Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Gafsa

For one person, living is cheaper in Gafsa: $586 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index
28

Cost of Living Index in Gafsa
Learn more

Gafsa Living Index

Jump to prices

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Gafsa

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Gafsa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $586 in Gafsa.

Bucharest $1,340
Gafsa $586

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $903 in Gafsa.

Bucharest $2,037
Gafsa $903

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $1,220 in Gafsa.

Bucharest $2,734
Gafsa $1,220

Living in Bucharest is roughly 129% more expensive than in Gafsa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Gafsa 57% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$3.96 TND 11.86

265.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$9.87 TND 29.56

488.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$2.47 TND 7.40

202.83%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$0.58 TND 1.74

493.10%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$0.52 TND 1.55

355.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$0.24 TND 0.71

858.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$1.72 TND 5.15

115.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$1.68 TND 5.05

147.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$0.46 TND 1.39

263.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$0.13 TND 0.39

953.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$1.67 TND 5.02

2.99%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$1.04 TND 3.13

250.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$12.88 TND 38.59

-29.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$5.98 TND 17.90

14.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$11.60 TND 34.75

3.45%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$1.39 TND 4.15

-11.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$3.02 TND 9.05

-46.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$0.83 TND 2.48

89.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$0.93 TND 2.78

173.12%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$0.71 TND 2.12

11.27%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$0.47 TND 1.40

63.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$0.45 TND 1.35

93.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$0.27 TND 0.81

266.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$2.52 TND 7.54

150.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$5.16 TND 15.47

20.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.22 TND 3.66

-2.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.35 TND 4.05

16.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$0.32 TND 0.95

168.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$10.92 TND 32.70

93.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$0.29 TND 0.86

120.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.25 TND 0.75

140.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$4.13 TND 12.37

55.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$0.87 TND 2.61

125.29%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$38.2K TND 114.5K

-24.14%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$31.4K TND 93.9K

-15.04%

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

$196 RON 927

$39.47 TND 118

396.30%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$8.41 TND 25.20

-4.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$19.27 TND 57.7

-51.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$15.29 TND 45.80

228.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$12.41 TND 37.16

104.11%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$3.43 TND 10.27

137.61%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$59.1 TND 177

963.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$1,023 TND 3,065

1276.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$39.72 TND 119

125.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$52.5 TND 157

-26.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$104 TND 313

-24.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$113 TND 340

-20.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$141 TND 422

381.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$102 TND 304

341.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$205 TND 615

427.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$153 TND 458

373.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$969 TND 2,904

286.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$358 TND 1,073

512.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$305 TND 913

335.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

8.88

-23.99%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Gafsa: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Gafsa

$102 17.3% 77.4% $347

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Gafsa

$61 10.4% 72.9% $164

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Gafsa

$180 30.8% 19.8% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Gafsa

$67 11.5% 68.5% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Gafsa

$140 23.8% 4.2% $5.6

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Gafsa

$22 3.8% 66.7% $44

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Gafsa

$14 2.3% 51.3% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $141 in Gafsa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 336% 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 $10.00 in Gafsa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $180 per month, with Gafsa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇹🇳 Gafsa

🕒 Local time

00:25 12:25 AM

22:25 10:25 PM

2 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

111,170

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1 TND = 0.334 USD

1 TND = 0.297 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, 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).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 2.99 TND (1 TND = 0.334 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 TND (1 TND = 0.297 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Gafsa 1,850 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Gafsa

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 Gafsa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Gafsa differ by about 129% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $586 including rent). Gafsa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 336% 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 $141 in Gafsa. 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 $586 in Gafsa – a 129% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Gafsa runs roughly 93% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $586 in Gafsa versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Gafsa but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Gafsa 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 Gafsa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 129% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.