Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Kozhikode

For one person, living is cheaper in Kozhikode: $397 a month against $1,351 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index
19

Cost of Living Index in Kozhikode
Learn more

Kozhikode Living Index

Jump to prices

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Kozhikode

🇮🇳 India

$397

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Kozhikode

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,351 in Bucharest versus $397 in Kozhikode.

Bucharest $1,351
Kozhikode $397

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,033 in Bucharest versus $614 in Kozhikode.

Bucharest $2,033
Kozhikode $614

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,715 in Bucharest versus $832 in Kozhikode.

Bucharest $2,715
Kozhikode $832

Living in Bucharest is roughly 241% more expensive than in Kozhikode, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% above, Kozhikode is 70% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 RON 68.4

$1.57 ₹152

821.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 273

$9.12 ₹883

532.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 RON 35.46

$3.20 ₹310

134.37%

Cappuccino

$3.43 RON 16.20

$1.36 ₹132

152.21%

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

$2.46 RON 11.63

$0.34 ₹32.65

623.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.01

$0.13 ₹12.31

1692.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 RON 17.97

$1.42 ₹137

167.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.41

$1.86 ₹180

120.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.79

$0.57 ₹54.8

189.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.39

$0.48 ₹46.60

181.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.42

$0.49 ₹47.29

263.27%

Eggs

$3.66 RON 17.33

$0.83 ₹80.0

340.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 RON 40.54

$3.72 ₹360

130.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RON 32.17

$3.62 ₹351

87.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 RON 55.4

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.11

$2.01 ₹194

-35.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.37

$0.57 ₹54.8

173.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.28

$0.87 ₹84.2

77.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 RON 11.75

$0.45 ₹43.51

451.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.92

$0.35 ₹33.47

137.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.77

$0.41 ₹39.31

95.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 3.98

$0.59 ₹57.1

42.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 RON 4.39

$0.27 ₹26.33

244.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 RON 30.45

$4.91 ₹475

31.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 RON 29.91

$5.21 ₹504

21.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.94

$1.96 ₹189

-35.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 RON 7.59

$2.12 ₹206

-24.53%

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

$3.31 ₹321

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.85

$0.18 ₹17.70

350.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.13 RON 99.9

$5.20 ₹504

306.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.87 ₹84.1

-31.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.91

$0.45 ₹43.95

35.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.19

$2.07 ₹200

198.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.27

$1.12 ₹108

75.00%

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

$28.1K RON 133.1K

$13.1K ₹1.3M

114.37%

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

$26.3K RON 124.3K

$19.3K ₹1.9M

36.35%

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

$197 RON 931

$53.9 ₹5,219

265.08%

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

$8.34 RON 39.44

$3.06 ₹296

172.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.19 RON 43.47

$5.95 ₹576

54.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.87 RON 236

$19.45 ₹1,882

156.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 118

$5.92 ₹573

322.13%

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 RON 40.01

$2.57 ₹249

229.18%

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

$639 RON 3,023

$45.46 ₹4,400

1306.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.1K

$496 ₹48.1K

2798.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 RON 429

$28.03 ₹2,713

223.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 RON 180

$27.34 ₹2,646

39.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 RON 377

$69.5 ₹6,727

14.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 RON 441

$36.95 ₹3,576

152.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 RON 3,184

$111 ₹10.7K

506.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 RON 2,123

$73.4 ₹7,103

511.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 RON 5,195

$309 ₹29.9K

255.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 RON 3,448

$163 ₹15.8K

346.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,740 RON 17.7K

$880 ₹85.1K

325.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 RON 10.4K

$666 ₹64.5K

228.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,323 RON 6,259

$277 ₹26.8K

377.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

9.37

-28.07%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Last update for Kozhikode: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$449 33.5%

Kozhikode

$73 18.8% 83.6% $376

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.8%

Kozhikode

$51 13.1% 77.3% $174

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$222 16.5%

Kozhikode

$96 24.6% 56.7% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 16%

Kozhikode

$63 16.1% 70.6% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$136 10.1%

Kozhikode

$73 18.7% 46.3% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Kozhikode

$25 6.3% 63.2% $42

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Kozhikode

$9.1 2.3% 67.6% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $673 in Bucharest and $111 in Kozhikode. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 378% 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 $9.00 in Kozhikode for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $96.0 per month, with Kozhikode cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇮🇳 Kozhikode

🕒 Local time

09:12 9:12 AM

11:42 11:42 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

550,440

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.21 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 109 INR (1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bucharest Kozhikode 5,990 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Kozhikode

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 Kozhikode: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Kozhikode differ by about 241% in total monthly costs ($1,351 vs $397 including rent). Kozhikode is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 378% 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 $111 in Kozhikode. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,351 per month in Bucharest versus $397 in Kozhikode – a 241% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kozhikode runs roughly 306% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $397 in Kozhikode versus $1,351 in Bucharest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kozhikode but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Kozhikode 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 Kozhikode 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 Kozhikode gentler on the wallet – expenses run 241% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.