Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Lushnje

For one person, living is cheaper in Lushnje: $1,195 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bucharest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Lushnje
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Lushnje Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Lushnje

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,195

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Lushnje

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,195 in Lushnje.

Bucharest $1,340
Lushnje $1,195

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $1,844 in Lushnje.

Bucharest $2,037
Lushnje $1,844

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $2,493 in Lushnje.

Bucharest $2,734
Lushnje $2,493

Living in Bucharest is roughly 12% more expensive than in Lushnje, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Lushnje 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$10.05 ALL 809

44.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$54.4 ALL 4,383

6.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$10.90 ALL 878

-31.38%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$2.23 ALL 180

54.26%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$2.40 ALL 193

-1.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$1.23 ALL 99.4

86.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$3.51 ALL 283

5.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$4.08 ALL 328

1.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$2.20 ALL 177

-24.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$1.13 ALL 91.3

21.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$2.34 ALL 189

-26.50%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$3.80 ALL 306

-4.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$12.52 ALL 1,009

-27.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$9.00 ALL 725

-24.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$16.76 ALL 1,350

-28.40%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$1.94 ALL 156

-36.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$2.42 ALL 195

-32.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$2.21 ALL 178

-28.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$1.88 ALL 151

35.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$1.02 ALL 81.8

-22.55%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$1.29 ALL 104

-40.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$1.43 ALL 115

-39.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$0.77 ALL 62.3

28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$4.74 ALL 382

33.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$10.50 ALL 846

-40.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.55 ALL 125

-23.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$2.09 ALL 169

-24.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$0.51 ALL 40.97

68.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$17.48 ALL 1,408

20.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$3.63 ALL 292

-82.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$3.69 ALL 297

-83.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$18.04 ALL 1,452

-64.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$2.31 ALL 186

-15.15%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$33.7K ALL 2.7M

-14.04%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$35.5K ALL 2.9M

-25.00%

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

$196 RON 927

$98.5 ALL 7,929

98.95%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$18.19 ALL 1,465

-55.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$19.49 ALL 1,570

-52.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$58.0 ALL 4,674

-13.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$10.02 ALL 807

-18.66%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$347 ALL 27.9K

81.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$8,195 ALL 659.9K

71.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$49.07 ALL 3,952

82.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$47.39 ALL 3,817

-19.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$116 ALL 9,341

-31.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$113 ALL 9,065

-19.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$475 ALL 38.2K

42.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$326 ALL 26.3K

37.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$706 ALL 56.9K

53.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$473 ALL 38.1K

53.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$1,643 ALL 132.3K

128.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$1,053 ALL 84.8K

108.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$611 ALL 49.2K

117.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

5.39

25.23%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lushnje: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Lushnje

$326 27.3% 27.2% $122

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Lushnje

$180 15.1% 20% $45

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Lushnje

$287 24% 27.4% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Lushnje

$136 11.4% 36.2% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Lushnje

$146 12.2% 9.2% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Lushnje

$78 6.5% 17.4% $12

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Lushnje

$42 3.5% 47.4% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $475 in Lushnje. 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 $54.0 in Lushnje. Groceries flip the comparison at $225 vs $287, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇦🇱 Lushnje

🕒 Local time

18:54 6:54 PM

17:54 5:54 PM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

31,105

💱 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 →

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Bucharest Lushnje 650 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
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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 Lushnje: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Lushnje differ by about 12% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $1,195 including rent). Lushnje 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 $475 in Lushnje. 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 $1,195 in Lushnje – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Lushnje runs roughly 21% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,195 in Lushnje versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Lushnje but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Lushnje 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.

Safety-wise, Bucharest and Lushnje are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Lushnje gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.