Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Les Escaldes

For one person, living is cheaper in Les Escaldes: $356 a month against $1,351 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index
72

Cost of Living Index in Les Escaldes
Learn more

Les Escaldes Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Les Escaldes

🇦🇩 Andorra

$356

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Les Escaldes

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,351 in Bucharest versus $356 in Les Escaldes.

Bucharest $1,351
Les Escaldes $356

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,033 in Bucharest versus $1,771 in Les Escaldes.

Bucharest $2,033
Les Escaldes $1,771

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,715 in Bucharest versus $3,185 in Les Escaldes.

Bucharest $2,715
Les Escaldes $3,185

Living in Bucharest is roughly 279% more expensive than in Les Escaldes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% above, Les Escaldes is 73% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 RON 68.4

$14.71 €13.12

-1.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 273

$40.06 €35.75

43.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 RON 35.46

$13.26 €11.83

-43.44%

Cappuccino

$3.43 RON 16.20

$2.47 €2.21

38.87%

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

$2.46 RON 11.63

$2.59 €2.31

-5.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.01

$1.63 €1.45

42.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 RON 17.97

$3.17 €2.83

19.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.41

$3.18 €2.84

28.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.79

$2.17 €1.94

-23.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.39

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.42

Eggs

$3.66 RON 17.33

$4.31 €3.84

-15.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 RON 40.54

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RON 32.17

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 RON 55.4

$17.04 €15.21

-31.22%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.11

$3.85 €3.43

-66.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.37

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.28

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 RON 11.75

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.92

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.77

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 3.98

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 RON 4.39

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 RON 30.45

$5.75 €5.13

12.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 RON 29.91

$6.82 €6.08

-7.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.94

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 RON 7.59

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.85

$2.23 €1.99

-63.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.13 RON 99.9

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.91

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.19

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.27

$1.85 €1.65

5.95%

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

$28.1K RON 133.1K

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

$26.3K RON 124.3K

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

$197 RON 931

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

$8.34 RON 39.44

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.19 RON 43.47

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.87 RON 236

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 118

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 RON 40.01

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

$639 RON 3,023

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 RON 429

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 RON 180

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 RON 377

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 RON 441

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 RON 3,184

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 RON 2,123

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 RON 5,195

$2,849 €2,542

-61.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 RON 3,448

$2,275 €2,031

-67.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,740 RON 17.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 RON 10.4K

$11.2K €9,989

-80.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,323 RON 6,259

$2,631 €2,348

-49.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Last update for Les Escaldes: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$449 33.5%

Les Escaldes

- * 0% 100%

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.8%

Les Escaldes

$226 63.2% 0.2% $0.6

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$222 16.5%

Les Escaldes

$123 * 34.3% 44.5% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 16%

Les Escaldes

- * 0% 100%

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$136 10.1%

Les Escaldes

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Les Escaldes

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Les Escaldes

$8.9 * 2.5% 68.2% $19

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Les Escaldes pays 99% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $58.0 in Bucharest vs $40.00 in Les Escaldes for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $123 per month, with Les Escaldes cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇦🇩 Les Escaldes

🕒 Local time

13:04 1:04 PM

12:04 12:04 PM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

15,853

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Les Escaldes 1,990 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Les Escaldes

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 Les Escaldes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Les Escaldes differ by about 279% in total monthly costs ($1,351 vs $356 including rent). Les Escaldes is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 99% lower in Les Escaldes. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Dining out is cheaper in Les Escaldes – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $58.0 in Bucharest. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,351 per month in Bucharest versus $356 in Les Escaldes – a 279% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $356 in Les Escaldes versus $1,351 in Bucharest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Les Escaldes but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Les Escaldes 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 Les Escaldes 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 Les Escaldes gentler on the wallet – expenses run 279% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.