Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Guelma

For one person, living is cheaper in Guelma: $523 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Guelma
Learn more

Guelma Living Index

Jump to prices

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Guelma

🇩🇿 Algeria

$523

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Guelma

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $523 in Guelma.

Bucharest $1,340
Guelma $523

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $849 in Guelma.

Bucharest $2,037
Guelma $849

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $1,176 in Guelma.

Bucharest $2,734
Guelma $1,176

Living in Bucharest is roughly 157% more expensive than in Guelma, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Guelma 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$3.15 DZD 421

360.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$16.77 DZD 2,245

246.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$3.86 DZD 517

93.78%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$0.69 DZD 91.7

398.55%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$0.59 DZD 79.1

301.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$0.24 DZD 31.92

858.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$1.57 DZD 210

135.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$2.18 DZD 292

90.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$0.87 DZD 117

91.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$0.15 DZD 19.62

813.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$1.15 DZD 154

49.57%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$1.19 DZD 159

205.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$8.00 DZD 1,071

13.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$4.01 DZD 536

70.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$14.59 DZD 1,953

-17.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$2.02 DZD 270

-39.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$2.69 DZD 360

-39.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.07 DZD 143

46.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$0.96 DZD 129

164.58%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$0.63 DZD 84.0

25.40%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$0.45 DZD 60.4

71.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$0.77 DZD 103

12.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$0.25 DZD 33.57

296.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$2.59 DZD 347

143.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$6.52 DZD 873

-4.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.08 DZD 145

10.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.85 DZD 248

-15.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$0.24 DZD 32.10

258.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$5.76 DZD 771

266.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$0.57 DZD 75.9

12.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.45 DZD 60.1

33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$5.31 DZD 711

21.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$0.36 DZD 47.73

444.44%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$31.9K DZD 4.3M

-9.12%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$34.3K DZD 4.6M

-22.25%

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

$196 RON 927

$36.43 DZD 4,877

437.72%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$9.29 DZD 1,244

-13.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$12.07 DZD 1,616

-22.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$22.53 DZD 3,016

122.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$4.39 DZD 587

85.65%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$337 DZD 45.2K

86.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$4,258 DZD 570.0K

230.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$31.79 DZD 4,256

181.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$34.13 DZD 4,569

12.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$69.6 DZD 9,315

13.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$80.8 DZD 10.8K

11.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$142 DZD 19.0K

377.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$92.4 DZD 12.4K

385.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$267 DZD 35.8K

305.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$197 DZD 26.3K

268.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$959 DZD 128.4K

291.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$1,053 DZD 140.9K

108.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$302 DZD 40.4K

340.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

5.3

27.36%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Guelma: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Guelma

$92 17.7% 79.4% $356

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Guelma

$60 11.6% 73.1% $165

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Guelma

$174 33.3% 22.8% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Guelma

$58 11.1% 72.9% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Guelma

$97 18.6% 27.3% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Guelma

$31 6% 53% $35

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Guelma

$9.5 1.8% 66.2% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $142 in Guelma. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 340% 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 $17.00 in Guelma for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $174 per month, with Guelma cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇩🇿 Guelma

🕒 Local time

07:03 7:03 AM

05:03 5:03 AM

2 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

120,847

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Algerian Dinar DZD د.ج

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1,000 DZD = 7.47 USD

1,000 DZD = 6.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DZD, 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).

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 134 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.47 USD). 1 EUR = 151 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.64 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Guelma 1,810 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Guelma

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 Guelma: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Guelma differ by about 157% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $523 including rent). Guelma is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 340% 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 $142 in Guelma. 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 $523 in Guelma – a 157% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Guelma runs roughly 266% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $523 in Guelma versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Guelma but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Guelma 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 Guelma 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 Guelma gentler on the wallet – expenses run 157% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.