Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $32,800 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
196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in London

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,351 in Bucharest versus $4,086 in London.

Bucharest $1,351
London $4,086

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,033 in Bucharest versus $5,816 in London.

Bucharest $2,033
London $5,816

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,715 in Bucharest versus $7,546 in London.

Bucharest $2,715
London $7,546

Living in Bucharest costs roughly 67% less than in London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bucharest 1% above, London 205% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 RON 68.9

$26.62 £20.12

-45.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 275

$108 £81.3

-46.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 RON 35.72

$10.39 £7.86

-27.82%

Cappuccino

$3.43 RON 16.32

$5.79 £4.38

-40.76%

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

$2.46 RON 11.72

$3.01 £2.27

-18.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.09

$2.15 £1.63

8.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 RON 18.10

$9.35 £7.07

-59.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.56

$7.84 £5.93

-47.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.85

$1.79 £1.35

-7.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.44

$2.06 £1.56

-34.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.48

$2.31 £1.74

-22.94%

Eggs

$3.66 RON 17.46

$5.05 £3.82

-27.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 RON 40.84

$12.57 £9.50

-31.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RON 32.41

$10.66 £8.05

-36.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 RON 55.8

$17.13 £12.95

-31.58%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.16

$3.03 £2.29

-57.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.43

$1.41 £1.07

10.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.34

$3.05 £2.31

-49.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 RON 11.84

$3.38 £2.56

-26.63%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.95

$1.67 £1.26

-50.30%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.80

$1.73 £1.31

-53.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 4.01

$1.41 £1.07

-40.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 RON 4.42

$1.79 £1.35

-48.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 RON 30.68

$23.22 £17.55

-72.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 RON 30.13

$12.99 £9.82

-51.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.99

$3.18 £2.41

-60.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 RON 7.65

$4.41 £3.34

-63.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.88

$3.87 £2.93

-79.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.13 RON 101

$250 £189

-91.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.88

$5.71 £4.31

-89.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.93

$3.33 £2.51

-81.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.41

$57.9 £43.77

-89.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.34

$2.04 £1.54

-3.92%

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

$28.1K RON 134.2K

$37.5K £28.4K

-25.03%

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

$26.3K RON 125.3K

$40.9K £30.9K

-35.72%

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

$197 RON 938

$376 £284

-47.66%

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

$8.34 RON 39.74

$17.88 £13.51

-53.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.19 RON 43.80

$40.01 £30.25

-77.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.87 RON 238

$61.2 £46.23

-18.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 119

$21.07 £15.93

18.60%

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 RON 40.31

$17.95 £13.57

-52.87%

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

$639 RON 3,046

$2,865 £2,166

-77.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.6K

$35.3K £26.7K

-59.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 RON 432

$116 £87.7

-21.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 RON 181

$54.1 £40.88

-29.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 RON 380

$127 £95.7

-37.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 RON 444

$159 £120

-41.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 RON 3,209

$2,853 £2,157

-76.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 RON 2,139

$2,301 £1,740

-80.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 RON 5,234

$5,201 £3,932

-78.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 RON 3,474

$3,723 £2,814

-80.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,740 RON 17.8K

$19.0K £14.4K

-80.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 RON 10.4K

$7,881 £5,957

-72.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,323 RON 6,306

$4,818 £3,642

-72.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

4.65

44.95%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$449 33.5%

London

$2.3K 56.5% 413% $1.9K

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.8%

London

$397 9.7% 75.8% $171

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$222 16.5%

London

$349 8.6% 57.6% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 16%

London

$434 10.7% 102% $220

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$136 10.1%

London

$205 5% 51.2% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

London

$97 2.4% 45.3% $30

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

London

$288 7.1% 926% $260

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $673 in Bucharest and $2,853 in London. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 264% 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 $108 in London for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $349 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

04:39 4:39 AM

02:39 2:39 AM

2 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, 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).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bucharest London 2,090 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
London

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 London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and London differ by about 202% in total monthly costs ($1,351 vs $4,086 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 264% lower in London. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $673 in Bucharest versus $2,853 in London. 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 $4,086 in London – a 202% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 1083% less than in London. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $4,086 in London, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in London. 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 202% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.