Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Kamez

For one person, living is cheaper in Kamez: $1,088 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Bucharest
🇷🇴 Romania
$1,340
/mo nomad
Kamez
🇦🇱 Albania
$1,088
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Kamez

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,088 in Kamez.

  • Bucharest $1,340
  • Kamez $1,088

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $1,622 in Kamez.

  • Bucharest $2,037
  • Kamez $1,622

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $2,157 in Kamez.

  • Bucharest $2,734
  • Kamez $2,157

Living in Bucharest is roughly 23% more expensive than in Kamez, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Kamez 19% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bucharest
Kamez
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$14.49 RON 68.6
$9.88 ALL 796
46.66%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$58.1 RON 275
$38.03 ALL 3,062
52.75%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.48 RON 35.40
$7.46 ALL 601
0.27%
Cappuccino
$3.44 RON 16.29
$1.90 ALL 153
81.05%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.37 RON 11.22
$1.75 ALL 141
35.43%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.30 RON 10.88
$0.69 ALL 55.3
233.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.70 RON 17.51
$2.47 ALL 199
49.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.16 RON 19.69
$3.29 ALL 265
26.44%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bucharest
Kamez
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.67 RON 7.90
$1.95 ALL 157
-14.36%
White Bread (500g)
$1.37 RON 6.50
$0.96 ALL 77.6
42.71%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.72 RON 8.14
$2.01 ALL 162
-14.43%
Eggs
$3.64 RON 17.22
$2.61 ALL 210
39.46%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.08 RON 42.98
$10.26 ALL 826
-11.50%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.84 RON 32.35
$8.32 ALL 670
-17.79%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.00 RON 56.8
$13.84 ALL 1,114
-13.29%
Apples (1kg)
$1.23 RON 5.80
$1.88 ALL 152
-34.57%
Banana (1kg)
$1.63 RON 7.73
$2.27 ALL 183
-28.19%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.57 RON 7.45
$1.68 ALL 135
-6.55%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.54 RON 12.01
$1.58 ALL 127
60.76%
Potato (1kg)
$0.79 RON 3.75
$1.06 ALL 85.2
-25.47%
Onion (1kg)
$0.77 RON 3.66
$1.23 ALL 99.4
-37.40%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.87 RON 4.13
$1.19 ALL 96.0
-26.89%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.99 RON 4.70
$0.73 ALL 59.1
35.62%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.31 RON 29.86
$4.39 ALL 353
43.74%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.20 RON 29.34
$7.99 ALL 644
-22.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.19 RON 5.63
$1.62 ALL 131
-26.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.57 RON 7.45
$1.88 ALL 152
-16.49%
🚌 Getting Around
Bucharest
Kamez
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.86 RON 4.08
$0.51 ALL 40.87
68.63%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$21.10 RON 99.8
$21.25 ALL 1,711
-0.71%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.64 RON 3.05
$3.64 ALL 293
-82.42%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.60 RON 2.86
$3.61 ALL 291
-83.38%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.43 RON 30.43
$18.57 ALL 1,496
-65.37%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.96 RON 9.25
$2.18 ALL 175
-10.09%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.0K RON 137.2K
$33.4K ALL 2.7M
-13.17%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.6K RON 126.0K
$24.7K ALL 2.0M
7.84%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bucharest
Kamez
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$196 RON 927
$61.1 ALL 4,920
220.61%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.04 RON 38.04
$16.32 ALL 1,314
-50.74%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$9.35 RON 44.21
$16.84 ALL 1,356
-44.48%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bucharest
Kamez
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$50.2 RON 238
$56.7 ALL 4,567
-11.44%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$25.33 RON 120
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$8.15 RON 38.55
$8.38 ALL 675
-2.74%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bucharest
Kamez
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$628 RON 2,971
$98.1 ALL 7,897
540.42%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.1K RON 66.6K
$8,281 ALL 666.9K
70.07%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bucharest
Kamez
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$89.6 RON 424
$48.06 ALL 3,870
86.45%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.32 RON 181
$46.90 ALL 3,777
-18.29%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.3 RON 375
$96.7 ALL 7,787
-18.02%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$90.4 RON 428
$110 ALL 8,818
-17.46%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bucharest
Kamez
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$678 RON 3,209
$464 ALL 37.4K
46.16%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$448 RON 2,121
$340 ALL 27.4K
31.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,083 RON 5,125
$791 ALL 63.7K
37.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$725 RON 3,430
$433 ALL 34.8K
67.55%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,751 RON 17.7K
$1,709 ALL 137.7K
119.46%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,195 RON 10.4K
$1,189 ALL 95.7K
84.67%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bucharest
Kamez
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,329 RON 6,290
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.75
5
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 Kamez: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Bucharest
$448
Kamez
$340 24.1% $108
Eating Out
Bucharest
$225
Kamez
$153 32.1% $72
Groceries & Markets
Bucharest
$225
Kamez
$246 9.4% $21
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bucharest
$213
Kamez
$94 55.8% $119
Clothing & Footwear
Bucharest
$134
Kamez
$136 1.2% $1.6
Sport & Entertainment
Bucharest
$67
Kamez
$73 10.4% $7
Getting Around
Bucharest
$28
Kamez
$45 59.5% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $464 in Kamez. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $58.0 in Bucharest vs $38.00 in Kamez. Groceries flip the comparison at $225 vs $246, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇷🇴 Bucharest
🇦🇱 Kamez
🕒 Local time
12:52 12:52 PM
11:52 11:52 AM
1 h behind Bucharest
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,883,425 Capital
104,190
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ALL, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bucharest Kamez 620 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Bucharest
  • Kamez

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 Kamez: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Bucharest and in Kamez?
Bucharest and Kamez differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $1,088 including rent). Kamez is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Bucharest compared to Kamez?
You'd need roughly $2,011 in Bucharest and $1,632 in Kamez 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Bucharest and in Kamez?
Rent for a central apartment: $678 in Bucharest versus $464 in Kamez. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city is more expensive overall: Bucharest or Kamez?
All in, you'll spend $1,340 per month in Bucharest versus $1,088 in Kamez – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
How do commuting costs compare in Bucharest and in Kamez?
A monthly transit pass in Kamez runs roughly 1% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,088 in Kamez versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kamez but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Kamez the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Bucharest and Kamez?
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.
Is Bucharest or Kamez safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Bucharest and Kamez are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Bucharest or Kamez?
Expats usually find Kamez gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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