Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Kota

For one person, living is cheaper in Kota: $341 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 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
16

Cost of Living Index in Kota
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Kota Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Kota

🇮🇳 India

$341

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Kota

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $341 in Kota.

Bucharest $1,340
Kota $341

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $540 in Kota.

Bucharest $2,037
Kota $540

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $739 in Kota.

Bucharest $2,734
Kota $739

Living in Bucharest is roughly 293% more expensive than in Kota, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Kota 75% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$2.12 ₹202

583.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$8.17 ₹776

611.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$2.59 ₹246

188.80%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$0.63 ₹60.2

446.03%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$0.35 ₹33.56

577.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$0.16 ₹15.55

1337.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$1.59 ₹151

132.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$3.15 ₹300

32.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$0.62 ₹58.8

169.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$0.44 ₹41.74

211.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$0.67 ₹63.2

156.72%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$0.88 ₹83.9

313.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$4.55 ₹432

99.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$2.55 ₹242

168.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$1.55 ₹147

-20.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$0.52 ₹49.04

213.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$0.66 ₹63.2

137.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$0.43 ₹41.16

490.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$0.32 ₹30.36

146.88%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$0.37 ₹35.44

108.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$0.32 ₹30.79

171.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$0.28 ₹26.21

253.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$4.33 ₹411

45.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$7.84 ₹744

-20.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.56 ₹148

-23.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.85 ₹176

-15.14%

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

$4.67 ₹444

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$0.50 ₹47.54

72.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$26.53 ₹2,519

-20.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$0.32 ₹30.43

100.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.22 ₹20.92

172.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$1.08 ₹102

495.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$1.11 ₹106

76.58%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$15.6K ₹1.5M

86.09%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$17.0K ₹1.6M

56.71%

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

$196 RON 927

$13.09 ₹1,243

1396.49%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$2.53 ₹240

217.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$6.40 ₹608

46.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$10.62 ₹1,008

372.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$4.11 ₹391

516.30%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$3.17 ₹301

157.10%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$33.56 ₹3,187

1771.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$662 ₹62.9K

2027.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$21.88 ₹2,077

309.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$33.09 ₹3,143

15.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$34.79 ₹3,304

127.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$21.28 ₹2,021

324.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$138 ₹13.1K

390.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$81.0 ₹7,695

453.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$273 ₹25.9K

296.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$172 ₹16.4K

321.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$565 ₹53.6K

564.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$334 ₹31.8K

556.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$432 ₹41.0K

208.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

7.5

-10.00%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Kota: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Kota

$81 23.8% 81.9% $367

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Kota

$49 14.3% 78.4% $177

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Kota

$92 27.1% 59% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Kota

$22 6.5% 89.7% $191

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Kota

$50 14.7% 62.7% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Kota

$17 5% 74.5% $50

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Kota

$30 8.8% 6.2% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $138 in Kota. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 208% 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 $8.00 in Kota for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $92.0 per month, with Kota cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇮🇳 Kota

🕒 Local time

04:07 4:07 AM

06:37 6:37 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

1,001,400

💱 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 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 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 Kota 4,930 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Kota

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 Kota: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Kota differ by about 293% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $341 including rent). Kota is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 208% 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 $138 in Kota. 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 $341 in Kota – a 293% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kota runs roughly 26% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $341 in Kota versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kota but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Kota 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 Kota gentler on the wallet – expenses run 293% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.