Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Merignac

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,354 a month against $1,887 in Merignac, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Merignac
Learn more

Merignac Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,354

/mo nomad

Merignac

🇫🇷 France

$1,887

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Merignac

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,354 in Bucharest versus $1,887 in Merignac.

Bucharest $1,354
Merignac $1,887

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,043 in Bucharest versus $2,897 in Merignac.

Bucharest $2,043
Merignac $2,897

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,733 in Bucharest versus $3,907 in Merignac.

Bucharest $2,733
Merignac $3,907

Living in Bucharest costs roughly 28% less than in Merignac, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.66 RON 70.5

$16.82 €15.12

-12.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 277

$77.8 €69.9

-25.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 RON 36.14

$13.43 €12.07

-44.01%

Cappuccino

$3.56 RON 17.09

$3.96 €3.55

-10.10%

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

$2.47 RON 11.88

$2.93 €2.63

-15.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 RON 10.50

$1.38 €1.24

57.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 RON 17.73

$7.44 €6.68

-50.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 RON 20.57

$6.63 €5.96

-35.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 8.04

$1.17 €1.06

42.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.49

$1.98 €1.78

-31.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.53

$2.52 €2.26

-29.37%

Eggs

$3.56 RON 17.12

$3.49 €3.14

2.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.12 RON 43.86

$13.55 €12.17

-32.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.82 RON 32.77

$14.70 €13.20

-53.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.13 RON 58.3

$20.03 €17.99

-39.44%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 RON 6.08

$3.43 €3.08

-63.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 RON 7.80

$2.25 €2.02

-28.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.49

$3.29 €2.96

-52.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.21

$3.47 €3.12

-26.80%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 RON 3.76

$2.27 €2.04

-65.64%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.72

$2.88 €2.59

-73.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 RON 4.27

$1.37 €1.23

-35.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 RON 4.32

$0.51 €0.46

76.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 RON 31.49

$13.21 €11.87

-50.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.37 RON 30.60

$8.92 €8.02

-28.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 RON 5.98

$3.46 €3.11

-64.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 RON 7.80

$3.40 €3.06

-52.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 RON 4.11

$1.95 €1.75

-56.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.71 RON 99.6

$55.2 €49.57

-62.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 RON 2.95

$2.29 €2.05

-73.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.95

$1.81 €1.63

-66.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.16 RON 29.62

$37.65 €33.83

-83.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 RON 9.60

$2.18 €1.96

-8.26%

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

$27.9K RON 134.4K

$35.0K €31.4K

-20.15%

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

$25.3K RON 121.7K

$36.2K €32.5K

-29.94%

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

$192 RON 923

$222 €200

-13.59%

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

$7.92 RON 38.06

$14.09 €12.66

-43.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.96 RON 43.06

$30.79 €27.67

-70.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.99 RON 240

$31.86 €28.63

56.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 RON 119

Cinema Ticket

$8.51 RON 40.90

$12.97 €11.65

-34.39%

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

$686 RON 3,297

$797 €716

-13.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 69.3K

$10.3K €9,246

40.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.2 RON 434

$112 €101

-19.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.74 RON 186

$45.56 €40.94

-14.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.9 RON 379

$107 €96.1

-26.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 RON 443

$146 €131

-36.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$711 RON 3,419

$862 €774

-17.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 RON 2,220

$656 €590

-29.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 RON 5,064

$1,599 €1,436

-34.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$723 RON 3,474

$1,144 €1,028

-36.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,634 RON 17.5K

$3,985 €3,580

-8.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,173 RON 10.4K

$3,034 €2,726

-28.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,354 RON 6,508

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

3.79

78.10%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 26, 2026

Last update for Merignac: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$462 34.1%

Merignac

$656 34.8% 42% $194

Eating Out

Bucharest

$228 16.9%

Merignac

$290 15.4% 27.2% $62

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.6%

Merignac

$357 18.9% 58.8% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$209 15.4%

Merignac

$267 14.2% 27.9% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$135 10%

Merignac

$185 9.8% 37% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Merignac

$58 3.1% 13.7% $9.2

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Merignac

$74 3.9% 167% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $711 in Bucharest and $862 in Merignac. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $58 in Bucharest vs $78 in Merignac for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $357 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇫🇷 Merignac

🕒 Local time

14:55 2:55 PM

13:55 1:55 PM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

75,729

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.81 RON (1 RON = 0.208 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Merignac 2,110 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Merignac

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 Merignac: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Merignac differ by about 39% in total monthly costs ($1,354 vs $1,887 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,030 in Bucharest and $2,831 in Merignac 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: $711 in Bucharest versus $862 in Merignac. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,354 per month in Bucharest versus $1,887 in Merignac – a 39% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 62% less than in Merignac. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching 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 Bucharest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Merignac. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.