Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Mahabad

For one person, living is cheaper in Mahabad: $528 a month against $1,371 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Mahabad
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Mahabad Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,371

/mo nomad

Mahabad

🇮🇷 Iran

$528

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Mahabad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,371 in Bucharest versus $528 in Mahabad.

Bucharest $1,371
Mahabad $528

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,067 in Bucharest versus $831 in Mahabad.

Bucharest $2,067
Mahabad $831

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,764 in Bucharest versus $1,135 in Mahabad.

Bucharest $2,764
Mahabad $1,135

Living in Bucharest is roughly 160% more expensive than in Mahabad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.51 RON 69.4

$2.92 $2.92

396.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 RON 293

$16.31 $16.31

275.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.46 RON 35.68

$3.99 $3.99

86.97%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.73 $0.73

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 $1.08

Cappuccino

$3.64 RON 17.41

$1.13 $1.13

222.12%

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

$2.62 RON 12.50

$0.51 $0.51

413.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 RON 11.29

$0.99 $0.99

138.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.78 RON 18.08

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 RON 19.64

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 RON 7.94

$0.68 $0.68

144.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 RON 6.68

$0.51 $0.51

174.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 RON 8.58

$2.09 $2.09

-14.35%

Eggs

$3.63 RON 17.35

$1.24 $1.24

192.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.92 RON 42.63

$4.47 $4.47

99.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.86 RON 32.81

$3.34 $3.34

105.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.99 RON 57.3

$7.85 $7.85

52.74%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.20

$1.03 $1.03

26.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.81

$1.59 $1.59

2.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.13

$0.86 $0.86

73.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.15

$0.57 $0.57

345.61%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 RON 3.88

$0.57 $0.57

42.11%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.81

$0.47 $0.47

70.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 RON 4.09

$0.54 $0.54

59.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RON 4.48

$0.24 $0.24

291.67%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.77 $0.77

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 $0.50

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 $1.34

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.60 RON 31.57

$2.46 $2.46

168.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.33 RON 30.26

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.67

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 RON 7.57

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 RON 4.66

$0.14 $0.14

600.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.91 RON 100.0

$9.67 $9.67

116.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.87

$0.44 $0.44

36.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 RON 2.95

$0.31 $0.31

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.37 RON 30.43

$2.63 $2.63

142.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 RON 9.68

$0.10 $0.10

1920.00%

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

$28.2K RON 134.8K

$50.0K $50.0K

-43.57%

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

$26.3K RON 125.6K

$45.4K $45.4K

-42.15%

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

$196 RON 938

$12.98 $12.98

1411.40%

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

$8.60 RON 41.09

$1.57 $1.57

447.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.20 RON 43.95

$3.81 $3.81

141.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 RON 244

$18.40 $18.40

177.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.04 RON 120

$13.52 $13.52

85.21%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 RON 39.50

$2.04 $2.04

304.90%

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

$681 RON 3,253

$107 $107

533.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K RON 89.6K

$2,442 $2,442

667.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 RON 446

$22.95 $22.95

306.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.87 RON 191

$27.82 $27.82

43.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 RON 383

$98.5 $98.5

-18.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 RON 433

$73.7 $73.7

22.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$731 RON 3,494

$290 $290

152.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 RON 2,245

$212 $212

121.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,110 RON 5,308

$806 $806

37.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 RON 3,451

$356 $356

102.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 RON 17.9K

$1,134 $1,134

230.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,233 RON 10.7K

$541 $541

312.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,365 RON 6,526

$254 $254

438.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

24.3

-72.22%

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

Last update for Bucharest: November 2, 2026

Last update for Mahabad: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$470 34.3%

Mahabad

$212 40.2% 54.9% $258

Eating Out

Bucharest

$229 16.7%

Mahabad

$55 10.4% 76% $174

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.4%

Mahabad

$108 20.4% 52.1% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 15.6%

Mahabad

$18 3.5% 91.4% $196

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$137 10%

Mahabad

$100 19% 26.6% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$68 4.9%

Mahabad

$22 4.3% 66.7% $45

Getting Around

Bucharest

$29 2.1%

Mahabad

$12 2.3% 57.2% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $731 in Bucharest and $290 in Mahabad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays about 5.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Bucharest vs $16 in Mahabad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $108 per month, with Mahabad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇮🇷 Mahabad

🕒 Local time

19:40 7:40 PM

21:10 9:10 PM

1 h 30 min ahead of Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

208,541

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.186 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.78 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.37 RON (1 RON = 0.186 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Mahabad 1,860 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Mahabad

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 Mahabad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,371 in Bucharest and $528 in Mahabad, so Mahabad is about 61% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Bucharest is about 5.4 times higher, 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: $731 in Bucharest versus $290 in Mahabad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,371 per month in Bucharest versus $528 in Mahabad – Mahabad is about 61% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Mahabad runs roughly 54% less than in Bucharest. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $528 in Mahabad versus $1,371 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Mahabad but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Mahabad 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 Mahabad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.