Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Craiova

For one person, living is cheaper in Craiova: $1,217 a month against $1,354 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Craiova
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Craiova Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,354

/mo nomad

Craiova

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,217

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Craiova

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,354 in Bucharest versus $1,217 in Craiova.

Bucharest $1,354
Craiova $1,217

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,043 in Bucharest versus $1,869 in Craiova.

Bucharest $2,043
Craiova $1,869

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,733 in Bucharest versus $2,520 in Craiova.

Bucharest $2,733
Craiova $2,520

Living in Bucharest is roughly 11% more expensive than in Craiova, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.66 RON 70.1

$7.14 RON 34.15

105.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 276

$41.37 RON 198

39.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 RON 35.97

$7.45 RON 35.64

0.94%

Cappuccino

$3.56 RON 17.01

$2.71 RON 12.98

31.37%

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

$2.47 RON 11.83

$2.23 RON 10.65

10.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 RON 10.45

$1.77 RON 8.46

23.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 RON 17.65

$2.24 RON 10.71

64.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 RON 20.48

$3.51 RON 16.80

21.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 8.00

$1.27 RON 6.09

31.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.46

$0.82 RON 3.93

64.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.49

$1.42 RON 6.77

25.35%

Eggs

$3.56 RON 17.04

$3.26 RON 15.57

9.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.12 RON 43.65

$7.21 RON 34.51

26.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.82 RON 32.62

$6.47 RON 30.95

5.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.13 RON 58.0

$11.49 RON 55.0

5.57%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 RON 6.05

$0.95 RON 4.53

32.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 RON 7.77

$1.50 RON 7.16

8.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.45

$1.45 RON 6.94

7.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.15

$1.80 RON 8.62

41.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 RON 3.74

$0.76 RON 3.65

2.63%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.71

$0.89 RON 4.28

-13.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 RON 4.25

$0.73 RON 3.51

21.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 RON 4.30

$0.77 RON 3.67

16.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 RON 31.34

$6.59 RON 31.51

-0.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.37 RON 30.46

$6.34 RON 30.33

0.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 RON 5.95

$1.20 RON 5.76

3.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 RON 7.76

$1.46 RON 7.00

10.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 RON 4.09

$0.88 RON 4.20

-3.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.71 RON 99.1

$25.16 RON 120

-17.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 RON 2.94

$0.61 RON 2.93

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.93

$0.65 RON 3.09

-6.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.16 RON 29.48

$6.37 RON 30.49

-3.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 RON 9.56

$1.90 RON 9.11

5.26%

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

$27.9K RON 133.7K

$28.9K RON 138.1K

-3.21%

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

$25.3K RON 121.2K

$25.8K RON 123.6K

-1.97%

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

$192 RON 919

$216 RON 1,036

-11.27%

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

$7.92 RON 37.88

$9.24 RON 44.23

-14.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.96 RON 42.86

$11.57 RON 55.4

-22.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.99 RON 239

$38.59 RON 185

29.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 RON 119

$21.52 RON 103

15.29%

Cinema Ticket

$8.51 RON 40.70

$7.28 RON 34.81

16.90%

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

$686 RON 3,282

$411 RON 1,964

67.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 69.0K

$8,047 RON 38.5K

79.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.2 RON 432

$62.9 RON 301

43.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.74 RON 185

$50.6 RON 242

-23.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.9 RON 378

$82.8 RON 396

-4.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 RON 440

$103 RON 495

-10.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$711 RON 3,403

$532 RON 2,544

33.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 RON 2,210

$418 RON 2,002

10.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 RON 5,040

$910 RON 4,352

15.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$723 RON 3,457

$829 RON 3,966

-12.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,634 RON 17.4K

$2,703 RON 12.9K

34.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,173 RON 10.4K

$1,988 RON 9,509

9.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,354 RON 6,477

$914 RON 4,374

48.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

6.84

-1.32%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 26, 2026

Last update for Craiova: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$462 34.1%

Craiova

$418 34.4% 9.4% $43

Eating Out

Bucharest

$228 16.9%

Craiova

$146 12% 35.9% $82

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.6%

Craiova

$194 16% 13.5% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$209 15.4%

Craiova

$237 19.5% 13.6% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$135 10%

Craiova

$135 11.1% 0.1% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Craiova

$53 4.4% 20.7% $14

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Craiova

$33 2.7% 16.9% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $711 in Bucharest and $532 in Craiova. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 48% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $58 in Bucharest vs $41 in Craiova for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $194 per month, with Craiova cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇷🇴 Craiova

🕒 Local time

03:40 3:40 AM

Same time as Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

269,506

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Bucharest Craiova 180 km

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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 Craiova: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,354 in Bucharest and $1,217 in Craiova, so Craiova is about 10% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 48% 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 $532 in Craiova. 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 $1,217 in Craiova – Craiova is about 10% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 18% less than in Craiova. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Craiova is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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