Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Meknes

For one person, living is cheaper in Meknes: $730 a month against $1,371 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Meknes
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Meknes Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,371

/mo nomad

Meknes

🇲🇦 Morocco

$730

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Meknes

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,371 in Bucharest versus $730 in Meknes.

Bucharest $1,371
Meknes $730

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,067 in Bucharest versus $1,098 in Meknes.

Bucharest $2,067
Meknes $1,098

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,764 in Bucharest versus $1,466 in Meknes.

Bucharest $2,764
Meknes $1,466

Living in Bucharest is roughly 88% more expensive than in Meknes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.51 RON 69.0

$2.60 MAD 25.38

458.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 RON 291

$15.17 MAD 148

303.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.46 RON 35.50

$6.20 MAD 60.5

20.32%

Cappuccino

$3.64 RON 17.33

$1.72 MAD 16.73

111.63%

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

$2.62 RON 12.44

$0.96 MAD 9.32

172.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 RON 11.24

$0.40 MAD 3.86

490.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.78 RON 18.00

$3.02 MAD 29.47

25.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 RON 19.54

$3.64 MAD 35.50

12.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 RON 7.90

$0.85 MAD 8.32

95.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 RON 6.64

$0.35 MAD 3.38

300.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 RON 8.54

$1.27 MAD 12.41

40.94%

Eggs

$3.63 RON 17.27

$1.86 MAD 18.10

95.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.92 RON 42.43

$10.74 MAD 105

-16.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.86 RON 32.65

$5.03 MAD 49.07

36.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.99 RON 57.0

$8.97 MAD 87.4

33.67%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.17

$1.24 MAD 12.11

4.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.77

$1.37 MAD 13.33

18.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.10

$0.68 MAD 6.61

119.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.09

$0.67 MAD 6.51

279.10%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 RON 3.86

$0.53 MAD 5.15

52.83%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.79

$0.51 MAD 4.98

56.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 RON 4.07

$0.45 MAD 4.40

91.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RON 4.46

$0.50 MAD 4.88

88.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.60 RON 31.42

$4.10 MAD 39.93

60.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.33 RON 30.11

$8.21 MAD 80.1

-22.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.64

$2.33 MAD 22.69

-48.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 RON 7.54

$2.50 MAD 24.41

-36.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 RON 4.64

$0.43 MAD 4.16

127.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.91 RON 99.5

$15.17 MAD 148

37.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.68 MAD 6.60

-11.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 RON 2.93

$0.32 MAD 3.16

93.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.37 RON 30.28

$4.64 MAD 45.21

37.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 RON 9.63

$1.42 MAD 13.89

42.25%

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

$28.2K RON 134.1K

$29.9K MAD 292.0K

-5.83%

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

$26.3K RON 125.0K

$30.9K MAD 300.9K

-14.86%

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

$196 RON 933

$45.32 MAD 442

332.88%

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

$8.60 RON 40.89

$10.19 MAD 99.3

-15.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.20 RON 43.74

$37.76 MAD 368

-75.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 RON 243

$27.62 MAD 269

84.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.04 RON 119

$32.20 MAD 314

-22.24%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 RON 39.31

$4.01 MAD 39.08

105.99%

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

$681 RON 3,237

$122 MAD 1,191

456.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K RON 89.1K

$11.5K MAD 112.0K

63.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 RON 444

$64.7 MAD 631

44.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.87 RON 190

$46.46 MAD 453

-14.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 RON 381

$91.5 MAD 892

-12.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 RON 431

$58.9 MAD 575

53.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$731 RON 3,477

$343 MAD 3,343

113.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 RON 2,234

$204 MAD 1,985

130.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,110 RON 5,282

$585 MAD 5,702

89.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 RON 3,435

$326 MAD 3,176

121.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 RON 17.8K

$932 MAD 9,090

302.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,233 RON 10.6K

$594 MAD 5,790

276.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,365 RON 6,494

$477 MAD 4,648

186.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

4.5

50.00%

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

Last update for Bucharest: November 2, 2026

Last update for Meknes: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$470 34.3%

Meknes

$204 27.9% 56.7% $266

Eating Out

Bucharest

$229 16.7%

Meknes

$88 12% 61.7% $141

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.4%

Meknes

$173 23.7% 23.1% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 15.6%

Meknes

$93 12.8% 56.4% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$137 10%

Meknes

$118 16.1% 13.9% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$68 4.9%

Meknes

$36 4.9% 47.3% $32

Getting Around

Bucharest

$29 2.1%

Meknes

$19 2.6% 32.7% $9.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $731 in Bucharest and $343 in Meknes. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays about 2.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Bucharest vs $15 in Meknes for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $173 per month, with Meknes cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇲🇦 Meknes

🕒 Local time

20:36 8:36 PM

18:36 6:36 PM

2 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

520,428

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

100 MAD = 10.26 USD

100 MAD = 9.13 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MAD, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 4.76 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 9.75 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.95 MAD (100 MAD = 9.13 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Meknes 2,940 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Meknes

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 Meknes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,371 in Bucharest and $730 in Meknes, so Meknes is about 47% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Bucharest is about 2.9 times higher, 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: $731 in Bucharest versus $343 in Meknes. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,371 per month in Bucharest versus $730 in Meknes – Meknes is about 47% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Meknes runs roughly 27% less than in Bucharest. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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 Meknes gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.