Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Giurgiu

For one person, living is cheaper in Giurgiu: $1,090 a month against $1,354 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Giurgiu
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Giurgiu Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,354

/mo nomad

Giurgiu

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,090

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Giurgiu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,354 in Bucharest versus $1,090 in Giurgiu.

Bucharest $1,354
Giurgiu $1,090

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,043 in Bucharest versus $1,650 in Giurgiu.

Bucharest $2,043
Giurgiu $1,650

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,733 in Bucharest versus $2,211 in Giurgiu.

Bucharest $2,733
Giurgiu $2,211

Living in Bucharest is roughly 24% more expensive than in Giurgiu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.66 RON 70.5

$10.90 RON 52.4

34.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 277

$51.7 RON 248

11.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 RON 36.14

$7.13 RON 34.27

5.47%

Cappuccino

$3.56 RON 17.09

$3.64 RON 17.52

-2.20%

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

$2.47 RON 11.88

$2.38 RON 11.45

3.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 RON 10.50

$2.16 RON 10.36

0.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 RON 17.73

$3.05 RON 14.68

20.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 RON 20.57

$3.31 RON 15.94

29.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 8.04

$1.54 RON 7.42

8.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.49

$1.37 RON 6.58

-1.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.53

$1.77 RON 8.50

0.56%

Eggs

$3.56 RON 17.12

$3.46 RON 16.64

2.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.12 RON 43.86

$8.74 RON 42.03

4.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.82 RON 32.77

$6.99 RON 33.61

-2.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.13 RON 58.3

$12.63 RON 60.7

-3.96%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 RON 6.08

$1.47 RON 7.09

-14.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 RON 7.80

$1.55 RON 7.46

4.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.49

$1.64 RON 7.91

-4.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.21

$2.62 RON 12.60

-3.05%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 RON 3.76

$0.75 RON 3.62

4.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.72

$0.88 RON 4.24

-12.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 RON 4.27

$0.86 RON 4.13

3.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 RON 4.32

$0.76 RON 3.63

18.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 RON 31.49

$5.96 RON 28.65

9.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.37 RON 30.60

$7.29 RON 35.03

-12.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 RON 5.98

$1.23 RON 5.90

0.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 RON 7.80

$1.81 RON 8.69

-10.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 RON 4.11

$0.72 RON 3.45

18.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.71 RON 99.6

$21.71 RON 104

-4.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 RON 2.95

$0.67 RON 3.21

-8.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.95

$0.66 RON 3.18

-7.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.16 RON 29.62

$6.59 RON 31.69

-6.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 RON 9.60

$1.85 RON 8.90

8.11%

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

$27.9K RON 134.4K

$28.0K RON 134.6K

-0.19%

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

$25.3K RON 121.7K

$24.9K RON 119.6K

1.81%

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

$192 RON 923

$181 RON 870

6.09%

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

$7.92 RON 38.06

$7.98 RON 38.36

-0.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.96 RON 43.06

$9.25 RON 44.46

-3.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.99 RON 240

$40.24 RON 193

24.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 RON 119

$21.63 RON 104

14.70%

Cinema Ticket

$8.51 RON 40.90

$9.37 RON 45.07

-9.18%

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

$686 RON 3,297

$442 RON 2,123

55.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 69.3K

$6,801 RON 32.7K

111.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.2 RON 434

$51.3 RON 247

75.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.74 RON 186

$35.48 RON 171

9.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.9 RON 379

$74.6 RON 359

5.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 RON 443

$88.3 RON 425

4.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$711 RON 3,419

$365 RON 1,754

94.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 RON 2,220

$273 RON 1,312

69.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 RON 5,064

$553 RON 2,659

90.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$723 RON 3,474

$383 RON 1,842

88.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,634 RON 17.5K

$1,958 RON 9,412

85.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,173 RON 10.4K

$1,372 RON 6,597

58.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,354 RON 6,508

$911 RON 4,377

48.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

7.2

-6.25%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 26, 2026

Last update for Giurgiu: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$462 34.1%

Giurgiu

$273 25.1% 40.9% $189

Eating Out

Bucharest

$228 16.9%

Giurgiu

$192 17.7% 15.7% $36

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.6%

Giurgiu

$226 20.8% 0.6% $1.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$209 15.4%

Giurgiu

$198 18.2% 5.1% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$135 10%

Giurgiu

$112 10.3% 16.8% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Giurgiu

$59 5.4% 12% $8

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Giurgiu

$29 2.6% 2.7% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $711 in Bucharest and $365 in Giurgiu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 49% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $58 in Bucharest vs $52 in Giurgiu. Groceries flip the comparison at $225 vs $226, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇷🇴 Giurgiu

🕒 Local time

16:01 4:01 PM

Same time as Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

61,353

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Bucharest Giurgiu 61 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 Giurgiu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Giurgiu differ by about 24% in total monthly costs ($1,354 vs $1,090 including rent). Giurgiu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 49% 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: $711 in Bucharest versus $365 in Giurgiu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 5% less than in Giurgiu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $1,354 per month in Bucharest versus $1,090 in Giurgiu – a 24% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Giurgiu gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Giurgiu wins on affordability, Bucharest on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.