Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Mazar-i-Sharif

For one person, living is cheaper in Mazar-i-Sharif: $290 a month against $1,371 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,371

/mo nomad

Mazar-i-Sharif

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$290

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Mazar-i-Sharif

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 Mazar-i-Sharif actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,371 in Bucharest versus $290 in Mazar-i-Sharif.

Bucharest $1,371
Mazar-i-Sharif $290

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,067 in Bucharest versus $460 in Mazar-i-Sharif.

Bucharest $2,067
Mazar-i-Sharif $460

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,764 in Bucharest versus $629 in Mazar-i-Sharif.

Bucharest $2,764
Mazar-i-Sharif $629

Living in Bucharest is roughly 373% more expensive than in Mazar-i-Sharif, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.51 RON 69.0

$2.30 ؋149

530.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 RON 291

$15.53 ؋1,010

294.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.46 RON 35.46

$4.05 ؋263

84.20%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.90 ؋514

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.85 ؋510

Cappuccino

$3.64 RON 17.31

$1.18 ؋76.8

208.47%

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

$2.62 RON 12.43

$0.58 ؋37.69

351.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 RON 11.23

$0.30 ؋19.48

686.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.78 RON 17.98

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 RON 19.52

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 RON 7.89

$0.64 ؋41.35

159.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 RON 6.64

$0.18 ؋11.90

677.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 RON 8.53

$2.10 ؋137

-14.76%

Eggs

$3.63 RON 17.25

$1.61 ؋104

125.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.92 RON 42.38

$7.65 ؋498

16.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.86 RON 32.62

$3.39 ؋221

102.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.99 RON 57.0

$6.29 ؋409

90.62%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.16

$0.56 ؋36.14

132.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.76

$1.13 ؋73.2

44.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.09

$0.81 ؋52.7

83.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.08

$0.65 ؋42.18

290.77%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 RON 3.86

$0.48 ؋30.97

68.75%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.78

$0.39 ؋25.10

105.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 RON 4.07

$0.52 ؋34.09

65.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RON 4.46

$0.32 ؋20.95

193.75%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.90 ؋123

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.60 RON 31.38

$1.57 ؋102

320.38%

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

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 RON 4.64

$0.75 ؋48.58

30.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.91 RON 99.4

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 RON 2.93

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.37 RON 30.25

$1.55 ؋101

310.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 RON 9.62

$1.51 ؋98.3

33.77%

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

$28.2K RON 134.0K

$9,767 ؋635.0K

188.73%

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

$26.3K RON 124.8K

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

$196 RON 932

$80.3 ؋5,221

144.28%

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

$8.60 RON 40.84

$17.25 ؋1,122

-50.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.20 RON 43.69

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 RON 242

$11.61 ؋755

339.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.04 RON 119

$3.89 ؋253

543.70%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 RON 39.27

$4.69 ؋305

76.12%

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

$681 RON 3,234

$77.0 ؋5,006

783.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K RON 89.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 RON 443

$13.23 ؋860

605.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.87 RON 189

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 RON 381

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 RON 431

$18.44 ؋1,199

391.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$731 RON 3,473

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 RON 2,232

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,110 RON 5,276

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 RON 3,431

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 RON 17.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,233 RON 10.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,365 RON 6,487

$231 ؋15.0K

491.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

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

Last update for Bucharest: November 2, 2026

Last update for Mazar-i-Sharif: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$470 34.3%

Mazar-i-Sharif

–

Eating Out

Bucharest

$229 16.7%

Mazar-i-Sharif

–

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.4%

Mazar-i-Sharif

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 15.6%

Mazar-i-Sharif

–

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$137 10%

Mazar-i-Sharif

–

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$68 4.9%

Mazar-i-Sharif

–

Getting Around

Bucharest

$29 2.1%

Mazar-i-Sharif

–

Cost Breakdown

Bucharest pays about 5.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Bucharest vs $16 in Mazar-i-Sharif for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $106 per month, with Mazar-i-Sharif cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇦🇫 Mazar-i-Sharif

🕒 Local time

15:48 3:48 PM

18:18 6:18 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

300,600

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AFN, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 65.02 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 73.02 AFN (100 AFN = 1.37 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Mazar-i-Sharif 3,530 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Mazar-i-Sharif

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 Mazar-i-Sharif: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,371 in Bucharest and $290 in Mazar-i-Sharif, so Mazar-i-Sharif is about 79% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Bucharest is about 5.9 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 112% higher in Bucharest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,371 per month in Bucharest versus $290 in Mazar-i-Sharif – Mazar-i-Sharif is about 79% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $290 in Mazar-i-Sharif versus $1,371 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Mazar-i-Sharif but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Mazar-i-Sharif 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.

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