Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Esztergom

For one person, living costs are similar in Bucharest and in Esztergom: $1,340 and $1,307 a month, rent and utilities included.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Esztergom
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Esztergom Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Esztergom

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,307

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Esztergom

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,307 in Esztergom.

Bucharest $1,340
Esztergom $1,307

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $2,042 in Esztergom.

Bucharest $2,037
Esztergom $2,042

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $2,776 in Esztergom.

Bucharest $2,734
Esztergom $2,776

Living in Bucharest is roughly 3% more expensive than in Esztergom, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Esztergom 3% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$12.24 Ft 3,956

18.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$52.5 Ft 17.0K

10.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$9.07 Ft 2,931

-17.53%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$2.66 Ft 860

29.32%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$1.98 Ft 638

19.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$1.18 Ft 380

94.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$3.00 Ft 969

23.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$2.76 Ft 893

50.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$1.16 Ft 375

43.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$1.44 Ft 465

-4.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$2.42 Ft 781

-28.93%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$3.17 Ft 1,024

14.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$10.98 Ft 3,546

-17.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$6.23 Ft 2,013

9.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$13.69 Ft 4,422

-12.34%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$2.49 Ft 804

-50.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$2.13 Ft 689

-23.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$2.13 Ft 688

-26.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$4.07 Ft 1,316

-37.59%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$1.20 Ft 387

-34.17%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$1.27 Ft 409

-39.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$1.77 Ft 572

-50.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$0.52 Ft 169

90.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$7.89 Ft 2,550

-20.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$6.26 Ft 2,023

-0.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.23 Ft 396

-3.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.62 Ft 523

-3.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$1.20 Ft 388

-28.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$24.73 Ft 7,990

-14.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$3.13 Ft 1,011

-79.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$1.57 Ft 508

-61.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$17.99 Ft 5,813

-64.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$1.83 Ft 592

7.10%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$32.9K Ft 10.6M

-11.76%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$35.7K Ft 11.5M

-25.37%

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

$196 RON 927

$155 Ft 50.2K

26.06%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$33.19 Ft 10.7K

-75.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$27.01 Ft 8,728

-65.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$51.6 Ft 16.7K

-2.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$17.96 Ft 5,802

41.04%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$7.44 Ft 2,405

9.54%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$249 Ft 80.4K

152.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$7,327 Ft 2.4M

92.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$88.3 Ft 28.5K

1.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$27.33 Ft 8,829

40.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$99.8 Ft 32.2K

-20.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$105 Ft 34.0K

-14.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$534 Ft 172.4K

27.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$401 Ft 129.6K

11.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$860 Ft 278.0K

25.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$739 Ft 238.8K

-1.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$2,775 Ft 896.6K

35.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$2,615 Ft 845.0K

-16.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$1,185 Ft 382.7K

12.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

8.25

-18.18%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Esztergom: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Esztergom

$401 30.7% 10.5% $47

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Esztergom

$190 14.6% 15.5% $35

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Esztergom

$249 19% 10.6% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Esztergom

$216 16.5% 1.1% $2.3

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Esztergom

$144 11% 7.8% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Esztergom

$67 5.1% 0% $0

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Esztergom

$41 3.1% 43.6% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $534 in Esztergom. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 12% 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 $52.0 in Esztergom. Groceries flip the comparison at $225 vs $249, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇭🇺 Esztergom

🕒 Local time

23:40 11:40 PM

22:40 10:40 PM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

28,642

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Esztergom 680 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Esztergom

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 Esztergom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Esztergom differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $1,307 including rent). Esztergom is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 12% 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 $534 in Esztergom. 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 $1,307 in Esztergom – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Esztergom runs roughly 17% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,307 in Esztergom versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Esztergom but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Esztergom 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 Esztergom 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 Esztergom gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.