Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Gradiska

For one person, living is cheaper in Gradiska: $774 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 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 Gradiska
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Gradiska Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Gradiska

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$774

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Gradiska

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $774 in Gradiska.

Bucharest $1,340
Gradiska $774

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $1,267 in Gradiska.

Bucharest $2,037
Gradiska $1,267

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $1,760 in Gradiska.

Bucharest $2,734
Gradiska $1,760

Living in Bucharest is roughly 73% more expensive than in Gradiska, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Gradiska 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$5.86 BAM 10.19

147.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$37.72 BAM 65.6

54.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$6.69 BAM 11.63

11.81%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$1.68 BAM 2.93

104.76%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$1.73 BAM 3.01

36.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$1.18 BAM 2.06

94.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$1.73 BAM 3.00

113.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$2.34 BAM 4.07

77.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$1.29 BAM 2.25

29.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$1.11 BAM 1.94

23.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$1.71 BAM 2.97

0.58%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$3.44 BAM 5.98

5.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$7.06 BAM 12.28

28.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$7.05 BAM 12.26

-2.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$15.01 BAM 26.11

-20.05%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$1.06 BAM 1.84

16.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$1.43 BAM 2.49

13.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.21 BAM 2.11

29.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$1.60 BAM 2.78

58.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$1.39 BAM 2.41

-43.17%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$0.82 BAM 1.42

-6.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$1.61 BAM 2.81

-45.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$0.81 BAM 1.41

22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$3.71 BAM 6.45

70.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$8.81 BAM 15.31

-29.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.00 BAM 1.73

19.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.05 BAM 1.82

49.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$2.92 BAM 5.07

-70.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$1.68 BAM 2.91

-61.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$1.15 BAM 2.00

-47.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$10.09 BAM 17.55

-36.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$1.53 BAM 2.66

28.10%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$31.0K BAM 54.0K

-6.57%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$20.8K BAM 36.2K

27.96%

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

$196 RON 927

$86.3 BAM 150

126.99%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$18.50 BAM 32.17

-56.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$22.68 BAM 39.44

-58.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$24.95 BAM 43.39

101.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$2.81 BAM 4.88

190.04%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$134 BAM 233

369.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$18.6K BAM 32.3K

-24.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$57.0 BAM 99.0

57.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$28.60 BAM 49.73

33.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$72.1 BAM 125

9.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$115 BAM 200

-21.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$169 BAM 294

301.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$142 BAM 247

215.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$366 BAM 636

196.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$314 BAM 545

131.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$1,410 BAM 2,453

165.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$1,243 BAM 2,162

76.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$673 BAM 1,170

97.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

4.3

56.98%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Gradiska: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Gradiska

$142 18.4% 68.3% $306

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Gradiska

$112 14.5% 50.2% $113

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Gradiska

$220 28.4% 2.5% $5.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Gradiska

$127 16.5% 40.2% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Gradiska

$123 15.9% 8.3% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Gradiska

$31 4% 54.1% $36

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Gradiska

$19 * 2.5% 32.3% $9.1

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 $169 in Gradiska. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 98% 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 $38.00 in Gradiska for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $220 per month, with Gradiska cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇧🇦 Gradiska

🕒 Local time

11:16 11:16 AM

10:16 10:16 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

14,368

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1 BAM = 0.575 USD

1 BAM = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BAM, 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).

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BAM (1 BAM = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BAM (1 BAM = 0.512 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Gradiska 700 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Gradiska

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 Gradiska: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Gradiska differ by about 73% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $774 including rent). Gradiska is meaningfully more affordable – 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: $678 in Bucharest versus $169 in Gradiska. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% 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 $774 in Gradiska – a 73% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $774 in Gradiska versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Gradiska but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Gradiska 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 Gradiska gentler on the wallet – expenses run 73% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.