Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Drobeta-Turnu Severin

For one person, living is cheaper in Drobeta-Turnu Severin: $879 a month against $1,354 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Drobeta-Turnu Severin
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Drobeta-Turnu Severin Living Index

Jump to prices

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,354

/mo nomad

Drobeta-Turnu Severin

🇷🇴 Romania

$879

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Drobeta-Turnu Severin

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 Drobeta-Turnu Severin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,354 in Bucharest versus $879 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin.

Bucharest $1,354
Drobeta-Turnu Severin $879

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,043 in Bucharest versus $1,464 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin.

Bucharest $2,043
Drobeta-Turnu Severin $1,464

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,733 in Bucharest versus $2,049 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin.

Bucharest $2,733
Drobeta-Turnu Severin $2,049

Living in Bucharest is roughly 54% more expensive than in Drobeta-Turnu Severin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.66 RON 70.5

$8.26 RON 39.70

77.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 277

$42.17 RON 203

36.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 RON 36.13

$7.21 RON 34.67

4.30%

Cappuccino

$3.56 RON 17.09

$3.17 RON 15.23

12.30%

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

$2.47 RON 11.88

$2.12 RON 10.20

16.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 RON 10.50

$1.81 RON 8.72

20.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 RON 17.72

$3.20 RON 15.38

15.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 RON 20.57

$4.01 RON 19.26

6.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 8.04

$1.39 RON 6.68

20.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.49

$1.14 RON 5.48

18.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.53

$1.39 RON 6.66

28.06%

Eggs

$3.56 RON 17.12

$3.47 RON 16.69

2.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.12 RON 43.84

$7.80 RON 37.50

16.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.82 RON 32.76

$6.06 RON 29.12

12.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.13 RON 58.3

$7.92 RON 38.06

53.16%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 RON 6.08

$1.16 RON 5.57

8.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 RON 7.80

$1.56 RON 7.48

3.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.49

$1.50 RON 7.21

4.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.21

$2.50 RON 12.02

1.60%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 RON 3.76

$0.70 RON 3.39

11.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.72

$0.60 RON 2.90

28.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 RON 4.27

$1.02 RON 4.92

-12.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 RON 4.32

$0.86 RON 4.15

4.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 RON 31.48

$6.07 RON 29.18

7.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.37 RON 30.60

$7.34 RON 35.30

-13.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 RON 5.97

$0.98 RON 4.70

26.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 RON 7.79

$1.34 RON 6.42

20.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 RON 4.10

$0.72 RON 3.44

18.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.71 RON 99.6

$21.78 RON 105

-4.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 RON 2.95

$0.99 RON 4.74

-38.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.95

$0.87 RON 4.19

-29.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.16 RON 29.62

$8.60 RON 41.32

-28.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 RON 9.60

$1.93 RON 9.29

3.63%

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

$27.9K RON 134.3K

$28.1K RON 135.0K

-0.47%

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

$25.3K RON 121.7K

$25.1K RON 120.8K

0.79%

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

$192 RON 923

$115 RON 554

66.70%

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

$7.92 RON 38.05

$8.89 RON 42.72

-10.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.96 RON 43.05

$12.21 RON 58.7

-26.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.99 RON 240

$38.61 RON 186

29.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 RON 119

$20.24 RON 97.3

22.58%

Cinema Ticket

$8.51 RON 40.88

$6.74 RON 32.40

26.26%

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

$686 RON 3,296

$447 RON 2,149

53.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 69.3K

$6,809 RON 32.7K

111.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.2 RON 434

$75.0 RON 360

20.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.74 RON 186

$31.99 RON 154

21.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.9 RON 379

$88.1 RON 423

-10.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 RON 442

$89.6 RON 430

2.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$711 RON 3,418

$384 RON 1,844

85.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 RON 2,220

$171 RON 822

170.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 RON 5,063

$598 RON 2,873

76.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$723 RON 3,473

$441 RON 2,120

63.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,634 RON 17.5K

$1,883 RON 9,048

93.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,173 RON 10.4K

$1,317 RON 6,330

64.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,354 RON 6,506

$932 RON 4,482

45.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

7.02

-3.85%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 26, 2026

Last update for Drobeta-Turnu Severin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$462 34.1%

Drobeta-Turnu Severin

$171 19.5% 63% $291

Eating Out

Bucharest

$228 16.9%

Drobeta-Turnu Severin

$166 18.8% 27.4% $63

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.6%

Drobeta-Turnu Severin

$196 22.3% 12.9% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$209 15.4%

Drobeta-Turnu Severin

$136 15.5% 34.8% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$135 10%

Drobeta-Turnu Severin

$128 14.6% 5.1% $6.9

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Drobeta-Turnu Severin

$52 5.9% 22.3% $15

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Drobeta-Turnu Severin

$30 3.4% 7.8% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $711 in Bucharest and $384 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 45% 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 in Bucharest vs $42 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $196 per month, with Drobeta-Turnu Severin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇷🇴 Drobeta-Turnu Severin

🕒 Local time

22:32 10:32 PM

Same time as Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

92,617

💱 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 Drobeta-Turnu Severin 270 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 Drobeta-Turnu Severin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,354 in Bucharest and $879 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin, so Drobeta-Turnu Severin is about 35% 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 $384 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin. 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 $879 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin – Drobeta-Turnu Severin is about 35% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 5% less than in Drobeta-Turnu Severin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $879 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin versus $1,354 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Drobeta-Turnu Severin but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Drobeta-Turnu Severin 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.

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