Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Medias

For one person, living is cheaper in Medias: $1,102 a month against $1,371 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 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 Medias
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Medias Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,371

/mo nomad

Medias

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,102

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Medias

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,371 in Bucharest versus $1,102 in Medias.

Bucharest $1,371
Medias $1,102

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,067 in Bucharest versus $1,683 in Medias.

Bucharest $2,067
Medias $1,683

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,764 in Bucharest versus $2,263 in Medias.

Bucharest $2,764
Medias $2,263

Living in Bucharest is roughly 24% more expensive than in Medias, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.51 RON 69.0

$11.14 RON 53.0

30.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 RON 291

$51.8 RON 246

18.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.46 RON 35.48

$7.35 RON 34.94

1.50%

Cappuccino

$3.64 RON 17.31

$3.70 RON 17.59

-1.62%

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

$2.62 RON 12.43

$2.46 RON 11.68

6.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 RON 11.23

$2.25 RON 10.71

4.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.78 RON 17.98

$3.20 RON 15.20

18.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 RON 19.53

$3.27 RON 15.55

25.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 RON 7.89

$1.23 RON 5.83

34.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 RON 6.64

$1.43 RON 6.77

-2.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 RON 8.53

$1.73 RON 8.24

3.47%

Eggs

$3.63 RON 17.25

$3.59 RON 17.05

1.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.92 RON 42.39

$8.65 RON 41.13

3.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.86 RON 32.63

$6.69 RON 31.82

2.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.99 RON 57.0

$12.89 RON 61.3

-6.98%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.17

$1.48 RON 7.02

-12.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.76

$1.48 RON 7.04

10.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.09

$1.55 RON 7.35

-3.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.09

$2.58 RON 12.28

-1.55%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 RON 3.86

$0.77 RON 3.66

5.19%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.78

$0.75 RON 3.57

6.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 RON 4.07

$0.80 RON 3.78

7.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RON 4.46

$0.75 RON 3.57

25.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.60 RON 31.39

$6.21 RON 29.50

6.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.33 RON 30.09

$7.54 RON 35.85

-16.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.64

$1.23 RON 5.83

-3.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 RON 7.53

$1.80 RON 8.56

-12.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 RON 4.64

$0.70 RON 3.32

40.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.91 RON 99.4

$23.96 RON 114

-12.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.66 RON 3.14

-9.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 RON 2.93

$0.68 RON 3.23

-8.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.37 RON 30.26

$6.60 RON 31.35

-3.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 RON 9.62

$1.38 RON 6.56

46.38%

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

$28.2K RON 134.0K

$29.0K RON 137.9K

-2.80%

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

$26.3K RON 124.9K

$25.2K RON 120.0K

4.08%

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

$196 RON 932

$180 RON 857

8.77%

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

$8.60 RON 40.85

$7.25 RON 34.47

18.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.20 RON 43.71

$9.26 RON 43.99

-0.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 RON 243

$37.03 RON 176

37.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.04 RON 119

$20.31 RON 96.6

23.29%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 RON 39.28

$6.12 RON 29.10

34.97%

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

$681 RON 3,235

$438 RON 2,082

55.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K RON 89.1K

$7,770 RON 36.9K

141.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 RON 444

$52.3 RON 249

78.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.87 RON 189

$35.51 RON 169

12.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 RON 381

$73.5 RON 349

8.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 RON 431

$90.8 RON 432

-0.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$731 RON 3,474

$389 RON 1,850

87.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 RON 2,233

$292 RON 1,389

60.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,110 RON 5,278

$602 RON 2,862

84.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 RON 3,432

$453 RON 2,152

59.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 RON 17.8K

$2,039 RON 9,690

83.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,233 RON 10.6K

$1,480 RON 7,036

50.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,365 RON 6,489

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

7.23

-6.64%

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

Last update for Bucharest: November 2, 2026

Last update for Medias: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$470 34.3%

Medias

$292 26.5% 37.8% $177

Eating Out

Bucharest

$229 16.7%

Medias

$197 17.9% 14.1% $32

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.4%

Medias

$222 20.2% 1.2% $2.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 15.6%

Medias

$197 17.9% 8% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$137 10%

Medias

$113 10.3% 17% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$68 4.9%

Medias

$49 4.5% 27.1% $18

Getting Around

Bucharest

$29 2.1%

Medias

$31 2.8% 8.1% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $731 in Bucharest and $389 in Medias. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61 in Bucharest vs $52 in Medias for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $222 per month, with Medias cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇷🇴 Medias

🕒 Local time

03:36 3:36 AM

Same time as Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

53,564

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Bucharest Medias 240 km

From you

Bucharest
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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 Medias: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,371 in Bucharest and $1,102 in Medias, so Medias is about 20% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,056 in Bucharest and $1,653 in Medias 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: $731 in Bucharest versus $389 in Medias. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 13% less than in Medias. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $1,371 per month in Bucharest versus $1,102 in Medias – Medias is about 20% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.