Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Nis

For one person, living is cheaper in Nis: $1,033 a month against $1,351 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Nis
Learn more

Nis Living Index

Jump to prices

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Nis

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,033

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Nis

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,351 in Bucharest versus $1,033 in Nis.

Bucharest $1,351
Nis $1,033

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,033 in Bucharest versus $1,512 in Nis.

Bucharest $2,033
Nis $1,512

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,715 in Bucharest versus $1,991 in Nis.

Bucharest $2,715
Nis $1,991

Living in Bucharest is roughly 31% more expensive than in Nis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% above, Nis is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 RON 68.9

$8.78 RSD 917

64.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 275

$33.92 RSD 3,541

69.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 RON 35.72

$9.57 RSD 999

-21.63%

Cappuccino

$3.43 RON 16.32

$1.97 RSD 206

74.11%

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

$2.46 RON 11.72

$2.31 RSD 242

6.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.09

$1.74 RSD 182

33.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 RON 18.10

$3.61 RSD 377

5.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.56

$4.49 RSD 469

-8.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.85

$1.14 RSD 120

44.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.44

$0.70 RSD 73.2

92.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.48

$1.76 RSD 184

1.14%

Eggs

$3.66 RON 17.46

$2.35 RSD 246

55.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 RON 40.84

$7.65 RSD 799

12.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RON 32.41

$5.72 RSD 597

18.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 RON 55.8

$10.59 RSD 1,105

10.67%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.16

$1.11 RSD 116

16.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.43

$1.68 RSD 175

-7.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.34

$1.50 RSD 157

2.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 RON 11.84

$2.17 RSD 226

14.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.95

$0.78 RSD 81.8

6.41%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.80

$0.72 RSD 74.7

11.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 4.01

$0.64 RSD 66.6

31.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 RON 4.42

$0.58 RSD 60.6

60.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 RON 30.68

$4.42 RSD 461

45.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 RON 30.13

$5.78 RSD 604

9.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.99

$0.72 RSD 75.3

75.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 RON 7.65

$1.29 RSD 135

24.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.88

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.13 RON 101

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.88

$1.84 RSD 192

-67.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.93

$0.66 RSD 68.8

-7.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.41

$8.29 RSD 866

-25.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.34

$1.89 RSD 198

3.70%

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

$28.1K RON 134.2K

$30.7K RSD 3.2M

-8.45%

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

$26.3K RON 125.3K

$24.0K RSD 2.5M

9.64%

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

$197 RON 938

$160 RSD 16.8K

22.67%

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

$8.34 RON 39.74

$19.03 RSD 1,987

-56.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.19 RON 43.80

$22.20 RSD 2,318

-58.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.87 RON 238

$30.54 RSD 3,188

63.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 119

$15.65 RSD 1,634

59.68%

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 RON 40.31

$4.68 RSD 489

80.77%

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

$639 RON 3,046

$252 RSD 26.4K

153.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.6K

$4,989 RSD 520.9K

188.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 RON 432

$88.4 RSD 9,234

2.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 RON 181

$37.42 RSD 3,906

1.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 RON 380

$99.3 RSD 10.4K

-19.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 RON 444

$112 RSD 11.7K

-16.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 RON 3,209

$398 RSD 41.5K

69.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 RON 2,139

$277 RSD 28.9K

62.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 RON 5,234

$591 RSD 61.7K

85.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 RON 3,474

$397 RSD 41.5K

83.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,740 RON 17.8K

$2,531 RSD 264.2K

47.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 RON 10.4K

$1,884 RSD 196.7K

16.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,323 RON 6,306

$901 RSD 94.0K

46.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

5.12

31.64%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Last update for Nis: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$449 33.5%

Nis

$277 27.1% 38.3% $172

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.8%

Nis

$166 16.2% 26.5% $60

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$222 16.5%

Nis

$182 17.8% 18% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 16%

Nis

$202 19.7% 5.9% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$136 10.1%

Nis

$152 14.8% 11.7% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Nis

$40 3.9% 40.3% $27

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Nis

$5.1 * 0.5% 81.7% $23

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 $398 in Nis. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 47% 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 $34.00 in Nis for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $182 per month, with Nis cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇷🇸 Nis

🕒 Local time

08:21 8:21 AM

07:21 7:21 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

78,470

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.54 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.77 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.54 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bucharest Nis 360 km

From you

Bucharest
Nis

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 Nis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Nis differ by about 31% in total monthly costs ($1,351 vs $1,033 including rent). Nis is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 47% 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 $398 in Nis. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% 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 $1,033 in Nis – a 31% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,033 in Nis versus $1,351 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Nis but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Nis 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 Nis 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 Nis gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.