Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Gramsh

For one person, living is cheaper in Gramsh: $1,063 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bucharest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Gramsh
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Gramsh Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Gramsh

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,063

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Gramsh

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,063 in Gramsh.

Bucharest $1,340
Gramsh $1,063

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $1,678 in Gramsh.

Bucharest $2,037
Gramsh $1,678

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $2,294 in Gramsh.

Bucharest $2,734
Gramsh $2,294

Living in Bucharest is roughly 26% more expensive than in Gramsh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Gramsh 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$9.57 ALL 770

51.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$39.19 ALL 3,156

48.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$7.23 ALL 582

3.46%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$1.84 ALL 148

86.96%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$1.76 ALL 142

34.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$0.63 ALL 51.0

265.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$2.45 ALL 197

51.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$3.32 ALL 267

25.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$1.89 ALL 153

-11.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$0.97 ALL 78.5

41.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$2.07 ALL 167

-16.91%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$2.67 ALL 215

36.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$10.25 ALL 826

-11.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$8.64 ALL 696

-20.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$13.85 ALL 1,115

-13.36%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$2.01 ALL 162

-38.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$2.30 ALL 185

-29.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.69 ALL 136

-7.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$1.63 ALL 131

55.83%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$1.08 ALL 86.9

-26.85%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$1.24 ALL 99.8

-37.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$1.18 ALL 95.0

-26.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$0.79 ALL 63.5

25.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$4.16 ALL 335

51.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$8.04 ALL 647

-22.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.72 ALL 139

-30.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.86 ALL 150

-15.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$0.52 ALL 42.00

65.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$22.07 ALL 1,777

-4.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$3.68 ALL 296

-82.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$3.74 ALL 301

-83.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$18.37 ALL 1,480

-65.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$2.17 ALL 175

-9.68%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$32.8K ALL 2.6M

-11.72%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$24.5K ALL 2.0M

8.69%

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

$196 RON 927

$61.5 ALL 4,950

218.68%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$16.54 ALL 1,332

-51.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$16.88 ALL 1,360

-44.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$55.9 ALL 4,505

-10.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$8.52 ALL 686

-4.34%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$97.2 ALL 7,828

546.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$49.40 ALL 3,978

81.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$56.0 ALL 4,509

-31.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$97.0 ALL 7,814

-18.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$149 ALL 12.0K

-39.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$548 ALL 44.1K

23.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$291 ALL 23.5K

53.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$738 ALL 59.5K

46.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$511 ALL 41.2K

41.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$1,887 ALL 152.0K

98.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$1,260 ALL 101.5K

74.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

35.00%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Gramsh: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Gramsh

$291 27.4% 35% $157

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Gramsh

$149 14% 33.9% $76

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Gramsh

$250 23.6% 11.2% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Gramsh

$95 8.9% 55.5% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Gramsh

$158 14.9% 18% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Gramsh

$73 6.9% 9.7% $6.4

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Gramsh

$47 4.4% 64.9% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $548 in Gramsh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $58.0 in Bucharest vs $39.00 in Gramsh. Groceries flip the comparison at $225 vs $250, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇦🇱 Gramsh

🕒 Local time

05:21 5:21 AM

04:21 4:21 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

8,400

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Albanian Lek ALL L

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

100 ALL = 1.24 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ALL, 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).

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 90.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Gramsh 630 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Gramsh

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 Gramsh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Gramsh differ by about 26% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $1,063 including rent). Gramsh is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,011 in Bucharest and $1,594 in Gramsh to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $678 in Bucharest versus $548 in Gramsh. 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 $1,063 in Gramsh – a 26% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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

At $1,063 in Gramsh versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Gramsh but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Gramsh 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 Gramsh gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.