Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Benin

For one person, living is cheaper in Benin: $447 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 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
22

Cost of Living Index in Benin
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Benin Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Benin

🇳🇬 Nigeria

$447

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Benin

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $447 in Benin.

Bucharest $1,340
Benin $447

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $756 in Benin.

Bucharest $2,037
Benin $756

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $1,065 in Benin.

Bucharest $2,734
Benin $1,065

Living in Bucharest is roughly 200% more expensive than in Benin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Benin 67% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$1.28 ₦1,702

1032.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$50.3 ₦66.9K

15.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$5.51 ₦7,326

35.75%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$2.77 ₦3,684

24.19%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$0.27 ₦355

777.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$0.16 ₦218

1337.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$0.85 ₦1,136

335.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$0.99 ₦1,320

320.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$3.16 ₦4,204

-47.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$0.77 ₦1,026

77.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$1.21 ₦1,610

42.15%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$2.24 ₦2,984

62.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$3.63 ₦4,832

150.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$3.84 ₦5,114

78.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$4.43 ₦5,893

170.88%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$1.70 ₦2,263

-27.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$1.30 ₦1,728

25.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.11 ₦1,475

41.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$1.33 ₦1,772

90.98%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$1.34 ₦1,779

-41.04%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$1.32 ₦1,756

-41.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$0.83 ₦1,105

4.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$0.39 ₦523

153.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$0.59 ₦779

969.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$2.41 ₦3,205

157.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$0.54 ₦724

120.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$0.46 ₦607

241.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$0.69 ₦921

-7.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.90 ₦1,202

-33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$2.21 ₦2,943

190.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$0.73 ₦967

168.49%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$11.1K ₦14.7M

161.72%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$13.9K ₦18.4M

92.17%

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

$196 RON 927

$114 ₦151.4K

72.11%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$14.69 ₦19.5K

-45.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$33.21 ₦44.2K

-71.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$6.21 ₦8,258

31.24%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$655 ₦871.3K

-4.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$19.7K ₦26.2M

-28.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$14.98 ₦19.9K

498.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$18.39 ₦24.5K

108.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$35.97 ₦47.8K

120.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$48.15 ₦64.0K

87.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$112 ₦148.6K

1089.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

18.39

-63.30%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Benin: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Benin

- * 0% 100%

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Benin

$68 15.2% 69.8% $157

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Benin

$147 32.9% 34.6% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Benin

$162 36.1% 24.2% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Benin

$53 11.8% 60.5% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Benin

$12 * 2.8% 81.3% $54

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Benin

$5.2 * 1.2% 81.5% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

Bucharest pays 1090% 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 $50.0 in Benin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $147 per month, with Benin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇳🇬 Benin

🕒 Local time

22:05 10:05 PM

20:05 8:05 PM

2 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

1,147,188

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Nigerian Naira NGN ₦

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

10,000 NGN = 7.52 USD

10,000 NGN = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NGN, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Nigerian Naira exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 NGN (10,000 NGN = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,496 NGN (10,000 NGN = 6.69 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bucharest Benin 4,680 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Benin

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 Benin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Benin differ by about 200% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $447 including rent). Benin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1090% higher in Bucharest, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 53% higher in Bucharest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,340 per month in Bucharest versus $447 in Benin – a 200% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $447 in Benin versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Benin but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Benin 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 Benin 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 Benin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 200% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.