Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Lucknow

For one person, living is cheaper in Lucknow: $373 a month against $1,351 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index
18

Cost of Living Index in Lucknow
Learn more

Lucknow Living Index

Jump to prices

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Lucknow

🇮🇳 India

$373

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Lucknow

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,351 in Bucharest versus $373 in Lucknow.

Bucharest $1,351
Lucknow $373

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,033 in Bucharest versus $573 in Lucknow.

Bucharest $2,033
Lucknow $573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,715 in Bucharest versus $773 in Lucknow.

Bucharest $2,715
Lucknow $773

Living in Bucharest is roughly 262% more expensive than in Lucknow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% above, Lucknow is 72% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 RON 68.4

$1.84 ₹178

685.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 273

$10.53 ₹1,019

447.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 RON 35.46

$3.15 ₹305

138.10%

Cappuccino

$3.43 RON 16.20

$1.58 ₹153

117.09%

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

$2.46 RON 11.63

$0.37 ₹35.52

564.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.01

$0.13 ₹12.36

1692.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 RON 17.97

$1.53 ₹148

148.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.41

$2.34 ₹226

75.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.79

$0.70 ₹68.2

135.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.39

$0.44 ₹42.49

206.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.42

$0.58 ₹56.4

206.90%

Eggs

$3.66 RON 17.33

$0.98 ₹95.1

273.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 RON 40.54

$3.39 ₹328

152.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RON 32.17

$2.56 ₹248

165.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 RON 55.4

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.11

$1.74 ₹168

-25.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.37

$0.62 ₹60.4

151.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.28

$0.94 ₹90.6

63.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 RON 11.75

$0.50 ₹48.57

396.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.92

$0.31 ₹30.34

167.74%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.77

$0.44 ₹42.54

81.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 3.98

$0.44 ₹42.93

90.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 RON 4.39

$0.30 ₹28.85

210.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 RON 30.45

$5.00 ₹484

28.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 RON 29.91

$8.39 ₹812

-24.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.94

$1.65 ₹160

-23.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 RON 7.59

$2.53 ₹245

-36.76%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$5.44 ₹526

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.85

$0.44 ₹42.58

84.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.13 RON 99.9

$5.07 ₹491

316.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.95 ₹91.8

-36.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.91

$0.20 ₹19.34

205.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.19

$1.17 ₹113

427.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.27

$1.11 ₹108

76.58%

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

$28.1K RON 133.1K

$12.7K ₹1.2M

121.58%

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

$26.3K RON 124.3K

$21.5K ₹2.1M

22.21%

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

$197 RON 931

$52.6 ₹5,089

274.38%

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

$8.34 RON 39.44

$3.67 ₹355

127.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.19 RON 43.47

$8.40 ₹813

9.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.87 RON 236

$15.82 ₹1,531

215.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 118

$6.69 ₹647

273.54%

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 RON 40.01

$3.02 ₹292

180.13%

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

$639 RON 3,023

$39.14 ₹3,788

1533.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.1K

$965 ₹93.4K

1391.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 RON 429

$22.94 ₹2,220

294.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 RON 180

$24.48 ₹2,370

55.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 RON 377

$38.47 ₹3,723

107.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 RON 441

$25.68 ₹2,486

263.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 RON 3,184

$125 ₹12.1K

439.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 RON 2,123

$72.3 ₹6,994

521.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 RON 5,195

$349 ₹33.8K

214.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 RON 3,448

$174 ₹16.8K

319.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,740 RON 17.7K

$1,268 ₹122.7K

195.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 RON 10.4K

$544 ₹52.6K

302.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,323 RON 6,259

$332 ₹32.1K

299.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

8.53

-20.98%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Last update for Lucknow: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$449 33.5%

Lucknow

$72 19.4% 83.9% $377

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.8%

Lucknow

$57 15.5% 74.5% $168

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$222 16.5%

Lucknow

$97 26% 56.4% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 16%

Lucknow

$65 17.4% 69.8% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$136 10.1%

Lucknow

$50 13.5% 63% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Lucknow

$22 5.9% 67.3% $45

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Lucknow

$8.8 2.4% 68.7% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $673 in Bucharest and $125 in Lucknow. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 299% 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 $11.00 in Lucknow for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $97.0 per month, with Lucknow cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇮🇳 Lucknow

🕒 Local time

10:00 10:00 AM

12:30 12:30 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

4,588,455

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, 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).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 109 INR (1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Lucknow 5,220 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Lucknow

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 Lucknow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Lucknow differ by about 262% in total monthly costs ($1,351 vs $373 including rent). Lucknow is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 299% 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 $125 in Lucknow. 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 $373 in Lucknow – a 262% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Lucknow runs roughly 317% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $373 in Lucknow versus $1,351 in Bucharest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Lucknow but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Lucknow 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 Lucknow gentler on the wallet – expenses run 262% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.