Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Isfahan

For one person, living is cheaper in Isfahan: $472 a month against $1,371 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Isfahan
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Isfahan Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,371

/mo nomad

Isfahan

🇮🇷 Iran

$472

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Isfahan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,371 in Bucharest versus $472 in Isfahan.

Bucharest $1,371
Isfahan $472

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,067 in Bucharest versus $806 in Isfahan.

Bucharest $2,067
Isfahan $806

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,764 in Bucharest versus $1,141 in Isfahan.

Bucharest $2,764
Isfahan $1,141

Living in Bucharest is roughly 191% more expensive than in Isfahan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.51 RON 69.0

$3.09 $3.09

369.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 RON 291

$15.80 $15.80

287.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.46 RON 35.46

$2.93 $2.93

154.61%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.83 $0.83

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

Cappuccino

$3.64 RON 17.31

$1.00 $1.00

264.00%

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

$2.62 RON 12.43

$0.48 $0.48

445.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 RON 11.23

$0.52 $0.52

353.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.78 RON 17.98

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 RON 19.52

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 RON 7.89

$0.47 $0.47

253.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 RON 6.64

$0.46 $0.46

204.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 RON 8.53

$1.91 $1.91

-6.28%

Eggs

$3.63 RON 17.25

$1.45 $1.45

150.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.92 RON 42.38

$2.86 $2.86

211.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.86 RON 32.62

$2.55 $2.55

169.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.99 RON 57.0

$10.33 $10.33

16.07%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.16

$0.73 $0.73

78.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.76

$1.26 $1.26

29.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.09

$1.06 $1.06

40.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.08

$0.60 $0.60

323.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 RON 3.86

$0.56 $0.56

44.64%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.78

$0.48 $0.48

66.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 RON 4.07

$0.56 $0.56

53.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RON 4.46

$0.19 $0.19

394.74%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.52 $0.52

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 $0.54

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 $0.83

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.60 RON 31.38

$2.05 $2.05

221.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.33 RON 30.08

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.64

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 RON 7.53

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 RON 4.64

$0.29 $0.29

237.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.91 RON 99.4

$12.80 $12.80

63.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.52 $0.52

15.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 RON 2.93

$0.31 $0.31

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.37 RON 30.25

$2.06 $2.06

209.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 RON 9.62

$0.93 $0.93

117.20%

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

$28.2K RON 134.0K

$67.4K $67.4K

-58.19%

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

$26.3K RON 124.8K

$47.3K $47.3K

-44.46%

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

$196 RON 932

$10.36 $10.36

1793.63%

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

$8.60 RON 40.84

$2.01 $2.01

327.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.20 RON 43.69

$7.53 $7.53

22.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 RON 242

$13.41 $13.41

280.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.04 RON 119

$13.40 $13.40

86.87%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 RON 39.27

$1.02 $1.02

709.80%

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

$681 RON 3,234

$72.1 $72.1

844.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K RON 89.0K

$530 $530

3437.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 RON 443

$18.14 $18.14

414.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.87 RON 189

$23.69 $23.69

68.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 RON 381

$86.7 $86.7

-7.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 RON 431

$37.28 $37.28

143.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$731 RON 3,473

$285 $285

156.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 RON 2,232

$196 $196

139.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,110 RON 5,276

$1,301 $1,301

-14.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 RON 3,431

$449 $449

60.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 RON 17.8K

$1,193 $1,193

214.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,233 RON 10.6K

$681 $681

228.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,365 RON 6,487

$209 $209

552.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

26.8

-74.81%

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

Last update for Bucharest: November 2, 2026

Last update for Isfahan: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$470 34.3%

Isfahan

$196 41.5% 58.3% $274

Eating Out

Bucharest

$229 16.7%

Isfahan

$49 10.5% 78.4% $180

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.4%

Isfahan

$101 21.3% 55.2% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 15.6%

Isfahan

$20 4.2% 90.7% $194

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$137 10%

Isfahan

$75 15.8% 45.4% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$68 4.9%

Isfahan

$15 3.3% 77.1% $52

Getting Around

Bucharest

$29 2.1%

Isfahan

$16 3.4% 43.8% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $731 in Bucharest and $285 in Isfahan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays about 6.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Bucharest vs $16 in Isfahan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $101 per month, with Isfahan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇮🇷 Isfahan

🕒 Local time

08:17 8:17 AM

09:47 9:47 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

1,961,260

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.33 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Isfahan 2,560 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Isfahan

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 Isfahan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,371 in Bucharest and $472 in Isfahan, so Isfahan is about 66% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Bucharest is about 6.5 times higher, 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: $731 in Bucharest versus $285 in Isfahan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,371 per month in Bucharest versus $472 in Isfahan – Isfahan is about 66% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Isfahan runs roughly 39% less than in Bucharest. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $472 in Isfahan versus $1,371 in Bucharest, a $800 budget is realistic in Isfahan but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Isfahan 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 Isfahan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.