Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Constanta

For one person, living is cheaper in Constanta: $1,318 a month against $1,354 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $430 less a year. The total is higher in Bucharest despite lower rent and utilities.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Constanta
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Constanta Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,354

/mo nomad

Constanta

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,318

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Constanta

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,354 in Bucharest versus $1,318 in Constanta.

Bucharest $1,354
Constanta $1,318

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,043 in Bucharest versus $1,960 in Constanta.

Bucharest $2,043
Constanta $1,960

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,733 in Bucharest versus $2,603 in Constanta.

Bucharest $2,733
Constanta $2,603

Living in Bucharest is roughly 3% more expensive than in Constanta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.66 RON 70.5

$12.62 RON 60.7

16.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 277

$63.2 RON 304

-8.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 RON 36.13

$7.41 RON 35.61

1.48%

Cappuccino

$3.56 RON 17.09

$3.27 RON 15.74

8.87%

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

$2.47 RON 11.88

$1.79 RON 8.61

37.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 RON 10.50

$1.23 RON 5.90

77.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 RON 17.72

$2.20 RON 10.59

67.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 RON 20.57

$3.21 RON 15.43

33.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 8.04

$1.65 RON 7.91

1.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.49

$1.21 RON 5.83

11.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.53

$1.63 RON 7.83

9.20%

Eggs

$3.56 RON 17.12

$2.89 RON 13.89

23.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.12 RON 43.84

$8.78 RON 42.20

3.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.82 RON 32.76

$5.79 RON 27.83

17.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.13 RON 58.3

$9.01 RON 43.32

34.63%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 RON 6.08

$1.36 RON 6.52

-7.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 RON 7.80

$1.58 RON 7.57

2.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.49

$1.54 RON 7.39

1.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.21

$2.58 RON 12.41

-1.55%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 RON 3.76

$0.91 RON 4.37

-14.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.72

$0.97 RON 4.68

-20.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 RON 4.27

$1.01 RON 4.86

-11.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 RON 4.32

$0.83 RON 3.98

8.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 RON 31.48

$6.35 RON 30.51

3.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.37 RON 30.60

$6.21 RON 29.86

2.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 RON 5.97

$1.00 RON 4.83

24.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 RON 7.79

$1.76 RON 8.45

-7.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 RON 4.10

$0.62 RON 2.97

37.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.71 RON 99.6

$18.71 RON 89.9

10.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 RON 2.95

$0.88 RON 4.21

-30.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.95

$0.73 RON 3.52

-16.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.16 RON 29.62

$7.24 RON 34.81

-14.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 RON 9.60

$1.91 RON 9.19

4.71%

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

$27.9K RON 134.3K

$28.8K RON 138.3K

-2.85%

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

$25.3K RON 121.7K

$25.3K RON 121.8K

-0.04%

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

$192 RON 923

$169 RON 811

13.82%

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

$7.92 RON 38.05

$7.47 RON 35.88

6.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.96 RON 43.05

$7.48 RON 35.94

19.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.99 RON 240

$52.1 RON 251

-4.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 RON 119

$13.45 RON 64.6

84.46%

Cinema Ticket

$8.51 RON 40.88

$6.96 RON 33.45

22.27%

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

$686 RON 3,296

$552 RON 2,655

24.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 69.3K

$7,704 RON 37.0K

87.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.2 RON 434

$64.9 RON 312

38.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.74 RON 186

$45.42 RON 218

-14.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.9 RON 379

$87.5 RON 420

-9.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 RON 442

$85.6 RON 412

7.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$711 RON 3,418

$691 RON 3,322

2.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 RON 2,220

$519 RON 2,495

-11.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 RON 5,063

$1,051 RON 5,053

0.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$723 RON 3,473

$746 RON 3,585

-3.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,634 RON 17.5K

$2,582 RON 12.4K

40.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,173 RON 10.4K

$1,968 RON 9,458

10.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,354 RON 6,506

$934 RON 4,489

44.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

6.99

-3.43%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 26, 2026

Last update for Constanta: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$462 34.1%

Constanta

$519 39.4% 12.4% $57

Eating Out

Bucharest

$228 16.9%

Constanta

$192 14.6% 15.8% $36

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.6%

Constanta

$204 15.5% 9.3% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$209 15.4%

Constanta

$184 13.9% 12.1% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$135 10%

Constanta

$128 9.7% 5.5% $7.4

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Constanta

$66 5% 1.4% $1

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Constanta

$26 2% 7.5% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $711 in Bucharest and $691 in Constanta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 45% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $58 in Bucharest vs $63 in Constanta. Groceries flip the comparison at $225 vs $204, with Constanta cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇷🇴 Constanta

🕒 Local time

23:18 11:18 PM

Same time as Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

283,872

💱 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

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Bucharest Constanta 200 km

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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 Constanta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,354 in Bucharest and $1,318 in Constanta, so Constanta is about 3% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 45% 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 $691 in Constanta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,354 per month in Bucharest versus $1,318 in Constanta – Constanta is about 3% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Constanta runs roughly 10% less than in Bucharest. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Constanta 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 – Constanta wins on affordability, Bucharest on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.