Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Maglaj

For one person, living is cheaper in Maglaj: $910 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Maglaj
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Maglaj Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Maglaj

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$910

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Maglaj

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $910 in Maglaj.

Bucharest $1,340
Maglaj $910

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $1,371 in Maglaj.

Bucharest $2,037
Maglaj $1,371

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $1,833 in Maglaj.

Bucharest $2,734
Maglaj $1,833

Living in Bucharest is roughly 47% more expensive than in Maglaj, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Maglaj 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 69.0

$6.85 BAM 11.95

111.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 277

$37.43 BAM 65.3

55.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.64

$6.69 BAM 11.67

11.81%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.40

$1.63 BAM 2.85

111.04%

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

$2.37 RON 11.29

$1.82 BAM 3.18

30.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.96

$1.23 BAM 2.14

86.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.63

$2.23 BAM 3.90

65.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.83

$2.26 BAM 3.95

84.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.95

$1.46 BAM 2.55

14.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.54

$0.92 BAM 1.61

48.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.19

$1.74 BAM 3.04

-1.15%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.33

$2.81 BAM 4.90

29.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 43.27

$7.54 BAM 13.15

20.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.57

$6.72 BAM 11.73

1.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 57.2

$9.84 BAM 17.18

21.95%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.84

$1.15 BAM 2.01

6.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.78

$1.67 BAM 2.91

-2.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.50

$1.69 BAM 2.95

-7.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.09

$1.67 BAM 2.92

52.10%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.77

$1.16 BAM 2.03

-31.90%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.68

$1.12 BAM 1.96

-31.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.16

$1.01 BAM 1.76

-13.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.73

$0.83 BAM 1.44

19.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 30.06

$3.50 BAM 6.12

80.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.54

$6.74 BAM 11.77

-8.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.66

$1.17 BAM 2.04

1.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.50

$1.15 BAM 2.01

36.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.10

$1.40 BAM 2.44

-38.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 101

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.07

$1.68 BAM 2.93

-61.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.87

$1.11 BAM 1.94

-45.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.64

$10.37 BAM 18.10

-37.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.32

$1.59 BAM 2.77

23.27%

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

$29.0K RON 138.1K

$30.4K BAM 53.0K

-4.56%

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

$26.6K RON 126.9K

$21.8K BAM 38.1K

22.04%

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

$196 RON 933

$91.9 BAM 160

113.25%

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

$8.04 RON 38.30

$18.32 BAM 31.97

-56.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.51

$28.27 BAM 49.35

-66.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 239

$32.60 BAM 56.9

54.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 121

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.81

$4.67 BAM 8.15

74.52%

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

$628 RON 2,991

$135 BAM 236

363.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 67.1K

$3,932 BAM 6,863

258.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 427

$57.2 BAM 99.9

56.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 183

$31.72 BAM 55.4

20.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 378

$95.1 BAM 166

-16.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 431

$129 BAM 226

-30.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,231

$338 BAM 591

100.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,136

$253 BAM 442

77.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,159

$512 BAM 893

111.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,453

$356 BAM 621

103.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.9K

$2,429 BAM 4,239

54.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.5K

$1,764 BAM 3,079

24.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,332

$741 BAM 1,293

79.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

4.3

56.98%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Maglaj: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Maglaj

$253 27.8% 43.5% $195

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Maglaj

$122 13.5% 45.7% $103

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Maglaj

$200 22% 11.2% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Maglaj

$138 15.2% 35.1% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Maglaj

$141 15.5% 5.3% $7.1

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Maglaj

$42 4.6% 37% $25

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Maglaj

$13 * 1.4% 54.6% $15

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $338 in Maglaj. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 79% 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 $37.00 in Maglaj for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $200 per month, with Maglaj cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇧🇦 Maglaj

🕒 Local time

14:03 2:03 PM

13:03 1:03 PM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

7,000

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 BAM = 0.573 USD

1 BAM = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BAM, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 4.76 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BAM (1 BAM = 0.573 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BAM (1 BAM = 0.511 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Maglaj 630 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Maglaj

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 Maglaj: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Maglaj differ by about 47% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $910 including rent). Maglaj is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 79% 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 $338 in Maglaj. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Bucharest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,340 per month in Bucharest versus $910 in Maglaj – a 47% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $910 in Maglaj versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Maglaj but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Maglaj 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 Maglaj 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 Maglaj gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.