Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Debrecen

For one person, living costs are similar in Bucharest and in Debrecen: $1,351 and $1,358 a month, rent and utilities included.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Debrecen
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Debrecen Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Debrecen

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,358

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Debrecen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,351 in Bucharest versus $1,358 in Debrecen.

Bucharest $1,351
Debrecen $1,358

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,033 in Bucharest versus $2,149 in Debrecen.

Bucharest $2,033
Debrecen $2,149

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,715 in Bucharest versus $2,940 in Debrecen.

Bucharest $2,715
Debrecen $2,940

Monthly costs are close between Bucharest and Debrecen; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bucharest 1% above, Debrecen 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 RON 68.4

$13.76 Ft 4,479

5.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 273

$49.34 Ft 16.1K

16.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 RON 35.46

$10.02 Ft 3,260

-25.15%

Cappuccino

$3.43 RON 16.20

$2.36 Ft 767

45.34%

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

$2.46 RON 11.63

$1.54 Ft 500

59.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.01

$1.07 Ft 347

117.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 RON 17.97

$1.88 Ft 611

102.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.41

$2.25 Ft 732

82.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.79

$1.21 Ft 393

36.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.39

$1.47 Ft 478

-8.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.42

$2.47 Ft 803

-27.94%

Eggs

$3.66 RON 17.33

$3.53 Ft 1,147

3.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 RON 40.54

$10.19 Ft 3,317

-15.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RON 32.17

$6.96 Ft 2,263

-2.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 RON 55.4

$15.45 Ft 5,028

-24.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.11

$2.00 Ft 650

-35.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.37

$2.22 Ft 723

-29.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.28

$2.03 Ft 660

-24.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 RON 11.75

$3.41 Ft 1,108

-27.27%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.92

$0.92 Ft 298

-9.78%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.77

$1.21 Ft 393

-33.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 3.98

$1.52 Ft 494

-44.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 RON 4.39

$0.56 Ft 183

66.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 RON 30.45

$7.03 Ft 2,288

-8.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 RON 29.91

$4.16 Ft 1,353

51.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.94

$1.23 Ft 401

2.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 RON 7.59

$2.09 Ft 681

-23.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.85

$1.51 Ft 493

-46.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.13 RON 99.9

$26.60 Ft 8,655

-20.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$3.28 Ft 1,068

-81.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.91

$1.49 Ft 484

-59.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.19

$12.10 Ft 3,936

-49.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.27

$1.88 Ft 611

4.26%

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

$28.1K RON 133.1K

$32.3K Ft 10.5M

-12.98%

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

$26.3K RON 124.3K

$36.6K Ft 11.9M

-28.24%

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

$197 RON 931

$156 Ft 50.8K

25.97%

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

$8.34 RON 39.44

$25.95 Ft 8,444

-67.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.19 RON 43.47

$20.95 Ft 6,816

-56.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.87 RON 236

$48.87 Ft 15.9K

2.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 118

$7.95 Ft 2,586

214.34%

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 RON 40.01

$10.00 Ft 3,254

-15.40%

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

$639 RON 3,023

$414 Ft 134.9K

54.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.1K

$10.8K Ft 3.5M

32.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 RON 429

$86.9 Ft 28.3K

4.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 RON 180

$33.98 Ft 11.1K

11.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 RON 377

$84.9 Ft 27.6K

-6.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 RON 441

$103 Ft 33.5K

-9.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 RON 3,184

$621 Ft 201.9K

8.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 RON 2,123

$465 Ft 151.4K

-3.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 RON 5,195

$1,197 Ft 389.6K

-8.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 RON 3,448

$935 Ft 304.3K

-22.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,740 RON 17.7K

$2,978 Ft 968.9K

25.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 RON 10.4K

$2,604 Ft 847.1K

-15.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,323 RON 6,259

$1,234 Ft 401.6K

7.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

6.9

-2.32%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Last update for Debrecen: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$449 33.5%

Debrecen

$465 34.2% 3.6% $16

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.8%

Debrecen

$193 14.2% 14.6% $33

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$222 16.5%

Debrecen

$248 18.2% 11.7% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 16%

Debrecen

$203 14.9% 5.2% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$136 10.1%

Debrecen

$139 10.2% 2.4% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Debrecen

$69 5.1% 3.1% $2.1

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Debrecen

$43 3.2% 54.6% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $673 in Bucharest and $621 in Debrecen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 7% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $58.0 in Bucharest vs $49.00 in Debrecen. Groceries flip the comparison at $222 vs $248, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇭🇺 Debrecen

🕒 Local time

08:22 8:22 AM

07:22 7:22 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

201,704

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, 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).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Debrecen 490 km

From you

Bucharest
Debrecen

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 Debrecen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 7% 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 $621 in Debrecen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 26% less than in Debrecen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Debrecen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $1,358 in Debrecen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Debrecen. 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 Debrecen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

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