Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Cottbus

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $1,502 in Cottbus, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Cottbus
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Cottbus Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Cottbus

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,502

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Cottbus

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,502 in Cottbus.

Bucharest $1,340
Cottbus $1,502

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $2,357 in Cottbus.

Bucharest $2,037
Cottbus $2,357

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $3,212 in Cottbus.

Bucharest $2,734
Cottbus $3,212

Living in Bucharest costs roughly 11% less than in Cottbus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% below, Cottbus is 11% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.9

$16.70 €14.89

-13.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 276

$78.8 €70.3

-26.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.60

$10.86 €9.68

-31.12%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.38

$2.49 €2.22

38.15%

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

$2.37 RON 11.28

$2.46 €2.20

-3.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.94

$3.04 €2.71

-24.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.60

$2.75 €2.45

34.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.80

$3.36 €3.00

23.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.94

$1.23 €1.10

35.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.53

$2.02 €1.80

-32.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.18

$1.37 €1.22

25.55%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.31

$3.32 €2.96

9.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 43.21

$12.94 €11.54

-29.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.52

$11.12 €9.92

-38.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 57.1

$19.20 €17.12

-37.50%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.83

$2.96 €2.64

-58.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.77

$1.94 €1.73

-15.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.49

$2.03 €1.81

-22.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.08

$3.64 €3.25

-30.22%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.77

$1.32 €1.18

-40.15%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.68

$1.23 €1.10

-37.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.15

$1.48 €1.32

-41.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.73

$1.02 €0.91

-2.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 30.02

$9.14 €8.15

-30.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.51

$5.46 €4.87

13.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.66

$1.07 €0.95

11.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.49

$1.54 €1.37

1.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.10

$3.10 €2.77

-72.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 100

$49.18 €43.85

-57.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.06

$3.81 €3.39

-83.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.87

$1.88 €1.67

-68.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.60

$26.99 €24.06

-76.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.31

$2.00 €1.78

-2.00%

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

$29.0K RON 138.0K

$33.2K €29.6K

-12.75%

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

$26.6K RON 126.7K

$38.1K €33.9K

-30.02%

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

$196 RON 932

$174 €155

12.55%

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

$8.04 RON 38.25

$15.05 €13.41

-46.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.46

$44.12 €39.34

-78.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 239

$38.73 €34.53

29.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 121

$16.60 €14.80

52.59%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.76

$13.47 €12.01

-39.50%

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

$628 RON 2,988

$283 €253

121.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 67.0K

$12.9K €11.5K

9.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 426

$56.0 €49.95

59.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 182

$27.86 €24.84

37.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 377

$72.8 €64.9

8.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 430

$71.2 €63.5

26.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,227

$593 €528

14.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,133

$487 €434

-7.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,153

$1,146 €1,022

-5.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,449

$839 €748

-13.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.8K

$2,557 €2,280

46.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$1,976 €1,762

11.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,324

$1,659 €1,480

-19.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

3.2

110.94%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cottbus: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Cottbus

$487 32.4% 8.6% $39

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Cottbus

$239 15.9% 5.9% $13

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Cottbus

$300 20% 33.3% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Cottbus

$233 15.5% 9.3% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Cottbus

$103 6.8% 23.4% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Cottbus

$66 4.4% 1.3% $0.8

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Cottbus

$75 5% 165% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $593 in Cottbus. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cottbus pays 25% 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 $79.0 in Cottbus for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $300 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇩🇪 Cottbus

🕒 Local time

08:28 8:28 AM

07:28 7:28 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

101,036

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 4.76 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.33 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Cottbus 1,190 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Cottbus

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 Cottbus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Cottbus differ by about 12% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $1,502 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 25% lower in Cottbus. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $678 in Bucharest versus $593 in Cottbus. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,340 per month in Bucharest versus $1,502 in Cottbus – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 133% less than in Cottbus. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,502 in Cottbus, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Cottbus. 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 Cottbus 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 12% less than in Cottbus. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.