Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Gjilan

For one person, living is cheaper in Gjilan: $774 a month against $1,351 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Gjilan
Learn more

Gjilan Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Gjilan

🇽🇰 Kosovo

$774

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Gjilan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,351 in Bucharest versus $774 in Gjilan.

Bucharest $1,351
Gjilan $774

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,033 in Bucharest versus $1,140 in Gjilan.

Bucharest $2,033
Gjilan $1,140

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,715 in Bucharest versus $1,507 in Gjilan.

Bucharest $2,715
Gjilan $1,507

Living in Bucharest is roughly 75% more expensive than in Gjilan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% above, Gjilan is 42% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 RON 68.4

$4.13 €3.69

250.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 273

$22.81 €20.35

152.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 RON 35.46

$5.77 €5.15

29.98%

Cappuccino

$3.43 RON 16.20

$1.36 €1.21

152.21%

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

$2.46 RON 11.63

$1.09 €0.97

125.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.01

$0.88 €0.78

164.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 RON 17.97

$1.66 €1.48

128.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.41

$1.32 €1.18

210.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.79

$1.25 €1.11

32.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.39

$0.46 €0.41

193.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.42

$1.29 €1.15

37.98%

Eggs

$3.66 RON 17.33

$1.86 €1.66

96.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 RON 40.54

$7.81 €6.97

9.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RON 32.17

$6.67 €5.95

1.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 RON 55.4

$12.67 €11.31

-7.50%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.11

$1.57 €1.40

-17.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.37

$1.58 €1.41

-1.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.28

$1.69 €1.51

-8.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 RON 11.75

$1.65 €1.47

50.30%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.92

$0.96 €0.85

-13.54%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.77

$0.86 €0.77

-6.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 3.98

$0.84 €0.75

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 RON 4.39

$0.49 €0.44

89.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 RON 30.45

$3.41 €3.04

88.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 RON 29.91

$5.69 €5.07

11.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.94

$1.00 €0.89

26.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 RON 7.59

$1.26 €1.13

26.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.85

$0.58 €0.52

39.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.13 RON 99.9

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$2.19 €1.96

-72.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.91

$0.59 €0.52

3.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.19

$3.30 €2.95

86.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.27

$1.43 €1.28

37.06%

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

$28.1K RON 133.1K

$22.2K €19.8K

26.74%

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

$26.3K RON 124.3K

$25.6K €22.9K

2.52%

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

$197 RON 931

$107 €95.2

84.63%

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

$8.34 RON 39.44

$11.27 €10.06

-26.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.19 RON 43.47

$23.50 €20.97

-60.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.87 RON 236

$19.87 €17.73

150.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 118

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 RON 40.01

$4.57 €4.08

85.12%

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

$639 RON 3,023

$166 €148

285.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.1K

$1,466 €1,308

881.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 RON 429

$42.41 €37.85

113.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 RON 180

$31.57 €28.17

20.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 RON 377

$63.2 €56.4

26.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 RON 441

$79.9 €71.3

16.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 RON 3,184

$278 €248

142.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 RON 2,123

$228 €204

96.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 RON 5,195

$479 €428

129.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 RON 3,448

$360 €321

102.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,740 RON 17.7K

$911 €813

310.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 RON 10.4K

$700 €624

212.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,323 RON 6,259

$441 €394

199.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

4.5

49.78%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Last update for Gjilan: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$449 33.5%

Gjilan

$228 29.3% 49.2% $221

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.8%

Gjilan

$85 11% 62.1% $140

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$222 16.5%

Gjilan

$190 24.3% 14.5% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 16%

Gjilan

$141 18.2% 34% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$136 10.1%

Gjilan

$98 12.5% 28% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Gjilan

$29 3.7% 56.6% $38

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Gjilan

$7.5 * 1% 73.4% $21

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 $673 in Bucharest and $278 in Gjilan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 200% 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 $23.00 in Gjilan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $190 per month, with Gjilan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇽🇰 Gjilan

🕒 Local time

14:56 2:56 PM

13:56 1:56 PM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

54,239

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to RON in detail →

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Bucharest Gjilan 430 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 Gjilan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Gjilan differ by about 75% in total monthly costs ($1,351 vs $774 including rent). Gjilan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 200% 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: $673 in Bucharest versus $278 in Gjilan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Bucharest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,351 per month in Bucharest versus $774 in Gjilan – a 75% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $774 in Gjilan versus $1,351 in Bucharest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Gjilan but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Gjilan 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 Gjilan 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 Gjilan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 75% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.