Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Khartoum

For one person, living is cheaper in Khartoum: $505 a month against $1,351 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Khartoum
Learn more

Khartoum Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Khartoum

🇸🇩 Sudan

$505

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Khartoum

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,351 in Bucharest versus $505 in Khartoum.

Bucharest $1,351
Khartoum $505

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,033 in Bucharest versus $681 in Khartoum.

Bucharest $2,033
Khartoum $681

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,715 in Bucharest versus $856 in Khartoum.

Bucharest $2,715
Khartoum $856

Living in Bucharest is roughly 167% more expensive than in Khartoum, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% above, Khartoum is 62% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 RON 68.4

$2.34 SDG 1,401

517.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 273

$14.08 SDG 8,425

309.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 RON 35.46

$2.64 SDG 1,579

184.09%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 SDG 1,434

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 SDG 1,289

Cappuccino

$3.43 RON 16.20

$2.73 SDG 1,633

25.64%

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

$2.46 RON 11.63

$0.52 SDG 314

373.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.01

$0.35 SDG 212

565.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 RON 17.97

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.41

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.79

$1.38 SDG 826

19.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.39

$1.39 SDG 829

-2.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.42

$1.42 SDG 853

25.35%

Eggs

$3.66 RON 17.33

$3.64 SDG 2,179

0.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 RON 40.54

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RON 32.17

$4.32 SDG 2,584

57.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 RON 55.4

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.11

$4.27 SDG 2,555

-69.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.37

$1.02 SDG 611

52.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.28

$1.57 SDG 941

-1.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 RON 11.75

$1.61 SDG 964

54.04%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.92

$1.04 SDG 625

-20.19%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.77

$0.74 SDG 444

8.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 3.98

$0.57 SDG 340

47.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 RON 4.39

$0.56 SDG 336

66.07%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.97 SDG 2,374

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 SDG 463

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 SDG 1,010

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 RON 30.45

$1.86 SDG 1,114

246.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 RON 29.91

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.94

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 RON 7.59

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.85

$0.67 SDG 404

20.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.13 RON 99.9

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$3.80 SDG 2,274

-84.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.91

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.19

$4.88 SDG 2,923

26.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.27

$1.16 SDG 693

68.97%

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

$28.1K RON 133.1K

$4,970 SDG 3.0M

466.41%

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

$26.3K RON 124.3K

$10.1K SDG 6.0M

160.35%

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

$197 RON 931

$71.1 SDG 42.6K

176.71%

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

$8.34 RON 39.44

$9.87 SDG 5,906

-15.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.19 RON 43.47

$32.81 SDG 19.6K

-71.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.87 RON 236

$8.18 SDG 4,897

509.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 118

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 RON 40.01

$3.89 SDG 2,329

117.48%

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

$639 RON 3,023

$111 SDG 66.7K

473.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.1K

$2,732 SDG 1.6M

426.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 RON 429

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 RON 180

$8.72 SDG 5,218

336.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 RON 377

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 RON 441

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 RON 3,184

$538 SDG 322.2K

25.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 RON 2,123

$170 SDG 101.9K

163.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 RON 5,195

$1,243 SDG 743.7K

-11.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 RON 3,448

$164 SDG 98.4K

343.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,740 RON 17.7K

$1,029 SDG 615.8K

263.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 RON 10.4K

$1,019 SDG 609.7K

114.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,323 RON 6,259

$241 SDG 144.2K

449.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

-77.53%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Last update for Khartoum: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$449 33.5%

Khartoum

$170 34.2% 62.1% $279

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.8%

Khartoum

$63 12.6% 72.1% $163

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$222 16.5%

Khartoum

$125 * 25.1% 43.6% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 16%

Khartoum

$114 22.8% 46.9% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$136 10.1%

Khartoum

$3.9 * 0.8% 97.1% $132

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Khartoum

$16 3.2% 76.1% $51

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Khartoum

$6.5 * 1.3% 76.8% $22

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $673 in Bucharest and $538 in Khartoum. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 449% 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 $14.00 in Khartoum for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $125 per month, with Khartoum cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇸🇩 Khartoum

🕒 Local time

09:19 9:19 AM

08:19 8:19 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

2,682,431 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Sudanese Pound SDG £

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

1,000 SDG = 1.67 USD

1,000 SDG = 1.49 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SDG, USD, EUR 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).

Sudanese Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 599 SDG (1,000 SDG = 1.67 USD). 1 EUR = 671 SDG (1,000 SDG = 1.49 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Khartoum 3,270 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Khartoum

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 Khartoum: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Khartoum differ by about 167% in total monthly costs ($1,351 vs $505 including rent). Khartoum is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 449% 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 $538 in Khartoum. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 77% higher in Bucharest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,351 per month in Bucharest versus $505 in Khartoum – a 167% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $505 in Khartoum versus $1,351 in Bucharest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Khartoum but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Khartoum 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 Khartoum gentler on the wallet – expenses run 167% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.