Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Lezhe

For one person, living is cheaper in Lezhe: $1,011 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Lezhe
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Lezhe Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Lezhe

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,011

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Lezhe

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,011 in Lezhe.

Bucharest $1,340
Lezhe $1,011

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $1,537 in Lezhe.

Bucharest $2,037
Lezhe $1,537

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $2,063 in Lezhe.

Bucharest $2,734
Lezhe $2,063

Living in Bucharest is roughly 33% more expensive than in Lezhe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Lezhe 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$5.39 ALL 434

168.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$37.19 ALL 2,995

56.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$3.64 ALL 293

105.49%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$1.02 ALL 82.4

237.25%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$1.50 ALL 121

58.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$0.64 ALL 51.3

259.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$1.49 ALL 120

148.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$2.43 ALL 195

71.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$1.90 ALL 153

-12.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$0.99 ALL 79.6

38.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$2.02 ALL 163

-14.85%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$2.66 ALL 214

36.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$10.15 ALL 817

-10.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$8.60 ALL 692

-20.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$14.03 ALL 1,130

-14.47%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$1.91 ALL 154

-35.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$2.23 ALL 179

-26.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.62 ALL 130

-3.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$1.59 ALL 128

59.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$1.08 ALL 87.0

-26.85%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$1.28 ALL 103

-39.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$1.18 ALL 94.8

-26.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$0.83 ALL 67.0

19.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$4.31 ALL 347

46.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$7.79 ALL 627

-20.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.72 ALL 138

-30.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.85 ALL 149

-15.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$0.49 ALL 39.41

75.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$18.93 ALL 1,524

11.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$3.73 ALL 301

-82.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$3.82 ALL 308

-84.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$17.97 ALL 1,447

-64.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$2.25 ALL 182

-12.89%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$33.2K ALL 2.7M

-12.71%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$24.8K ALL 2.0M

7.61%

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

$196 RON 927

$60.0 ALL 4,833

226.37%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$16.37 ALL 1,318

-50.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$16.98 ALL 1,367

-44.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$55.3 ALL 4,456

-9.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$8.77 ALL 706

-7.07%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$180 ALL 14.5K

249.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$49.81 ALL 4,011

79.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$55.5 ALL 4,468

-30.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$96.3 ALL 7,752

-17.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$146 ALL 11.8K

-38.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$482 ALL 38.9K

40.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$308 ALL 24.8K

45.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$709 ALL 57.1K

52.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$429 ALL 34.6K

68.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$1,694 ALL 136.4K

121.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$1,133 ALL 91.2K

93.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$609 ALL 49.1K

118.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

35.00%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lezhe: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Lezhe

$308 30.5% 31.2% $140

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Lezhe

$87 8.6% 61.3% $138

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Lezhe

$249 24.6% 10.6% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Lezhe

$93 9.2% 56.2% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Lezhe

$156 15.5% 16.8% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Lezhe

$73 7.2% 9.5% $6.3

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Lezhe

$44 4.3% 55% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $482 in Lezhe. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 118% 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 $37.00 in Lezhe. Groceries flip the comparison at $225 vs $249, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇦🇱 Lezhe

🕒 Local time

11:15 11:15 AM

10:15 10:15 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

65,633

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Albanian Lek ALL L

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

100 ALL = 1.24 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ALL, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 90.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Bucharest Lezhe 600 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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 Lezhe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Lezhe differ by about 33% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $1,011 including rent). Lezhe is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 118% 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 $482 in Lezhe. 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 $1,011 in Lezhe – a 33% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Lezhe runs roughly 11% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,011 in Lezhe versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lezhe but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Lezhe 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 Lezhe gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.