Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Fourways

For one person, living is cheaper in Fourways: $1,049 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Fourways
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Fourways Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Fourways

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,049

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Fourways

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,049 in Fourways.

Bucharest $1,340
Fourways $1,049

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $1,600 in Fourways.

Bucharest $2,037
Fourways $1,600

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $2,152 in Fourways.

Bucharest $2,734
Fourways $2,152

Living in Bucharest is roughly 28% more expensive than in Fourways, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Fourways 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$8.81 R 145

64.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$37.13 R 612

56.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$5.49 R 90.5

36.25%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$2.30 R 37.90

49.57%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$1.10 R 18.13

115.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$0.82 R 13.50

180.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$2.44 R 40.17

51.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$2.70 R 44.42

54.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$1.16 R 19.15

43.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$1.14 R 18.82

20.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$1.72 R 28.35

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$2.52 R 41.50

44.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$7.74 R 128

17.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$4.53 R 74.6

50.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$7.46 R 123

60.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$1.44 R 23.73

-14.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$1.59 R 26.27

2.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.79 R 29.55

-12.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$1.56 R 25.75

62.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$1.08 R 17.79

-26.85%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$1.22 R 20.15

-36.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$1.23 R 20.31

-29.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$1.04 R 17.12

-4.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$3.26 R 53.7

93.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$5.17 R 85.1

19.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.51 R 24.80

-21.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.99 R 32.72

-21.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$0.31 R 5.14

106.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.78 R 12.84

-23.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$14.47 R 238

-55.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$1.56 R 25.76

25.64%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$28.7K R 473.3K

0.95%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$27.6K R 454.2K

-3.37%

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

$196 RON 927

$88.4 R 1,456

121.60%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$36.56 R 602

-78.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$37.70 R 621

-75.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$32.69 R 539

53.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$16.67 R 275

51.95%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$7.22 R 119

12.88%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$257 R 4,239

144.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$7,930 R 130.7K

77.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$52.8 R 870

69.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$31.74 R 523

20.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$78.6 R 1,295

0.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$84.8 R 1,398

6.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$390 R 6,432

73.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$399 R 6,569

12.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$750 R 12.4K

44.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$691 R 11.4K

4.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$1,603 R 26.4K

-17.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

11.34

-40.48%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Fourways: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Fourways

$399 38% 11.1% $50

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Fourways

$140 13.3% 37.9% $85

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Fourways

$185 17.6% 17.8% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Fourways

$163 15.5% 23.7% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Fourways

$112 10.6% 16.7% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Fourways

$47 4.5% 29.1% $19

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Fourways

$4.2 * 0.4% 85.1% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $390 in Fourways. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fourways pays 21% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $58.0 in Bucharest vs $37.00 in Fourways for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $185 per month, with Fourways cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇿🇦 Fourways

🕒 Local time

11:15 11:15 AM

10:15 10:15 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, 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).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bucharest Fourways 7,840 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Fourways

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 Fourways: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Fourways differ by about 28% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $1,049 including rent). Fourways is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 21% lower in Fourways. 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: $678 in Bucharest versus $390 in Fourways. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Bucharest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,340 per month in Bucharest versus $1,049 in Fourways – a 28% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,049 in Fourways versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Fourways but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Fourways 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 Fourways 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 Fourways gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.