Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Kecskemet

For one person, living is cheaper in Kecskemet: $1,171 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Kecskemet
Learn more

Kecskemet Living Index

Jump to prices

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Kecskemet

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,171

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Kecskemet

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,171 in Kecskemet.

Bucharest $1,340
Kecskemet $1,171

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $1,730 in Kecskemet.

Bucharest $2,037
Kecskemet $1,730

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $2,289 in Kecskemet.

Bucharest $2,734
Kecskemet $2,289

Living in Bucharest is roughly 14% more expensive than in Kecskemet, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Kecskemet 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$9.16 Ft 2,959

58.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$30.07 Ft 9,715

93.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$7.81 Ft 2,524

-4.23%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$1.57 Ft 507

119.11%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$1.56 Ft 505

51.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$1.20 Ft 389

91.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$2.22 Ft 718

66.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$2.27 Ft 733

83.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$1.23 Ft 396

35.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$1.28 Ft 414

7.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$2.41 Ft 777

-28.63%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$3.69 Ft 1,192

-1.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$10.38 Ft 3,354

-12.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$6.71 Ft 2,166

1.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$13.61 Ft 4,398

-11.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$1.83 Ft 591

-32.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$1.67 Ft 539

-2.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.82 Ft 588

-13.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$3.14 Ft 1,015

-19.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$0.99 Ft 318

-20.20%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$1.05 Ft 340

-26.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$1.21 Ft 391

-28.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$0.51 Ft 166

94.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$6.87 Ft 2,220

-8.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$3.73 Ft 1,207

66.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.22 Ft 394

-2.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.97 Ft 636

-20.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$1.12 Ft 361

-23.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$18.54 Ft 5,991

13.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$1.23 Ft 398

-47.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$1.63 Ft 528

-63.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$18.17 Ft 5,870

-64.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$1.81 Ft 584

8.29%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-2.80%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$32.5K Ft 10.5M

-18.05%

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

$196 RON 927

$130 Ft 42.1K

50.37%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$32.28 Ft 10.4K

-75.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$19.37 Ft 6,257

-51.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$61.0 Ft 19.7K

-17.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$27.61 Ft 8,921

-8.26%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$7.78 Ft 2,512

4.76%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$246 Ft 79.4K

155.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$6,687 Ft 2.2M

110.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$114 Ft 37.0K

-21.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$15.05 Ft 4,863

154.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$46.46 Ft 15.0K

70.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$75.6 Ft 24.4K

19.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$513 Ft 165.6K

32.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$394 Ft 127.4K

13.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$695 Ft 224.7K

55.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$592 Ft 191.1K

22.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$2,321 Ft 749.9K

61.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$1,964 Ft 634.4K

11.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$1,099 Ft 355.1K

20.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

6.67

1.20%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Kecskemet: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Kecskemet

$394 33.7% 12% $54

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Kecskemet

$142 12.1% 36.8% $83

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Kecskemet

$231 19.7% 2.5% $5.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Kecskemet

$182 15.5% 14.7% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Kecskemet

$113 9.7% 15.5% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Kecskemet

$77 6.5% 15.1% $10

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Kecskemet

$32 2.8% 14.9% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $513 in Kecskemet. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 21% 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 $30.00 in Kecskemet. Groceries flip the comparison at $225 vs $231, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇭🇺 Kecskemet

🕒 Local time

04:10 4:10 AM

03:10 3:10 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

109,450

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bucharest Kecskemet 570 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Kecskemet

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 Kecskemet: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Kecskemet differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $1,171 including rent). Kecskemet is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 21% 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 $513 in Kecskemet. 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 $1,171 in Kecskemet – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kecskemet runs roughly 14% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,171 in Kecskemet versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Kecskemet but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Kecskemet 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 Kecskemet 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 Kecskemet gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.