Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Kempton Park

For one person, living is cheaper in Kempton Park: $1,209 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Kempton Park
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Kempton Park Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Kempton Park

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,209

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Kempton Park

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,209 in Kempton Park.

Bucharest $1,340
Kempton Park $1,209

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $1,854 in Kempton Park.

Bucharest $2,037
Kempton Park $1,854

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $2,498 in Kempton Park.

Bucharest $2,734
Kempton Park $2,498

Living in Bucharest is roughly 11% more expensive than in Kempton Park, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Kempton Park 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$8.85 R 146

63.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$36.72 R 605

58.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$5.84 R 96.1

28.08%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$2.39 R 39.33

43.93%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$1.08 R 17.80

119.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$0.83 R 13.70

177.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$2.38 R 39.19

55.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$2.74 R 45.08

51.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$1.28 R 21.17

30.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$1.08 R 17.78

26.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$1.77 R 29.09

-2.82%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$2.49 R 41.09

46.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$8.60 R 142

5.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$5.21 R 85.8

31.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$8.76 R 144

36.99%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$1.85 R 30.44

-33.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$1.64 R 27.06

-0.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.78 R 29.39

-11.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$2.04 R 33.58

24.51%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$1.64 R 27.01

-51.83%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$1.65 R 27.21

-53.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$1.22 R 20.07

-28.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$1.26 R 20.80

-21.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$3.22 R 53.1

95.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$5.32 R 87.7

16.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.62 R 26.68

-26.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$2.38 R 39.24

-34.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$1.53 R 25.21

-43.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$60.5 R 997

-65.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$0.29 R 4.76

120.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.82 R 13.43

-26.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$14.67 R 242

-56.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$1.48 R 24.41

32.43%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$34.7K R 571.6K

-16.42%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$31.6K R 521.1K

-15.77%

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

$196 RON 927

$180 R 2,959

9.07%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$38.44 R 633

-79.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$36.30 R 598

-74.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$37.47 R 617

34.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$10.58 R 174

139.41%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$8.02 R 132

1.62%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$256 R 4,218

145.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$5,474 R 90.2K

157.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$52.8 R 870

69.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$31.58 R 520

21.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$91.2 R 1,502

-13.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$84.2 R 1,388

7.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$301 R 4,960

125.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$365 R 6,010

22.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$734 R 12.1K

47.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$734 R 12.1K

-1.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$862 R 14.2K

335.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$666 R 11.0K

229.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$625 R 10.3K

112.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

11.25

-40.00%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Kempton Park: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Kempton Park

$365 30.2% 18.6% $84

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Kempton Park

$142 11.7% 37% $83

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Kempton Park

$207 17.1% 8% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Kempton Park

$254 21% 19.3% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Kempton Park

$117 9.7% 12.7% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Kempton Park

$54 4.4% 19.6% $13

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Kempton Park

$71 5.9% 152% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $301 in Kempton Park. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 113% 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 $37.00 in Kempton Park for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $207 per month, with Kempton Park cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇿🇦 Kempton Park

🕒 Local time

15:13 3:13 PM

14:13 2:13 PM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, 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).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Kempton Park 7,850 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Kempton Park

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 Kempton Park: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Kempton Park differ by about 11% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $1,209 including rent). Kempton Park is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 113% 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 $301 in Kempton Park. 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 $1,209 in Kempton Park – a 11% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kempton Park runs roughly 187% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,209 in Kempton Park versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kempton Park but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Kempton Park 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 Kempton Park 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 Kempton Park gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.