Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Kimberley

For one person, living is cheaper in Kimberley: $1,128 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Kimberley
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Kimberley Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Kimberley

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,128

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Kimberley

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,128 in Kimberley.

Bucharest $1,340
Kimberley $1,128

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $1,905 in Kimberley.

Bucharest $2,037
Kimberley $1,905

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $2,683 in Kimberley.

Bucharest $2,734
Kimberley $2,683

Living in Bucharest is roughly 19% more expensive than in Kimberley, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Kimberley 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$12.22 R 201

18.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$36.40 R 600

59.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$5.91 R 97.3

26.57%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$3.02 R 49.76

13.91%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$1.32 R 21.67

79.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$1.27 R 20.96

81.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$2.78 R 45.76

33.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$2.76 R 45.40

50.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$1.52 R 25.08

9.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$1.16 R 19.09

18.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$3.01 R 49.58

-42.86%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$2.88 R 47.44

26.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$6.60 R 109

37.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$5.84 R 96.2

17.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$8.62 R 142

39.21%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$2.24 R 36.86

-45.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$2.46 R 40.59

-33.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.76 R 29.02

-10.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$3.33 R 54.9

-23.72%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$1.47 R 24.20

-46.26%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$1.42 R 23.42

-45.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$1.34 R 22.03

-35.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$0.86 R 14.25

15.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$3.09 R 50.9

104.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$6.51 R 107

-4.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$2.21 R 36.48

-46.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$2.79 R 45.98

-43.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$1.52 R 24.97

-43.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$33.35 R 549

-36.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$0.58 R 9.57

10.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.88 R 14.57

-31.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$11.59 R 191

-44.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$1.39 R 22.88

41.01%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$35.2K R 579.7K

-17.58%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$31.7K R 522.0K

-15.92%

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

$196 RON 927

$105 R 1,734

86.14%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$34.81 R 573

-76.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$42.50 R 700

-78.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$22.96 R 378

118.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$10.87 R 179

133.03%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$7.27 R 120

12.10%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$242 R 3,985

159.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$5,516 R 90.9K

155.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$52.9 R 871

69.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$33.01 R 544

16.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$98.7 R 1,626

-19.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$87.3 R 1,438

3.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$266 R 4,378

155.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$332 R 5,472

34.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$640 R 10.5K

69.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$940 R 15.5K

-22.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$888 R 14.6K

322.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$649 R 10.7K

238.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$935 R 15.4K

42.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

10.94

-38.30%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Kimberley: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Kimberley

$332 29.5% 25.9% $116

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Kimberley

$181 16.1% 19.4% $44

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Kimberley

$228 20.2% 1.1% $2.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Kimberley

$183 16.2% 14.4% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Kimberley

$122 10.9% 8.6% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Kimberley

$38 3.3% 43.6% $29

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Kimberley

$44 3.9% 57.5% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $266 in Kimberley. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 42% 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 $36.00 in Kimberley. Groceries flip the comparison at $225 vs $228, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇿🇦 Kimberley

🕒 Local time

12:00 12:00 PM

11:00 11:00 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

225,160

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Kimberley 8,140 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Kimberley

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 Kimberley: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Kimberley differ by about 19% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $1,128 including rent). Kimberley is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 42% 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 $266 in Kimberley. 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 $1,128 in Kimberley – a 19% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kimberley runs roughly 58% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,128 in Kimberley versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Kimberley but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Kimberley 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 Kimberley gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.