Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Niamey

For one person, living costs are similar in Bucharest and in Niamey: $1,351 and $1,338 a month, rent and utilities included.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Niamey
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Niamey Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Niamey

🇳🇪 Niger

$1,338

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Niamey

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,351 in Bucharest versus $1,338 in Niamey.

Bucharest $1,351
Niamey $1,338

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,033 in Bucharest versus $1,732 in Niamey.

Bucharest $2,033
Niamey $1,732

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,715 in Bucharest versus $2,125 in Niamey.

Bucharest $2,715
Niamey $2,125

Living in Bucharest is roughly 1% more expensive than in Niamey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bucharest 1% above, Niamey 0% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 RON 68.4

$6.54 F CFA 3,829

121.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 273

$38.86 F CFA 22.7K

48.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 RON 35.46

$9.68 F CFA 5,665

-22.52%

Cappuccino

$3.43 RON 16.20

$3.10 F CFA 1,815

10.65%

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

$2.46 RON 11.63

$1.47 F CFA 858

67.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.01

$0.95 F CFA 555

145.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 RON 17.97

$1.34 F CFA 781

183.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.41

$2.95 F CFA 1,727

38.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.79

$2.48 F CFA 1,453

-33.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.39

$0.57 F CFA 336

136.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.42

$1.68 F CFA 982

5.95%

Eggs

$3.66 RON 17.33

$2.18 F CFA 1,276

67.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 RON 40.54

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RON 32.17

$5.95 F CFA 3,480

14.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 RON 55.4

$7.61 F CFA 4,453

54.01%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.11

$3.57 F CFA 2,088

-63.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.37

$1.61 F CFA 941

-3.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.28

$2.82 F CFA 1,649

-45.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 RON 11.75

$1.66 F CFA 971

49.40%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.92

$1.46 F CFA 855

-43.15%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.77

$0.70 F CFA 412

14.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 3.98

$0.89 F CFA 521

-5.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 RON 4.39

$1.07 F CFA 626

-13.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 RON 30.45

$2.62 F CFA 1,536

145.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 RON 29.91

$13.94 F CFA 8,158

-54.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.94

$1.37 F CFA 801

-8.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 RON 7.59

$3.43 F CFA 2,006

-53.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.85

$0.37 F CFA 214

118.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.13 RON 99.9

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.45 F CFA 264

33.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.91

$0.36 F CFA 213

69.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.19

$8.81 F CFA 5,155

-29.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.27

$0.93 F CFA 545

110.75%

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

$28.1K RON 133.1K

$20.8K F CFA 12.2M

35.20%

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

$26.3K RON 124.3K

$24.4K F CFA 14.3M

7.81%

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

$197 RON 931

$171 F CFA 99.9K

15.27%

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

$8.34 RON 39.44

$17.34 F CFA 10.1K

-51.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.19 RON 43.47

$88.1 F CFA 51.6K

-89.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.87 RON 236

$75.6 F CFA 44.2K

-34.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 118

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 RON 40.01

$5.17 F CFA 3,027

63.64%

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

$639 RON 3,023

$1,044 F CFA 610.9K

-38.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.1K

$4,311 F CFA 2.5M

233.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 RON 429

$70.6 F CFA 41.3K

28.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 RON 180

$87.9 F CFA 51.4K

-56.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 RON 377

$52.5 F CFA 30.7K

51.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 RON 441

$68.9 F CFA 40.3K

35.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 RON 3,184

$958 F CFA 560.6K

-29.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 RON 2,123

$526 F CFA 307.7K

-14.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 RON 5,195

$802 F CFA 469.1K

36.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 RON 3,448

$428 F CFA 250.2K

70.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,740 RON 17.7K

$1,754 F CFA 1.0M

113.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 RON 10.4K

$982 F CFA 574.7K

122.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,323 RON 6,259

$400 F CFA 233.8K

231.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

-25.11%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Last update for Niamey: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$449 33.5%

Niamey

$526 38.4% 17.1% $77

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.8%

Niamey

$141 10.3% 37.6% $85

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$222 16.5%

Niamey

$209 * 15.3% 5.5% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 16%

Niamey

$276 20.2% 28.9% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$136 10.1%

Niamey

$126 9.2% 7.2% $9.7

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Niamey

$86 6.3% 28.7% $19

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Niamey

$3.7 * 0.3% 86.7% $24

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $673 in Bucharest and $958 in Niamey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 231% 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 $39.00 in Niamey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $209 per month, with Niamey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇳🇪 Niamey

🕒 Local time

14:15 2:15 PM

12:15 12:15 PM

2 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

1,026,848 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XOF, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bucharest Niamey 4,120 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Niamey

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 Niamey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Niamey differ by about 1% in total monthly costs ($1,351 vs $1,338 including rent). Niamey is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 231% 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: $673 in Bucharest versus $958 in Niamey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Bucharest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,351 per month in Bucharest versus $1,338 in Niamey – a 1% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,338 in Niamey versus $1,351 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Niamey but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Niamey 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.

Expats usually find Niamey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.