Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Libreville

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $1,486 in Libreville, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. The total is higher in Libreville despite lower rent and utilities.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Libreville
Learn more

Libreville Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Libreville

🇬🇦 Gabon

$1,486

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Libreville

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,351 in Bucharest versus $1,486 in Libreville.

Bucharest $1,351
Libreville $1,486

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,033 in Bucharest versus $2,489 in Libreville.

Bucharest $2,033
Libreville $2,489

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,715 in Bucharest versus $3,493 in Libreville.

Bucharest $2,715
Libreville $3,493

Living in Bucharest costs roughly 9% less than in Libreville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bucharest 1% above, Libreville 11% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 RON 68.4

$17.40 FCFA 10.2K

-16.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 273

$68.3 FCFA 39.9K

-15.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 RON 35.46

$15.29 FCFA 8,945

-50.95%

Cappuccino

$3.43 RON 16.20

$5.94 FCFA 3,475

-42.26%

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

$2.46 RON 11.63

$1.67 FCFA 978

47.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.01

$1.41 FCFA 825

65.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 RON 17.97

$1.00 FCFA 588

280.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.41

$1.93 FCFA 1,127

112.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.79

$3.44 FCFA 2,010

-52.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.39

$1.20 FCFA 703

12.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.42

$2.87 FCFA 1,681

-37.98%

Eggs

$3.66 RON 17.33

$4.45 FCFA 2,604

-17.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 RON 40.54

$10.40 FCFA 6,086

-17.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RON 32.17

$8.66 FCFA 5,065

-21.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 RON 55.4

$25.83 FCFA 15.1K

-54.63%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.11

$2.91 FCFA 1,703

-55.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.37

$3.78 FCFA 2,214

-58.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.28

$3.95 FCFA 2,310

-61.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 RON 11.75

$3.44 FCFA 2,011

-27.91%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.92

$2.95 FCFA 1,724

-71.86%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.77

$4.19 FCFA 2,449

-80.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 3.98

$2.15 FCFA 1,258

-60.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 RON 4.39

$1.65 FCFA 966

-43.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 RON 30.45

$2.56 FCFA 1,495

151.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 RON 29.91

$11.30 FCFA 6,611

-44.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.94

$0.97 FCFA 570

29.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 RON 7.59

$1.32 FCFA 771

21.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.85

$0.90 FCFA 526

-10.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.13 RON 99.9

$47.94 FCFA 28.0K

-55.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$1.27 FCFA 742

-52.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.91

$0.73 FCFA 428

-16.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.19

$17.44 FCFA 10.2K

-64.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.27

$1.04 FCFA 608

88.46%

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

$28.1K RON 133.1K

$29.4K FCFA 17.2M

-4.20%

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

$26.3K RON 124.3K

$22.6K FCFA 13.2M

16.35%

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

$197 RON 931

$84.8 FCFA 49.6K

132.08%

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

$8.34 RON 39.44

$34.33 FCFA 20.1K

-75.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.19 RON 43.47

$64.8 FCFA 37.9K

-85.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.87 RON 236

$65.0 FCFA 38.0K

-23.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 118

$26.05 FCFA 15.2K

-4.07%

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 RON 40.01

$4.57 FCFA 2,676

85.12%

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

$639 RON 3,023

$170 FCFA 99.6K

275.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.1K

$5,520 FCFA 3.2M

160.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 RON 429

$85.2 FCFA 49.8K

6.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 RON 180

$42.56 FCFA 24.9K

-10.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 RON 377

$51.9 FCFA 30.3K

53.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 RON 441

$103 FCFA 60.0K

-9.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 RON 3,184

$1,020 FCFA 596.5K

-33.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 RON 2,123

$421 FCFA 246.2K

6.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 RON 5,195

$2,114 FCFA 1.2M

-48.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 RON 3,448

$843 FCFA 493.0K

-13.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,740 RON 17.7K

$3,588 FCFA 2.1M

4.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 RON 10.4K

$2,721 FCFA 1.6M

-19.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,323 RON 6,259

$429 FCFA 250.9K

208.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

11.5

-41.39%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Last update for Libreville: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$449 33.5%

Libreville

$421 27.8% 6.3% $28

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.8%

Libreville

$278 18.3% 23% $52

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$222 16.5%

Libreville

$374 24.7% 68.5% $152

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 16%

Libreville

$184 12.2% 14.2% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$136 10.1%

Libreville

$127 8.4% 6.4% $8.7

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Libreville

$74 4.9% 11.1% $7.4

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Libreville

$56 3.7% 101% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $673 in Bucharest and $1,020 in Libreville. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 209% 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 $68.0 in Libreville for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $374 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇬🇦 Libreville

🕒 Local time

07:53 7:53 AM

05:53 5:53 AM

2 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

850,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.52 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XAF, 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).

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.52 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Libreville 5,160 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Libreville

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 Libreville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Libreville differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($1,351 vs $1,486 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 209% 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 $1,020 in Libreville. 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 $1,486 in Libreville – a 10% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 127% less than in Libreville. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $1,486 in Libreville, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Libreville. The gap between the two cities makes Bucharest 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 Bucharest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Libreville. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.