Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Mangalia

For one person, living is cheaper in Mangalia: $1,068 a month against $1,354 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Mangalia
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Mangalia Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,354

/mo nomad

Mangalia

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,068

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Mangalia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,354 in Bucharest versus $1,068 in Mangalia.

Bucharest $1,354
Mangalia $1,068

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,043 in Bucharest versus $1,652 in Mangalia.

Bucharest $2,043
Mangalia $1,652

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,733 in Bucharest versus $2,236 in Mangalia.

Bucharest $2,733
Mangalia $2,236

Living in Bucharest is roughly 27% more expensive than in Mangalia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.66 RON 70.5

$11.53 RON 55.4

27.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 277

$46.81 RON 225

23.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 RON 36.14

$7.56 RON 36.32

-0.53%

Cappuccino

$3.56 RON 17.09

$2.87 RON 13.82

24.04%

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

$2.47 RON 11.88

$2.14 RON 10.31

15.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 RON 10.50

$2.17 RON 10.44

0.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 RON 17.73

$2.56 RON 12.29

44.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 RON 20.57

$3.37 RON 16.20

27.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 8.04

$1.62 RON 7.78

3.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.49

$1.13 RON 5.43

19.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.53

$1.48 RON 7.14

20.27%

Eggs

$3.56 RON 17.12

$3.05 RON 14.68

16.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.12 RON 43.86

$7.94 RON 38.16

14.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.82 RON 32.77

$6.87 RON 33.03

-0.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.13 RON 58.3

$9.38 RON 45.10

29.32%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 RON 6.08

$1.34 RON 6.46

-5.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 RON 7.80

$1.64 RON 7.86

-1.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.49

$1.43 RON 6.89

9.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.21

$1.95 RON 9.38

30.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 RON 3.76

$0.72 RON 3.47

8.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.72

$0.69 RON 3.34

11.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 RON 4.27

$0.65 RON 3.11

36.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 RON 4.32

$0.79 RON 3.81

13.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 RON 31.49

$6.17 RON 29.68

6.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.37 RON 30.60

$6.66 RON 32.00

-4.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 RON 5.98

$1.00 RON 4.79

24.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 RON 7.80

$1.44 RON 6.91

12.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 RON 4.11

$0.82 RON 3.93

3.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.71 RON 99.6

$22.49 RON 108

-7.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 RON 2.95

$0.66 RON 3.15

-7.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.95

$0.66 RON 3.15

-7.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.16 RON 29.62

$6.18 RON 29.73

-0.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 RON 9.60

$1.85 RON 8.91

8.11%

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

$27.9K RON 134.4K

$28.8K RON 138.7K

-3.12%

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

$25.3K RON 121.7K

$25.4K RON 122.0K

-0.19%

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

$192 RON 923

$166 RON 799

15.53%

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

$7.92 RON 38.06

$6.18 RON 29.72

28.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.96 RON 43.06

$8.39 RON 40.33

6.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.99 RON 240

$37.28 RON 179

34.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 RON 119

$21.67 RON 104

14.49%

Cinema Ticket

$8.51 RON 40.90

$8.47 RON 40.72

0.47%

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

$686 RON 3,297

$366 RON 1,757

87.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 69.3K

$5,846 RON 28.1K

146.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.2 RON 434

$73.4 RON 353

23.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.74 RON 186

$41.66 RON 200

-7.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.9 RON 379

$89.9 RON 432

-12.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 RON 443

$95.4 RON 459

-3.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$711 RON 3,419

$386 RON 1,856

84.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 RON 2,220

$281 RON 1,353

64.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 RON 5,064

$618 RON 2,972

70.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$723 RON 3,474

$479 RON 2,304

50.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,634 RON 17.5K

$2,136 RON 10.3K

70.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,173 RON 10.4K

$1,410 RON 6,779

54.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,354 RON 6,508

$741 RON 3,564

82.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

7.85

-14.01%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mangalia: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$462 34.1%

Mangalia

$281 26.3% 39.1% $181

Eating Out

Bucharest

$228 16.9%

Mangalia

$186 17.4% 18.4% $42

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.6%

Mangalia

$201 18.8% 10.7% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$209 15.4%

Mangalia

$181 16.9% 13.5% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$135 10%

Mangalia

$135 12.7% 0.1% $0.2

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Mangalia

$54 5.1% 19.1% $13

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Mangalia

$30 2.8% 6.8% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

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

Bucharest pays 83% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $58 in Bucharest vs $47 in Mangalia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $201 per month, with Mangalia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇷🇴 Mangalia

🕒 Local time

20:39 8:39 PM

Same time as Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

36,364

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Bucharest Mangalia 210 km

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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 Mangalia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Mangalia differ by about 27% in total monthly costs ($1,354 vs $1,068 including rent). Mangalia is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 83% 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: $711 in Bucharest versus $386 in Mangalia. 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 $1,068 in Mangalia – a 27% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 8% less than in Mangalia. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

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

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.

It comes down to priorities – Mangalia wins on affordability, Bucharest on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.