Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Mamaia

For one person, living is cheaper in Mamaia: $1,039 a month against $1,354 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Mamaia
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Mamaia Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,354

/mo nomad

Mamaia

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,039

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Mamaia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,354 in Bucharest versus $1,039 in Mamaia.

Bucharest $1,354
Mamaia $1,039

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,043 in Bucharest versus $1,585 in Mamaia.

Bucharest $2,043
Mamaia $1,585

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,733 in Bucharest versus $2,132 in Mamaia.

Bucharest $2,733
Mamaia $2,132

Living in Bucharest is roughly 30% more expensive than in Mamaia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.66 RON 70.3

$10.00 RON 47.93

46.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 277

$46.70 RON 224

23.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 RON 36.05

$7.73 RON 37.08

-2.72%

Cappuccino

$3.56 RON 17.05

$2.70 RON 12.93

31.85%

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

$2.47 RON 11.85

$2.00 RON 9.59

23.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 RON 10.48

$1.71 RON 8.21

27.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 RON 17.69

$2.28 RON 10.95

61.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 RON 20.52

$2.69 RON 12.92

59.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 8.02

$1.53 RON 7.36

9.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.47

$1.25 RON 5.99

8.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.51

$1.61 RON 7.73

10.56%

Eggs

$3.56 RON 17.08

$3.33 RON 15.98

6.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.12 RON 43.75

$8.34 RON 39.99

9.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.82 RON 32.69

$6.76 RON 32.42

0.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.13 RON 58.2

$9.83 RON 47.15

23.40%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 RON 6.06

$1.13 RON 5.43

11.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 RON 7.79

$1.57 RON 7.54

3.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.47

$1.60 RON 7.66

-2.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.18

$2.19 RON 10.51

15.98%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 RON 3.75

$0.86 RON 4.13

-9.30%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.72

$0.95 RON 4.58

-18.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 RON 4.26

$0.89 RON 4.29

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 RON 4.31

$0.84 RON 4.03

7.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 RON 31.41

$6.03 RON 28.92

8.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.37 RON 30.53

$6.16 RON 29.56

3.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 RON 5.96

$1.06 RON 5.10

16.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 RON 7.78

$1.68 RON 8.05

-3.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 RON 4.10

$0.67 RON 3.22

26.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.71 RON 99.3

$20.09 RON 96.3

3.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 RON 2.94

$0.78 RON 3.72

-21.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.94

$0.76 RON 3.63

-19.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.16 RON 29.55

$6.75 RON 32.36

-8.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 RON 9.58

$1.60 RON 7.67

25.00%

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

$27.9K RON 134.0K

$27.6K RON 132.2K

1.40%

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

$25.3K RON 121.5K

$27.6K RON 132.3K

-8.18%

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

$192 RON 921

$145 RON 694

32.65%

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

$7.92 RON 37.97

$7.99 RON 38.32

-0.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.96 RON 42.96

$9.19 RON 44.09

-2.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.99 RON 240

$41.87 RON 201

19.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 RON 119

$19.21 RON 92.1

29.15%

Cinema Ticket

$8.51 RON 40.80

$7.03 RON 33.73

21.05%

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

$686 RON 3,289

$434 RON 2,081

58.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 69.1K

$7,018 RON 33.7K

105.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.2 RON 433

$67.1 RON 322

34.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.74 RON 186

$40.98 RON 197

-5.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.9 RON 378

$74.5 RON 357

5.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 RON 441

$94.4 RON 453

-2.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$711 RON 3,410

$386 RON 1,853

84.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 RON 2,215

$294 RON 1,410

57.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 RON 5,052

$585 RON 2,807

79.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$723 RON 3,465

$444 RON 2,128

62.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,634 RON 17.4K

$1,887 RON 9,050

92.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,173 RON 10.4K

$1,480 RON 7,099

46.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,354 RON 6,492

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

6.5

3.85%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mamaia: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$462 34.1%

Mamaia

$294 28.3% 36.4% $168

Eating Out

Bucharest

$228 16.9%

Mamaia

$167 16.1% 26.7% $61

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.6%

Mamaia

$208 20% 7.7% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$209 15.4%

Mamaia

$162 15.6% 22.5% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$135 10%

Mamaia

$125 12% 7.7% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Mamaia

$56 5.4% 16.5% $11

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Mamaia

$27 2.6% 1.7% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $711 in Bucharest and $386 in Mamaia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $58 in Bucharest vs $47 in Mamaia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $208 per month, with Mamaia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇷🇴 Mamaia

🕒 Local time

06:24 6:24 AM

Same time as Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

441

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Mamaia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,354 in Bucharest and $1,039 in Mamaia, so Mamaia is about 23% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,030 in Bucharest and $1,558 in Mamaia to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $711 in Bucharest versus $386 in Mamaia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,354 per month in Bucharest versus $1,039 in Mamaia – Mamaia is about 23% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Mamaia runs roughly 3% less than in Bucharest. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Mamaia gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Mamaia is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Bucharest, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Mamaia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.