Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Kollam

For one person, living is cheaper in Kollam: $284 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
14

Cost of Living Index in Kollam
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Kollam Living Index

Jump to prices

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Kollam

🇮🇳 India

$284

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Kollam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $284 in Kollam.

Bucharest $1,340
Kollam $284

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $448 in Kollam.

Bucharest $2,037
Kollam $448

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $613 in Kollam.

Bucharest $2,734
Kollam $613

Living in Bucharest is roughly 373% more expensive than in Kollam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Kollam 79% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$1.04 ₹98.3

1293.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$6.43 ₹610

803.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$3.21 ₹305

133.02%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$1.40 ₹133

145.71%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$0.36 ₹34.41

558.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$0.11 ₹10.75

1990.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$1.33 ₹126

178.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$1.87 ₹178

122.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$0.60 ₹57.1

178.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$0.49 ₹46.48

179.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$0.50 ₹47.86

244.00%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$0.84 ₹79.3

333.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$3.67 ₹349

147.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$2.03 ₹193

236.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$1.59 ₹151

-22.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$0.56 ₹53.1

191.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$0.73 ₹69.6

115.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$0.39 ₹37.32

551.28%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$0.35 ₹32.80

125.71%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$0.38 ₹36.16

102.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$0.63 ₹60.1

38.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$0.25 ₹23.57

296.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$4.96 ₹471

27.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$2.55 ₹242

143.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$2.00 ₹190

-40.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$2.77 ₹263

-43.32%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$3.32 ₹315

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$0.16 ₹15.03

437.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$7.00 ₹665

201.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$0.83 ₹78.4

-22.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.30 ₹28.44

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$2.10 ₹199

206.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$1.11 ₹105

76.58%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$9,113 ₹865.3K

218.21%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$16.5K ₹1.6M

61.62%

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

$196 RON 927

$32.54 ₹3,089

502.00%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$3.04 ₹289

164.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$5.20 ₹494

79.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$13.66 ₹1,297

267.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$10.25 ₹973

147.12%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$1.54 ₹146

429.22%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$20.80 ₹1,975

2919.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$2,666 ₹253.2K

428.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$16.55 ₹1,571

441.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$23.17 ₹2,200

65.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$25.79 ₹2,449

207.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$24.53 ₹2,329

268.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$83.1 ₹7,893

715.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$46.94 ₹4,457

855.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$183 ₹17.4K

491.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$117 ₹11.1K

521.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$830 ₹78.8K

352.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$441 ₹41.9K

397.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$513 ₹48.7K

159.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

9.13

-26.07%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Kollam: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Kollam

$47 16.6% 89.5% $401

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Kollam

$47 16.6% 79.1% $178

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Kollam

$82 28.8% 63.7% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Kollam

$41 14.4% 80.9% $173

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Kollam

$41 14.3% 69.7% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Kollam

$17 5.9% 74.9% $50

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Kollam

$10 3.5% 64.7% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $83.1 in Kollam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 159% 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 $6.00 in Kollam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $82.0 per month, with Kollam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇮🇳 Kollam

🕒 Local time

20:18 8:18 PM

22:48 10:48 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

367,107

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 94.95 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Kollam 6,240 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Kollam

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 Kollam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Kollam differ by about 373% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $284 including rent). Kollam is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 159% 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 $83.1 in Kollam. 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 $284 in Kollam – a 373% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kollam runs roughly 201% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $284 in Kollam versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kollam but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Kollam 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 Kollam 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 Kollam gentler on the wallet – expenses run 373% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.