Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Lugoj

For one person, living is cheaper in Lugoj: $763 a month against $1,354 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Lugoj
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Lugoj Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,354

/mo nomad

Lugoj

🇷🇴 Romania

$763

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Lugoj

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,354 in Bucharest versus $763 in Lugoj.

Bucharest $1,354
Lugoj $763

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,043 in Bucharest versus $1,197 in Lugoj.

Bucharest $2,043
Lugoj $1,197

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,733 in Bucharest versus $1,631 in Lugoj.

Bucharest $2,733
Lugoj $1,631

Living in Bucharest is roughly 78% more expensive than in Lugoj, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.66 RON 70.5

$9.17 RON 44.10

59.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 277

$33.79 RON 162

70.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 RON 36.14

$5.11 RON 24.54

47.16%

Cappuccino

$3.56 RON 17.09

$1.81 RON 8.72

96.69%

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

$2.47 RON 11.88

$1.61 RON 7.73

53.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 RON 10.50

$1.43 RON 6.87

52.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 RON 17.73

$2.08 RON 9.99

77.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 RON 20.57

$2.04 RON 9.79

109.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 8.04

$1.57 RON 7.54

6.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.49

$0.90 RON 4.31

50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.53

$0.65 RON 3.13

173.85%

Eggs

$3.56 RON 17.12

$1.26 RON 6.08

182.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.12 RON 43.86

$3.40 RON 16.33

168.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.82 RON 32.77

$3.92 RON 18.85

73.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.13 RON 58.3

$4.14 RON 19.88

193.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 RON 6.08

$1.06 RON 5.12

18.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 RON 7.80

$1.21 RON 5.83

33.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.49

$1.64 RON 7.86

-4.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.21

$0.66 RON 3.17

284.85%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 RON 3.76

$0.61 RON 2.94

27.87%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.72

$0.65 RON 3.11

18.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 RON 4.27

$0.96 RON 4.62

-7.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 RON 4.32

$0.66 RON 3.16

36.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 RON 31.49

$4.71 RON 22.66

39.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.37 RON 30.60

$4.19 RON 20.14

52.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 RON 5.98

$1.21 RON 5.79

2.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 RON 7.80

$1.71 RON 8.24

-5.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 RON 4.11

$0.66 RON 3.18

28.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.71 RON 99.6

$21.21 RON 102

-2.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 RON 2.95

$0.82 RON 3.96

-25.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.95

$0.96 RON 4.60

-36.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.16 RON 29.62

$8.45 RON 40.61

-27.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 RON 9.60

$1.86 RON 8.95

7.53%

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

$27.9K RON 134.4K

$29.0K RON 139.4K

-3.63%

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

$25.3K RON 121.7K

$24.4K RON 117.2K

3.92%

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

$192 RON 923

$51.5 RON 248

273.10%

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

$7.92 RON 38.06

$8.42 RON 40.47

-5.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.96 RON 43.06

$9.44 RON 45.37

-5.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.99 RON 240

$21.31 RON 102

134.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 RON 119

$25.56 RON 123

-2.93%

Cinema Ticket

$8.51 RON 40.90

$9.54 RON 45.85

-10.80%

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

$686 RON 3,297

$576 RON 2,768

19.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 69.3K

$9,610 RON 46.2K

50.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.2 RON 434

$88.8 RON 427

1.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.74 RON 186

$44.91 RON 216

-13.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.9 RON 379

$97.0 RON 466

-18.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 RON 443

$103 RON 495

-10.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$711 RON 3,419

$181 RON 871

292.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 RON 2,220

$206 RON 992

123.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 RON 5,064

$316 RON 1,519

233.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$723 RON 3,474

$310 RON 1,491

132.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,634 RON 17.5K

$1,296 RON 6,233

180.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,173 RON 10.4K

$1,028 RON 4,942

111.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,354 RON 6,508

$916 RON 4,403

47.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

6.65

1.50%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lugoj: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$462 34.1%

Lugoj

$206 27.1% 55.3% $255

Eating Out

Bucharest

$228 16.9%

Lugoj

$137 18% 39.9% $91

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.6%

Lugoj

$130 17% 42.3% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$209 15.4%

Lugoj

$69 9.1% 66.8% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$135 10%

Lugoj

$150 19.7% 11.2% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Lugoj

$40 5.3% 39.7% $27

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Lugoj

$29 3.9% 5.9% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $711 in Bucharest and $181 in Lugoj. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 48% 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 in Bucharest vs $34 in Lugoj for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $130 per month, with Lugoj cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇷🇴 Lugoj

🕒 Local time

13:56 1:56 PM

Same time as Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

49,742

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Bucharest Lugoj 360 km

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 Lugoj: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Lugoj differ by about 78% in total monthly costs ($1,354 vs $763 including rent). Lugoj is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 48% 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: $711 in Bucharest versus $181 in Lugoj. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 73% higher in Bucharest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,354 per month in Bucharest versus $763 in Lugoj – a 78% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $763 in Lugoj versus $1,354 in Bucharest, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Lugoj but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Lugoj 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.

It comes down to priorities – Lugoj wins on affordability, Bucharest on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.