Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Kragujevac

For one person, living is cheaper in Kragujevac: $1,154 a month against $1,351 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bucharest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Kragujevac
Learn more

Kragujevac Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Kragujevac

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,154

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Kragujevac

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,351 in Bucharest versus $1,154 in Kragujevac.

Bucharest $1,351
Kragujevac $1,154

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,033 in Bucharest versus $1,777 in Kragujevac.

Bucharest $2,033
Kragujevac $1,777

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,715 in Bucharest versus $2,400 in Kragujevac.

Bucharest $2,715
Kragujevac $2,400

Living in Bucharest is roughly 17% more expensive than in Kragujevac, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% above, Kragujevac is 14% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 RON 68.9

$10.37 RSD 1,083

39.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 275

$42.32 RSD 4,418

36.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 RON 35.72

$9.69 RSD 1,011

-22.60%

Cappuccino

$3.43 RON 16.32

$1.98 RSD 206

73.23%

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

$2.46 RON 11.72

$2.31 RSD 241

6.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.09

$1.36 RSD 142

71.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 RON 18.10

$2.66 RSD 277

42.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.56

$3.37 RSD 352

21.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.85

$1.29 RSD 135

27.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.44

$0.58 RSD 60.2

132.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.48

$1.87 RSD 195

-4.81%

Eggs

$3.66 RON 17.46

$2.46 RSD 257

48.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 RON 40.84

$9.60 RSD 1,002

-10.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RON 32.41

$6.39 RSD 667

6.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 RON 55.8

$11.42 RSD 1,193

2.63%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.16

$1.19 RSD 124

8.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.43

$1.81 RSD 188

-13.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.34

$1.63 RSD 170

-5.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 RON 11.84

$2.28 RSD 238

8.77%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.95

$1.06 RSD 111

-21.70%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.80

$1.21 RSD 127

-33.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 4.01

$1.01 RSD 105

-16.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 RON 4.42

$0.63 RSD 66.1

47.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 RON 30.68

$4.39 RSD 458

46.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 RON 30.13

$7.68 RSD 802

-17.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.99

$0.92 RSD 96.0

36.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 RON 7.65

$2.31 RSD 241

-30.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.88

$1.46 RSD 152

-44.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.13 RON 101

$29.11 RSD 3,039

-27.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.88

$1.40 RSD 146

-57.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.93

$0.92 RSD 96.1

-33.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.41

$5.38 RSD 561

14.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.34

$1.85 RSD 193

5.95%

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

$28.1K RON 134.2K

$30.7K RSD 3.2M

-8.24%

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

$26.3K RON 125.3K

$26.0K RSD 2.7M

1.21%

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

$197 RON 938

$188 RSD 19.6K

4.62%

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

$8.34 RON 39.74

$27.49 RSD 2,870

-69.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.19 RON 43.80

$31.86 RSD 3,327

-71.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.87 RON 238

$30.23 RSD 3,156

64.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 119

$20.20 RSD 2,109

23.71%

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 RON 40.31

$5.59 RSD 584

51.34%

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

$639 RON 3,046

$173 RSD 18.0K

269.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.6K

$3,866 RSD 403.6K

272.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 RON 432

$60.2 RSD 6,285

50.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 RON 181

$66.1 RSD 6,896

-42.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 RON 380

$124 RSD 12.9K

-35.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 RON 444

$119 RSD 12.4K

-21.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 RON 3,209

$392 RSD 41.0K

71.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 RON 2,139

$306 RSD 31.9K

46.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 RON 5,234

$630 RSD 65.8K

74.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 RON 3,474

$498 RSD 52.0K

46.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,740 RON 17.8K

$2,215 RSD 231.3K

68.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 RON 10.4K

$1,597 RSD 166.7K

37.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,323 RON 6,306

$928 RSD 96.9K

42.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

4.84

39.26%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Last update for Kragujevac: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$449 33.5%

Kragujevac

$306 25.9% 31.9% $143

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.8%

Kragujevac

$170 14.5% 24.5% $55

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$222 16.5%

Kragujevac

$208 17.6% 6.4% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 16%

Kragujevac

$248 21% 15.5% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$136 10.1%

Kragujevac

$166 14.1% 22.2% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Kragujevac

$41 3.5% 38% $25

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Kragujevac

$41 3.5% 45.9% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $673 in Bucharest and $392 in Kragujevac. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 43% 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 $42.00 in Kragujevac for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $208 per month, with Kragujevac cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇷🇸 Kragujevac

🕒 Local time

12:04 12:04 PM

11:04 11:04 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

146,315

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.54 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.77 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.54 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Bucharest Kragujevac 420 km

From you

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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 Kragujevac: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Kragujevac differ by about 17% in total monthly costs ($1,351 vs $1,154 including rent). Kragujevac is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 43% 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 $392 in Kragujevac. 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 $1,154 in Kragujevac – a 17% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kragujevac runs roughly 38% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,154 in Kragujevac versus $1,351 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kragujevac but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Kragujevac 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 Kragujevac 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 Kragujevac gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.