Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Neum

For one person, living is cheaper in Neum: $955 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Neum
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Neum Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Neum

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$955

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Neum

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $955 in Neum.

Bucharest $1,340
Neum $955

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $1,410 in Neum.

Bucharest $2,037
Neum $1,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $1,866 in Neum.

Bucharest $2,734
Neum $1,866

Living in Bucharest is roughly 40% more expensive than in Neum, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Neum 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 69.1

$5.29 BAM 9.24

173.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 277

$30.98 BAM 54.1

87.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.69

$5.67 BAM 9.91

31.92%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.42

$1.90 BAM 3.32

81.05%

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

$2.37 RON 11.31

$1.90 BAM 3.33

24.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.97

$1.18 BAM 2.07

94.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.65

$2.52 BAM 4.41

46.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.85

$2.19 BAM 3.83

89.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.96

$1.12 BAM 1.96

49.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.55

$0.95 BAM 1.65

44.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.20

$2.07 BAM 3.62

-16.91%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.35

$2.57 BAM 4.48

41.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 43.32

$7.88 BAM 13.77

15.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.61

$7.37 BAM 12.87

-7.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 57.2

$10.39 BAM 18.15

15.50%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.85

$1.12 BAM 1.96

9.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.79

$1.62 BAM 2.83

0.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.51

$1.36 BAM 2.37

15.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.11

$1.20 BAM 2.09

111.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.78

$0.98 BAM 1.72

-19.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.68

$0.99 BAM 1.72

-22.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.16

$0.76 BAM 1.32

14.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.74

$0.71 BAM 1.24

39.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 30.09

$3.93 BAM 6.86

60.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.58

$3.99 BAM 6.96

55.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.67

$0.78 BAM 1.36

52.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.51

$0.89 BAM 1.55

76.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.11

$1.27 BAM 2.21

-32.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 101

$57.4 BAM 100

-63.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.07

$1.74 BAM 3.05

-63.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.88

$0.60 BAM 1.04

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.68

$5.79 BAM 10.11

11.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.33

$1.55 BAM 2.70

26.45%

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

$29.0K RON 138.3K

$29.9K BAM 52.2K

-2.89%

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

$26.6K RON 127.0K

$21.3K BAM 37.3K

24.92%

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

$196 RON 934

$135 BAM 237

44.66%

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

$8.04 RON 38.35

$17.64 BAM 30.82

-54.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.57

$25.86 BAM 45.18

-63.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 240

$32.47 BAM 56.7

54.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 121

$11.52 BAM 20.13

119.88%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.86

$5.74 BAM 10.02

41.99%

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

$628 RON 2,995

$198 BAM 346

217.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 67.2K

$2,317 BAM 4,048

507.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 427

$59.4 BAM 104

50.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 183

$33.42 BAM 58.4

14.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 378

$85.8 BAM 150

-7.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 431

$83.3 BAM 146

8.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,235

$345 BAM 603

96.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,138

$248 BAM 433

81.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,166

$506 BAM 884

114.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,457

$355 BAM 620

104.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.9K

$2,410 BAM 4,210

55.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.5K

$1,786 BAM 3,120

22.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,340

$847 BAM 1,480

56.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

2.9

132.76%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Neum: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Neum

$248 25.9% 44.8% $201

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Neum

$112 11.7% 50.5% $114

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Neum

$188 19.7% 16.6% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Neum

$179 18.7% 16.1% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Neum

$118 12.4% 12% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Neum

$44 4.6% 34% $23

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Neum

$67 7% 138% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $345 in Neum. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 57% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $58.0 in Bucharest vs $31.00 in Neum for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $188 per month, with Neum cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇧🇦 Neum

🕒 Local time

12:57 12:57 PM

11:57 11:57 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

3,200

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 BAM = 0.572 USD

1 BAM = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BAM, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 4.77 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BAM (1 BAM = 0.572 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BAM (1 BAM = 0.511 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

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Bucharest Neum 700 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Neum

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 Neum: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Neum differ by about 40% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $955 including rent). Neum is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 57% higher in Bucharest, 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: $678 in Bucharest versus $345 in Neum. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,340 per month in Bucharest versus $955 in Neum – a 40% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Neum runs roughly 172% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $955 in Neum versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Neum but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Neum 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.

Safety-wise, Bucharest and Neum are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Neum gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.