Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Durham

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $2,073 in Durham, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 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
100

Cost of Living Index in Durham
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Durham Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Durham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,073

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Durham

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,351 in Bucharest versus $2,073 in Durham.

Bucharest $1,351
Durham $2,073

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,033 in Bucharest versus $3,286 in Durham.

Bucharest $2,033
Durham $3,286

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,715 in Bucharest versus $4,498 in Durham.

Bucharest $2,715
Durham $4,498

Living in Bucharest costs roughly 35% less than in Durham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bucharest 1% above, Durham 55% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 RON 68.4

$19.57 £14.79

-26.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 273

$93.4 £70.6

-38.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 RON 35.46

$11.40 £8.61

-34.21%

Cappuccino

$3.43 RON 16.20

$4.56 £3.44

-24.78%

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

$2.46 RON 11.63

$2.54 £1.92

-3.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.01

$2.04 £1.54

14.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 RON 17.97

$6.08 £4.59

-37.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.41

$5.33 £4.03

-23.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.79

$1.95 £1.47

-15.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.39

$1.54 £1.17

-12.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.42

$3.03 £2.29

-41.25%

Eggs

$3.66 RON 17.33

$4.37 £3.30

-16.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 RON 40.54

$10.02 £7.57

-14.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RON 32.17

$8.86 £6.69

-23.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 RON 55.4

$21.35 £16.13

-45.11%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.11

$2.93 £2.21

-55.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.37

$2.53 £1.91

-38.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.28

$2.75 £2.08

-44.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 RON 11.75

$5.08 £3.84

-51.18%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.92

$1.56 £1.18

-46.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.77

$1.70 £1.29

-52.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 3.98

$1.06 £0.80

-20.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 RON 4.39

$1.88 £1.42

-50.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 RON 30.45

$23.61 £17.84

-72.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 RON 29.91

$10.64 £8.04

-40.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.94

$3.31 £2.50

-61.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 RON 7.59

$3.15 £2.38

-49.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.85

$3.23 £2.44

-74.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.13 RON 99.9

$86.9 £65.7

-75.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$6.39 £4.83

-90.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.91

$1.93 £1.46

-68.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.19

$23.68 £17.89

-73.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.27

$1.88 £1.42

4.26%

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

$28.1K RON 133.1K

$37.8K £28.6K

-25.62%

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

$26.3K RON 124.3K

$41.1K £31.1K

-36.04%

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

$197 RON 931

$265 £200

-25.58%

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

$8.34 RON 39.44

$15.21 £11.49

-45.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.19 RON 43.47

$42.95 £32.45

-78.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.87 RON 236

$46.78 £35.35

6.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 118

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 RON 40.01

$12.51 £9.45

-32.37%

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

$639 RON 3,023

$1,300 £982

-50.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.1K

$25.2K £19.1K

-42.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 RON 429

$106 £80.3

-14.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 RON 180

$71.4 £53.9

-46.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 RON 377

$114 £86.1

-30.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 RON 441

$97.2 £73.5

-4.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 RON 3,184

$1,539 £1,163

-56.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 RON 2,123

$743 £562

-39.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 RON 5,195

$2,661 £2,011

-58.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 RON 3,448

$1,565 £1,183

-53.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,740 RON 17.7K

$5,034 £3,804

-25.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 RON 10.4K

$3,862 £2,919

-43.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,323 RON 6,259

$2,064 £1,559

-35.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

5.18

30.12%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Last update for Durham: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$449 33.5%

Durham

$743 35.7% 65.6% $295

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.8%

Durham

$305 14.6% 35.1% $79

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$222 16.5%

Durham

$348 16.7% 57% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 16%

Durham

$323 15.5% 50.5% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$136 10.1%

Durham

$175 8.4% 28.9% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Durham

$72 3.5% 7.5% $5

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Durham

$116 5.6% 313% $88

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $673 in Bucharest and $1,539 in Durham. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Durham pays 56% 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 $93.0 in Durham for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $348 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇬🇧 Durham

🕒 Local time

08:20 8:20 AM

06:20 6:20 AM

2 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

42,100

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, 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).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Durham 2,280 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Durham

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 Durham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Durham differ by about 53% in total monthly costs ($1,351 vs $2,073 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 56% lower in Durham. 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: $673 in Bucharest versus $1,539 in Durham. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,351 per month in Bucharest versus $2,073 in Durham – a 53% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 311% less than in Durham. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $2,073 in Durham, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Durham. 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 Durham 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 53% less than in Durham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.