Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Manzini

For one person, living is cheaper in Manzini: $354 a month against $1,351 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index

Jump to prices

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Manzini

🇸🇿 Eswatini

$354

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Manzini

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,351 in Bucharest versus $354 in Manzini.

Bucharest $1,351
Manzini $354

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,033 in Bucharest versus $515 in Manzini.

Bucharest $2,033
Manzini $515

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,715 in Bucharest versus $677 in Manzini.

Bucharest $2,715
Manzini $677

Living in Bucharest is roughly 282% more expensive than in Manzini, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% above, Manzini is 74% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 RON 68.4

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 273

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 RON 35.46

Cappuccino

$3.43 RON 16.20

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

$2.46 RON 11.63

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.01

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 RON 17.97

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.41

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.79

$1.29 SZL 21.19

27.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.39

$0.96 SZL 15.84

40.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.42

$1.79 SZL 29.52

-0.56%

Eggs

$3.66 RON 17.33

$1.18 SZL 19.51

210.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 RON 40.54

$7.49 SZL 124

14.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RON 32.17

$2.96 SZL 48.83

129.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 RON 55.4

$1.85 SZL 30.51

533.51%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.11

$1.33 SZL 21.91

-3.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.37

$0.59 SZL 9.73

164.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.28

$0.83 SZL 13.65

85.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 RON 11.75

$0.51 SZL 8.48

386.27%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.92

$0.58 SZL 9.60

43.10%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.77

$0.47 SZL 7.73

70.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 3.98

$0.45 SZL 7.36

86.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 RON 4.39

$0.70 SZL 11.47

32.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 RON 30.45

$3.13 SZL 51.7

105.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 RON 29.91

$3.20 SZL 52.8

97.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.94

$0.63 SZL 10.39

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 RON 7.59

$0.78 SZL 12.80

105.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.85

$0.60 SZL 9.89

35.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.13 RON 99.9

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.91

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.19

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.27

$1.32 SZL 21.79

48.48%

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

$28.1K RON 133.1K

$17.1K SZL 282.0K

64.51%

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

$26.3K RON 124.3K

$15.7K SZL 259.3K

67.12%

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

$197 RON 931

$72.4 SZL 1,193

171.93%

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

$8.34 RON 39.44

$12.23 SZL 202

-31.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.19 RON 43.47

$29.97 SZL 494

-69.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.87 RON 236

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 118

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 RON 40.01

$3.68 SZL 60.6

129.89%

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

$639 RON 3,023

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 RON 429

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 RON 180

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 RON 377

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 RON 441

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 RON 3,184

$170 SZL 2,801

296.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 RON 2,123

$105 SZL 1,734

326.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 RON 5,195

$367 SZL 6,054

199.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 RON 3,448

$274 SZL 4,517

165.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,740 RON 17.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 RON 10.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,323 RON 6,259

$404 SZL 6,657

227.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

-32.60%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Last update for Manzini: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$449 33.5%

Manzini

–

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.8%

Manzini

–

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$222 16.5%

Manzini

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 16%

Manzini

–

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$136 10.1%

Manzini

–

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Manzini

–

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Manzini

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $673 in Bucharest and $170 in Manzini. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 228% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇸🇿 Manzini

🕒 Local time

14:56 2:56 PM

13:56 1:56 PM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

110,508

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Eswatini Lilangeni SZL L

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

100 SZL = 6.07 USD

100 SZL = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SZL, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

Eswatini Lilangeni exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 SZL (100 SZL = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.47 SZL (100 SZL = 5.41 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bucharest Manzini 7,910 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Manzini

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 Manzini: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Manzini differ by about 282% in total monthly costs ($1,351 vs $354 including rent). Manzini is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 228% 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: $673 in Bucharest versus $170 in Manzini. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 89% higher in Bucharest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,351 per month in Bucharest versus $354 in Manzini – a 282% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $354 in Manzini versus $1,351 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Manzini but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Manzini 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 Manzini gentler on the wallet – expenses run 282% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.