Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Focsani

For one person, living is cheaper in Focsani: $1,024 a month against $1,371 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Focsani
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Focsani Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,371

/mo nomad

Focsani

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,024

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Focsani

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,371 in Bucharest versus $1,024 in Focsani.

Bucharest $1,371
Focsani $1,024

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,067 in Bucharest versus $1,663 in Focsani.

Bucharest $2,067
Focsani $1,663

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,764 in Bucharest versus $2,302 in Focsani.

Bucharest $2,764
Focsani $2,302

Living in Bucharest is roughly 34% more expensive than in Focsani, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.51 RON 69.0

$7.43 RON 35.32

95.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 RON 291

$41.94 RON 200

45.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.46 RON 35.50

$7.26 RON 34.55

2.75%

Cappuccino

$3.64 RON 17.33

$2.48 RON 11.82

46.77%

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

$2.62 RON 12.44

$1.85 RON 8.82

41.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 RON 11.24

$1.64 RON 7.79

43.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.78 RON 18.00

$1.87 RON 8.90

102.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 RON 19.54

$2.58 RON 12.28

59.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 RON 7.90

$1.63 RON 7.76

1.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 RON 6.64

$1.14 RON 5.43

22.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 RON 8.54

$1.29 RON 6.16

38.76%

Eggs

$3.63 RON 17.27

$3.26 RON 15.49

11.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.92 RON 42.43

$9.18 RON 43.66

-2.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.86 RON 32.65

$6.72 RON 31.96

2.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.99 RON 57.0

$10.57 RON 50.3

13.43%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.17

$1.17 RON 5.56

11.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.77

$1.65 RON 7.83

-1.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.10

$1.49 RON 7.08

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.09

$2.28 RON 10.86

11.40%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 RON 3.86

$0.86 RON 4.07

-5.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.79

$0.74 RON 3.54

8.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 RON 4.07

$0.61 RON 2.90

40.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RON 4.46

$0.75 RON 3.58

25.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.60 RON 31.42

$5.71 RON 27.17

15.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.33 RON 30.11

$4.08 RON 19.40

55.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.64

$1.15 RON 5.46

3.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 RON 7.54

$1.51 RON 7.18

4.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 RON 4.64

$0.82 RON 3.91

19.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.91 RON 99.5

$15.51 RON 73.8

34.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.61 RON 2.92

-1.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 RON 2.93

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.37 RON 30.28

$6.38 RON 30.33

-0.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 RON 9.63

$1.87 RON 8.88

8.02%

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

$28.2K RON 134.1K

$25.2K RON 119.7K

12.10%

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

$26.3K RON 125.0K

$24.3K RON 115.7K

8.01%

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

$196 RON 933

$171 RON 813

14.85%

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

$8.60 RON 40.89

$8.45 RON 40.19

1.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.20 RON 43.74

$9.22 RON 43.88

-0.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 RON 243

$28.04 RON 133

81.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.04 RON 119

$36.84 RON 175

-32.03%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 RON 39.31

$8.62 RON 40.98

-4.18%

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

$681 RON 3,237

$316 RON 1,505

115.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K RON 89.1K

$18.7K RON 88.8K

0.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 RON 444

$92.2 RON 439

1.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.87 RON 190

$38.80 RON 185

2.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 RON 381

$79.8 RON 380

0.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 RON 431

$92.5 RON 440

-2.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$731 RON 3,477

$373 RON 1,772

96.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 RON 2,234

$288 RON 1,369

63.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,110 RON 5,282

$929 RON 4,420

19.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 RON 3,435

$658 RON 3,128

9.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 RON 17.8K

$1,075 RON 5,113

248.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,233 RON 10.6K

$875 RON 4,164

155.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,365 RON 6,494

$690 RON 3,284

97.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

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

Last update for Bucharest: November 2, 2026

Last update for Focsani: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$470 34.3%

Focsani

$288 28.1% 38.7% $182

Eating Out

Bucharest

$229 16.7%

Focsani

$140 13.6% 39.2% $90

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.4%

Focsani

$204 19.9% 9.1% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 15.6%

Focsani

$188 18.4% 11.9% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$137 10%

Focsani

$137 13.3% 0.2% $0.2

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$68 4.9%

Focsani

$45 4.4% 33% $22

Getting Around

Bucharest

$29 2.1%

Focsani

$22 2.2% 21.1% $6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $731 in Bucharest and $373 in Focsani. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 98% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Bucharest vs $42 in Focsani for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $204 per month, with Focsani cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇷🇴 Focsani

🕒 Local time

03:07 3:07 AM

Same time as Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

97,186

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Bucharest Focsani 160 km

From you

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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 Focsani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,371 in Bucharest and $1,024 in Focsani, so Focsani is about 25% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 98% 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: $731 in Bucharest versus $373 in Focsani. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,371 per month in Bucharest versus $1,024 in Focsani – Focsani is about 25% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Focsani runs roughly 26% less than in Bucharest. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Focsani is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Focsani gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.