Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Herceg Novi

For one person, living is cheaper in Herceg Novi: $1,237 a month against $1,351 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bucharest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Herceg Novi
Learn more

Herceg Novi Living Index

Jump to prices

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Herceg Novi

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,237

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Herceg Novi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,351 in Bucharest versus $1,237 in Herceg Novi.

Bucharest $1,351
Herceg Novi $1,237

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,033 in Bucharest versus $1,973 in Herceg Novi.

Bucharest $2,033
Herceg Novi $1,973

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,715 in Bucharest versus $2,710 in Herceg Novi.

Bucharest $2,715
Herceg Novi $2,710

Living in Bucharest is roughly 9% more expensive than in Herceg Novi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% above, Herceg Novi is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 RON 68.4

$11.23 €10.02

28.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 273

$36.34 €32.43

58.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 RON 35.46

$9.19 €8.20

-18.39%

Cappuccino

$3.43 RON 16.20

$2.59 €2.31

32.43%

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

$2.46 RON 11.63

$2.47 €2.20

-0.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.01

$1.64 €1.46

42.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 RON 17.97

$2.82 €2.52

34.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.41

$3.39 €3.02

20.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.79

$1.16 €1.04

42.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.39

$1.02 €0.91

32.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.42

$2.82 €2.52

-36.88%

Eggs

$3.66 RON 17.33

$3.03 €2.70

20.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 RON 40.54

$8.94 €7.98

-4.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RON 32.17

$7.27 €6.48

-6.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 RON 55.4

$12.81 €11.43

-8.51%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.11

$1.34 €1.20

-3.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.37

$1.55 €1.38

0.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.28

$1.58 €1.41

-2.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 RON 11.75

$3.02 €2.70

-17.88%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.92

$0.89 €0.80

-6.74%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.77

$1.30 €1.16

-38.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 3.98

$1.52 €1.36

-44.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 RON 4.39

$0.93 €0.83

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 RON 30.45

$3.98 €3.55

61.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 RON 29.91

$4.43 €3.96

42.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.94

$1.24 €1.11

1.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 RON 7.59

$1.72 €1.54

-6.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.85

$1.69 €1.51

-52.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.13 RON 99.9

$45.08 €40.23

-53.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$2.91 €2.60

-79.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.91

$1.09 €0.97

-44.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.19

$16.59 €14.81

-62.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.27

$1.72 €1.53

13.95%

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

$28.1K RON 133.1K

$33.0K €29.5K

-14.81%

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

$26.3K RON 124.3K

$20.9K €18.7K

25.60%

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

$197 RON 931

$131 €117

49.71%

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

$8.34 RON 39.44

$12.86 €11.48

-35.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.19 RON 43.47

$33.38 €29.79

-72.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.87 RON 236

$55.7 €49.71

-10.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 118

$11.00 €9.81

127.18%

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 RON 40.01

$8.00 €7.14

5.75%

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

$639 RON 3,023

$443 €395

44.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.1K

$7,028 €6,272

104.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 RON 429

$82.5 €73.7

9.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 RON 180

$33.95 €30.30

12.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 RON 377

$73.9 €65.9

7.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 RON 441

$94.6 €84.4

-1.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 RON 3,184

$657 €587

2.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 RON 2,123

$395 €353

13.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 RON 5,195

$1,232 €1,100

-10.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 RON 3,448

$886 €791

-17.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,740 RON 17.7K

$3,642 €3,250

2.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 RON 10.4K

$2,415 €2,155

-9.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,323 RON 6,259

$1,037 €926

27.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

34.80%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Last update for Herceg Novi: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$449 33.5%

Herceg Novi

$395 31.8% 12% $54

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.8%

Herceg Novi

$186 14.9% 17.6% $40

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$222 16.5%

Herceg Novi

$225 18.1% 1.6% $3.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 16%

Herceg Novi

$178 14.3% 17.1% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$136 10.1%

Herceg Novi

$128 10.3% 5.5% $7.5

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Herceg Novi

$72 5.8% 7.4% $4.9

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Herceg Novi

$60 4.8% 115% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $673 in Bucharest and $657 in Herceg Novi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 28% 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 $36.00 in Herceg Novi. Groceries flip the comparison at $222 vs $225, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇲🇪 Herceg Novi

🕒 Local time

09:10 9:10 AM

08:10 8:10 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

11,059

💱 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bucharest Herceg Novi 650 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Herceg Novi

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 Herceg Novi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Herceg Novi differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($1,351 vs $1,237 including rent). Herceg Novi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 28% 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 $657 in Herceg Novi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,351 per month in Bucharest versus $1,237 in Herceg Novi – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Herceg Novi runs roughly 113% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,237 in Herceg Novi versus $1,351 in Bucharest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Herceg Novi but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Herceg Novi 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 Herceg Novi 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 Herceg Novi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.