Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Durres

For one person, living is cheaper in Durres: $1,138 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bucharest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Durres
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Durres Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Durres

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,138

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Durres

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,138 in Durres.

Bucharest $1,340
Durres $1,138

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $1,733 in Durres.

Bucharest $2,037
Durres $1,733

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $2,329 in Durres.

Bucharest $2,734
Durres $2,329

Living in Bucharest is roughly 18% more expensive than in Durres, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Durres 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$10.51 ALL 846

37.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$37.27 ALL 3,001

55.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$10.18 ALL 820

-26.52%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$1.98 ALL 160

73.74%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$2.04 ALL 164

16.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$1.05 ALL 84.2

119.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$2.98 ALL 240

24.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$4.23 ALL 340

-1.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$2.11 ALL 170

-20.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$1.07 ALL 86.2

28.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$2.37 ALL 190

-27.43%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$3.69 ALL 297

-1.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$12.79 ALL 1,030

-29.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$7.64 ALL 615

-10.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$14.57 ALL 1,173

-17.64%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$1.15 ALL 93.0

6.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$2.38 ALL 192

-31.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.54 ALL 124

1.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$1.31 ALL 106

93.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$0.92 ALL 74.0

-14.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$0.94 ALL 76.1

-18.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$1.25 ALL 101

-30.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$0.70 ALL 56.7

41.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$4.24 ALL 341

48.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$11.01 ALL 887

-43.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.50 ALL 121

-20.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$2.06 ALL 166

-23.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$0.48 ALL 38.53

79.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$19.19 ALL 1,545

9.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$3.57 ALL 287

-82.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$2.47 ALL 199

-75.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$2.18 ALL 176

-10.09%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$16.1K ALL 1.3M

80.46%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

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

$196 RON 927

$93.6 ALL 7,534

109.37%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$16.62 ALL 1,338

-51.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$16.68 ALL 1,343

-43.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$40.50 ALL 3,262

24.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$61.3 ALL 4,932

-58.64%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$7.48 ALL 602

8.96%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$183 ALL 14.7K

243.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$4,590 ALL 369.6K

206.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$39.06 ALL 3,146

129.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$41.02 ALL 3,303

-6.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$89.4 ALL 7,195

-11.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$159 ALL 12.8K

-43.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$444 ALL 35.8K

52.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$336 ALL 27.0K

33.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$690 ALL 55.6K

56.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$469 ALL 37.8K

54.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$1,774 ALL 142.9K

111.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$1,154 ALL 92.9K

90.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$940 ALL 75.7K

41.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

5.25

28.57%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Durres: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Durres

$336 29.5% 25.1% $113

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Durres

$174 15.3% 22.7% $51

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Durres

$261 22.9% 15.9% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Durres

$127 11.2% 40.5% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Durres

$148 13% 10.4% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Durres

$55 4.9% 16.6% $11

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Durres

$37 3.3% 31.2% $8.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $444 in Durres. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 41% 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 $37.00 in Durres. Groceries flip the comparison at $225 vs $261, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇦🇱 Durres

🕒 Local time

11:16 11:16 AM

10:16 10:16 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

175,110

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Albanian Lek ALL L

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

100 ALL = 1.24 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ALL, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 90.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Durres 640 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Durres

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 Durres: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Durres differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $1,138 including rent). Durres is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 41% 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: $678 in Bucharest versus $444 in Durres. 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 $1,138 in Durres – a 18% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Durres runs roughly 10% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,138 in Durres versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Durres but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Durres 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.

Expats usually find Durres gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.