Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Mashhad, Iran

For one person, living is cheaper in Mashhad: $464 a month against $1,371 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Bucharest, Romania
Mashhad, Iran
Bucharest
🇷🇴 Romania
$1,371
/mo nomad
Mashhad
🇮🇷 Iran
$464
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Mashhad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,371 in Bucharest versus $464 in Mashhad.

  • Bucharest $1,371
  • Mashhad $464

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,067 in Bucharest versus $759 in Mashhad.

  • Bucharest $2,067
  • Mashhad $759

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,764 in Bucharest versus $1,054 in Mashhad.

  • Bucharest $2,764
  • Mashhad $1,054

Living in Bucharest is roughly 195% more expensive than in Mashhad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bucharest
Mashhad
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$14.51 RON 69.0
$3.07 $3.07
372.64%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.2 RON 291
$18.75 $18.75
226.56%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.46 RON 35.46
$5.06 $5.06
47.43%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$0.56 $0.56
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$0.92 $0.92
-
Cappuccino
$3.64 RON 17.31
$1.09 $1.09
233.94%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.62 RON 12.43
$0.43 $0.43
509.30%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.36 RON 11.23
$0.26 $0.26
807.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.78 RON 17.98
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.11 RON 19.52
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bucharest
Mashhad
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 RON 7.89
$0.61 $0.61
172.13%
White Bread (500g)
$1.40 RON 6.64
$0.21 $0.21
566.67%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.79 RON 8.53
$1.95 $1.95
-8.21%
Eggs
$3.63 RON 17.25
$1.15 $1.15
215.65%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.92 RON 42.38
$2.17 $2.17
311.06%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.86 RON 32.62
$2.71 $2.71
153.14%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.99 RON 57.0
$10.43 $10.43
14.96%
Apples (1kg)
$1.30 RON 6.16
$0.87 $0.87
49.43%
Banana (1kg)
$1.63 RON 7.76
$1.56 $1.56
4.49%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.49 RON 7.09
$0.80 $0.80
86.25%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.54 RON 12.08
$0.63 $0.63
303.17%
Potato (1kg)
$0.81 RON 3.86
$0.49 $0.49
65.31%
Onion (1kg)
$0.80 RON 3.78
$0.48 $0.48
66.67%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.86 RON 4.07
$0.52 $0.52
65.38%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 RON 4.46
$0.27 $0.27
248.15%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$0.86 $0.86
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$0.79 $0.79
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$0.97 $0.97
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.60 RON 31.38
$3.08 $3.08
114.29%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.33 RON 30.08
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.19 RON 5.64
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.58 RON 7.53
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Bucharest
Mashhad
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.98 RON 4.64
$0.02 $0.02
4800.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$20.91 RON 99.4
$3.66 $3.66
471.31%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.60 RON 2.86
$0.18 $0.18
233.33%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.62 RON 2.93
$0.49 $0.49
26.53%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.37 RON 30.25
$2.02 $2.02
215.35%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.02 RON 9.62
$0.78 $0.78
158.97%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.2K RON 134.0K
$59.8K $59.8K
-52.83%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.3K RON 124.8K
$67.7K $67.7K
-61.17%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bucharest
Mashhad
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$196 RON 932
$14.81 $14.81
1224.65%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.60 RON 40.84
$2.14 $2.14
301.87%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$9.20 RON 43.69
$20.20 $20.20
-54.46%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bucharest
Mashhad
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.0 RON 242
$19.54 $19.54
161.16%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$25.04 RON 119
$14.96 $14.96
67.38%
Cinema Ticket
$8.26 RON 39.27
$1.97 $1.97
319.29%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bucharest
Mashhad
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$681 RON 3,234
$41.44 $41.44
1542.25%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.7K RON 89.0K
$625 $625
2896.05%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bucharest
Mashhad
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$93.3 RON 443
$20.06 $20.06
365.20%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.87 RON 189
$39.31 $39.31
1.42%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.1 RON 381
$95.3 $95.3
-15.98%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$90.6 RON 431
$70.1 $70.1
29.27%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bucharest
Mashhad
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$731 RON 3,473
$199 $199
266.88%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$470 RON 2,232
$141 $141
234.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,110 RON 5,276
$402 $402
176.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$722 RON 3,431
$263 $263
174.24%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,749 RON 17.8K
$1,124 $1,124
233.53%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,233 RON 10.6K
$687 $687
225.34%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bucharest
Mashhad
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,365 RON 6,487
$249 $249
447.90%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.75
24
-71.88%

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

Last update for Bucharest: November 2, 2026

Last update for Mashhad: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Bucharest
$470
Mashhad
$141 70.1% $329
Eating Out
Bucharest
$229
Mashhad
$56 75.7% $174
Groceries & Markets
Bucharest
$225
Mashhad
$100 55.6% $125
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bucharest
$214
Mashhad
$37 82.6% $177
Clothing & Footwear
Bucharest
$137
Mashhad
$101 26% $36
Sport & Entertainment
Bucharest
$68
Mashhad
$23 65.2% $44
Getting Around
Bucharest
$29
Mashhad
$6.4 77.7% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $731 in Bucharest and $199 in Mashhad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays about 5.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Bucharest vs $19 in Mashhad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $100 per month, with Mashhad cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇷🇴 Bucharest
🇮🇷 Mashhad
🕒 Local time
05:54 5:54 AM
07:24 7:24 AM
1 h 30 min ahead of Bucharest
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,883,425 Capital
3,001,184
💱 Currency
USD USD
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.33 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bucharest Mashhad 2,960 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Bucharest
  • Mashhad

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 Mashhad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Bucharest and in Mashhad?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,371 in Bucharest and $464 in Mashhad, so Mashhad is about 66% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Bucharest or Mashhad?
Average pay in Bucharest is about 5.5 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Bucharest and in Mashhad?
Rent for a central apartment: $731 in Bucharest versus $199 in Mashhad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city is more expensive overall: Bucharest or Mashhad?
All in, you’ll spend $1,371 per month in Bucharest versus $464 in Mashhad – Mashhad is about 66% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
How do commuting costs compare in Bucharest and in Mashhad?
A monthly transit pass in Mashhad runs roughly 82% less than in Bucharest. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Which city is more doable on $800 per month?
At $464 in Mashhad versus $1,371 in Bucharest, a $800 budget is realistic in Mashhad but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Mashhad the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Bucharest and Mashhad?
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.
Where should expats move: Bucharest or Mashhad?
Expats usually find Mashhad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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