Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and M'Sila

For one person, living is cheaper in M'Sila: $459 a month against $1,337 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 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
22

Cost of Living Index in M'Sila
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M'Sila Living Index

Jump to prices

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,337

/mo nomad

M'Sila

🇩🇿 Algeria

$459

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in M'Sila

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,337 in Bucharest versus $459 in M'Sila.

Bucharest $1,337
M'Sila $459

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,029 in Bucharest versus $753 in M'Sila.

Bucharest $2,029
M'Sila $753

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,721 in Bucharest versus $1,046 in M'Sila.

Bucharest $2,721
M'Sila $1,046

Living in Bucharest is roughly 192% more expensive than in M'Sila, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, M'Sila 66% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.45 RON 68.4

$1.88 DZD 252

668.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$18.82 DZD 2,520

208.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.53 RON 35.65

$3.70 DZD 496

103.51%

Cappuccino

$3.45 RON 16.33

$0.35 DZD 47.31

885.71%

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

$2.46 RON 11.65

$0.51 DZD 67.8

382.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 RON 10.54

$0.20 DZD 26.58

1015.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.76 RON 17.78

$2.17 DZD 290

73.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 RON 19.84

$2.17 DZD 291

93.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 RON 7.67

$0.78 DZD 104

107.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 RON 6.13

$0.13 DZD 16.96

900.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 RON 8.05

$1.15 DZD 155

47.83%

Eggs

$3.79 RON 17.93

$1.19 DZD 160

218.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.86 RON 41.90

$2.92 DZD 391

203.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.90 RON 32.67

$3.94 DZD 528

75.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.14 RON 57.4

$9.30 DZD 1,245

30.54%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.17

$2.09 DZD 280

-37.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 RON 7.55

$2.68 DZD 359

-40.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.42

$1.07 DZD 143

46.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 RON 12.67

$0.55 DZD 74.0

387.27%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 RON 3.82

$0.50 DZD 67.0

62.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.73

$0.27 DZD 35.63

192.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 RON 4.30

$0.12 DZD 16.21

658.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 RON 4.58

$0.25 DZD 33.34

288.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.41 RON 30.34

$2.71 DZD 363

136.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 RON 29.24

$6.75 DZD 904

-8.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 RON 5.83

$1.27 DZD 171

-3.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 RON 7.91

$1.86 DZD 249

-10.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 RON 4.10

$0.24 DZD 32.27

262.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.98 RON 99.3

$6.53 DZD 874

221.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.66 RON 3.10

$0.55 DZD 73.4

20.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.85

$0.43 DZD 57.5

39.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.19 RON 29.28

$5.69 DZD 762

8.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 RON 9.15

$0.33 DZD 44.76

484.85%

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

$28.7K RON 135.9K

$34.9K DZD 4.7M

-17.72%

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

$26.3K RON 124.6K

$34.6K DZD 4.6M

-23.81%

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

$196 RON 926

$23.25 DZD 3,112

741.38%

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

$8.49 RON 40.19

$7.50 DZD 1,004

13.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.05 RON 42.84

$12.44 DZD 1,665

-27.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.54 RON 234

$22.17 DZD 2,968

123.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.03 RON 118

Cinema Ticket

$8.24 RON 39.01

$4.36 DZD 584

88.99%

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

$636 RON 3,007

$115 DZD 15.4K

453.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K RON 69.0K

$6,439 DZD 862.1K

126.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.5 RON 419

$32.63 DZD 4,368

171.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 RON 183

$33.92 DZD 4,541

14.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 RON 373

$67.7 DZD 9,064

16.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 RON 428

$79.9 DZD 10.7K

13.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 RON 3,288

$144 DZD 19.2K

383.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 RON 2,109

$92.2 DZD 12.3K

383.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,084 RON 5,130

$270 DZD 36.1K

301.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$712 RON 3,368

$192 DZD 25.7K

270.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,797 RON 18.0K

$961 DZD 128.7K

294.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,202 RON 10.4K

$623 DZD 83.4K

253.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,354 RON 6,406

$243 DZD 32.5K

458.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

5.3

27.36%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 19, 2026

Last update for M'Sila: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$446 33.3%

M'Sila

$92 20.1% 79.3% $353

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.9%

M'Sila

$48 10.6% 78.5% $177

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.9%

M'Sila

$138 30% 39% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

M'Sila

$43 9.4% 79.7% $170

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$133 10%

M'Sila

$96 21% 27.8% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$66 4.9%

M'Sila

$31 6.7% 53.2% $35

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

M'Sila

$10 2.2% 63.8% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Bucharest and $144 in M'Sila. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 458% 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 $19.00 in M'Sila for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $138 per month, with M'Sila cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇩🇿 M'Sila

🕒 Local time

20:40 8:40 PM

18:40 6:40 PM

2 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

156,647

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Algerian Dinar DZD د.ج

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1,000 DZD = 7.47 USD

1,000 DZD = 6.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DZD, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 134 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.47 USD). 1 EUR = 151 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.64 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest M'Sila 2,070 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
M'Sila

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 M'Sila: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and M'Sila differ by about 192% in total monthly costs ($1,337 vs $459 including rent). M'Sila is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 458% 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: $695 in Bucharest versus $144 in M'Sila. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,337 per month in Bucharest versus $459 in M'Sila – a 192% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in M'Sila runs roughly 221% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $459 in M'Sila versus $1,337 in Bucharest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in M'Sila but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes M'Sila 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 M'Sila 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 M'Sila gentler on the wallet – expenses run 192% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.