Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Elmina

For one person, living is cheaper in Elmina: $678 a month against $1,371 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Elmina
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Elmina Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,371

/mo nomad

Elmina

🇬🇭 Ghana

$678

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Elmina

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,371 in Bucharest versus $678 in Elmina.

Bucharest $1,371
Elmina $678

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,067 in Bucharest versus $1,146 in Elmina.

Bucharest $2,067
Elmina $1,146

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,764 in Bucharest versus $1,613 in Elmina.

Bucharest $2,764
Elmina $1,613

Living in Bucharest is roughly 102% more expensive than in Elmina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.51 RON 69.0

$8.38 GHS 97.7

73.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 RON 291

$52.4 GHS 610

16.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.46 RON 35.50

$10.44 GHS 122

-28.54%

Cappuccino

$3.64 RON 17.33

$4.45 GHS 51.9

-18.20%

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

$2.62 RON 12.44

$1.54 GHS 17.99

70.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 RON 11.24

$0.48 GHS 5.60

391.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.78 RON 18.00

$1.84 GHS 21.41

105.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 RON 19.54

$2.28 GHS 26.59

80.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 RON 7.90

$3.57 GHS 41.56

-53.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 RON 6.64

$1.63 GHS 18.94

-14.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 RON 8.54

$3.09 GHS 36.05

-42.07%

Eggs

$3.63 RON 17.27

$2.62 GHS 30.50

38.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.92 RON 42.43

$12.22 GHS 142

-27.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.86 RON 32.65

$7.39 GHS 86.1

-7.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.99 RON 57.0

$10.05 GHS 117

19.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.17

$3.74 GHS 43.56

-65.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.77

$1.46 GHS 17.04

11.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.10

$1.84 GHS 21.40

-19.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.09

$3.54 GHS 41.22

-28.25%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 RON 3.86

$2.64 GHS 30.74

-69.32%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.79

$2.77 GHS 32.27

-71.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 RON 4.07

$0.71 GHS 8.28

21.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RON 4.46

$0.60 GHS 7.04

56.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.60 RON 31.42

$2.52 GHS 29.39

161.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.33 RON 30.11

$7.34 GHS 85.5

-13.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.64

$1.24 GHS 14.49

-4.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 RON 7.54

$2.31 GHS 26.87

-31.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 RON 4.64

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.91 RON 99.5

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$1.67 GHS 19.47

-64.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 RON 2.93

$1.32 GHS 15.37

-53.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.37 RON 30.28

$4.27 GHS 49.74

49.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 RON 9.63

$1.35 GHS 15.72

49.63%

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

$28.2K RON 134.1K

$7,995 GHS 93.1K

252.73%

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

$26.3K RON 125.0K

$20.3K GHS 236.7K

29.30%

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

$196 RON 933

$72.8 GHS 849

169.33%

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

$8.60 RON 40.89

$19.52 GHS 227

-55.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.20 RON 43.74

$42.70 GHS 497

-78.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 RON 243

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.04 RON 119

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 RON 39.31

$12.85 GHS 150

-35.72%

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

$681 RON 3,237

$460 GHS 5,363

47.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K RON 89.1K

$18.8K GHS 218.6K

-0.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 RON 444

$14.44 GHS 168

546.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.87 RON 190

$18.91 GHS 220

110.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 RON 381

$36.51 GHS 425

119.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 RON 431

$52.7 GHS 614

71.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$731 RON 3,477

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 RON 2,234

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,110 RON 5,282

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 RON 3,435

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 RON 17.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,233 RON 10.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,365 RON 6,494

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

26.75

-74.77%

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

Last update for Bucharest: November 2, 2026

Last update for Elmina: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$470 34.3%

Elmina

- * 0% 100%

Eating Out

Bucharest

$229 16.7%

Elmina

$174 25.6% 24.3% $56

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.4%

Elmina

$280 41.3% 24.6% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 15.6%

Elmina

$135 19.9% 36.9% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$137 10%

Elmina

$55 8.1% 59.7% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$68 4.9%

Elmina

$26 * 3.8% 61.9% $42

Getting Around

Bucharest

$29 2.1%

Elmina

$8.3 * 1.2% 71% $20

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $61 in Bucharest vs $52 in Elmina. Groceries flip the comparison at $225 vs $280, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇬🇭 Elmina

🕒 Local time

20:10 8:10 PM

18:10 6:10 PM

2 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

34,403

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

100 GHS = 8.58 USD

100 GHS = 7.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GHS, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 4.76 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 11.65 GHS (100 GHS = 8.58 USD). 1 EUR = 13.09 GHS (100 GHS = 7.64 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bucharest Elmina 5,130 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Elmina

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 Elmina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,371 in Bucharest and $678 in Elmina, so Elmina is about 51% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,056 in Bucharest and $1,017 in Elmina to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Shoppers in Bucharest pay roughly 20% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,371 per month in Bucharest versus $678 in Elmina – Elmina is about 51% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $678 in Elmina versus $1,371 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Elmina but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Elmina 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.