chittagong $624

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,715 in Bucharest versus $874 in Chittagong.

Bucharest $2,715
Chittagong $874

Living in Bucharest is roughly 260% more expensive than in Chittagong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% above, Chittagong is 72% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 RON 68.4

$2.06 ৳254

601.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 273

$12.14 ৳1,492

374.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 RON 35.46

$5.32 ৳653

40.98%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.71 ৳333

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 ৳486

Cappuccino

$3.43 RON 16.20

$1.91 ৳235

79.58%

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

$2.46 RON 11.63

$0.37 ৳45.16

564.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.01

$0.13 ৳15.64

1692.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 RON 17.97

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.41

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.79

$0.81 ৳99.2

103.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.39

$0.56 ৳68.8

141.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.42

$0.66 ৳80.6

169.70%

Eggs

$3.66 RON 17.33

$1.13 ৳139

223.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 RON 40.54

$7.33 ৳900

16.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RON 32.17

$2.14 ৳262

217.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 RON 55.4

$7.33 ৳901

59.89%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.11

$2.28 ৳280

-43.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.37

$0.91 ৳112

71.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.28

$2.07 ৳255

-25.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 RON 11.75

$0.85 ৳105

191.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.92

$0.44 ৳53.5

88.64%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.77

$0.77 ৳94.8

3.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 3.98

$0.46 ৳56.4

82.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 RON 4.39

$0.32 ৳39.34

190.63%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.22 ৳519

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ৳97.4

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 ৳175

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 RON 30.45

$3.03 ৳372

112.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 RON 29.91

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.94

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 RON 7.59

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.85

$0.23 ৳28.34

252.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.13 RON 99.9

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.80 ৳98.0

-25.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.91

$0.55 ৳67.8

10.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.19

$3.99 ৳490

54.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.27

$1.15 ৳141

70.43%

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

$28.1K RON 133.1K

$31.9K ৳3.9M

-11.76%

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

$26.3K RON 124.3K

$44.5K ৳5.5M

-40.93%

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

$197 RON 931

$29.48 ৳3,622

567.74%

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

$8.34 RON 39.44

$5.58 ৳685

49.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.19 RON 43.47

$12.14 ৳1,492

-24.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.87 RON 236

$19.55 ৳2,401

155.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 118

$14.27 ৳1,753

75.12%

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 RON 40.01

$3.72 ৳457

127.42%

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

$639 RON 3,023

$35.12 ৳4,314

1719.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.1K

$1,439 ৳176.8K

899.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 RON 429

$23.03 ৳2,828

293.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 RON 180

$19.37 ৳2,379

96.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 RON 377

$56.4 ৳6,925

41.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 RON 441

$35.48 ৳4,358

162.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 RON 3,184

$126 ৳15.4K

435.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 RON 2,123

$61.3 ৳7,524

632.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 RON 5,195

$272 ৳33.4K

303.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 RON 3,448

$168 ৳20.6K

333.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,740 RON 17.7K

$800 ৳98.3K

367.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 RON 10.4K

$476 ৳58.5K

359.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,323 RON 6,259

$284 ৳34.9K

365.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

11.5

-41.39%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Last update for Chittagong: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$449 33.5%

Chittagong

$61 16.5% 86.4% $388

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.8%

Chittagong

$57 15.5% 74.6% $168

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$222 16.5%

Chittagong

$113 30.6% 48.8% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 16%

Chittagong

$47 12.7% 78% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$136 10.1%

Chittagong

$60 16.3% 55.5% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Chittagong

$27 7.3% 59.6% $40

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Chittagong

$4.5 * 1.2% 84% $24

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $673 in Bucharest and $126 in Chittagong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 366% 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 $12.00 in Chittagong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $113 per month, with Chittagong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇧🇩 Chittagong

🕒 Local time

07:55 7:55 AM

10:55 10:55 AM

3 h ahead of Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

2,592,439

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.14 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BDT, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 123 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.14 USD). 1 EUR = 138 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.26 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Chittagong 6,390 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Chittagong

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 Chittagong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Chittagong differ by about 260% in total monthly costs ($1,351 vs $375 including rent). Chittagong is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 366% 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: $673 in Bucharest versus $126 in Chittagong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 95% higher in Bucharest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,351 per month in Bucharest versus $375 in Chittagong – a 260% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $375 in Chittagong versus $1,351 in Bucharest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Chittagong but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Chittagong 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 Chittagong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 260% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.