Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Onesti

For one person, living is cheaper in Onesti: $1,042 a month against $1,371 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Onesti
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Onesti Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,371

/mo nomad

Onesti

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,042

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Onesti

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,371 in Bucharest versus $1,042 in Onesti.

Bucharest $1,371
Onesti $1,042

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,067 in Bucharest versus $1,597 in Onesti.

Bucharest $2,067
Onesti $1,597

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,764 in Bucharest versus $2,153 in Onesti.

Bucharest $2,764
Onesti $2,153

Living in Bucharest is roughly 32% more expensive than in Onesti, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.51 RON 69.0

$10.35 RON 49.20

40.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 RON 291

$41.83 RON 199

46.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.46 RON 35.48

$7.13 RON 33.88

4.63%

Cappuccino

$3.64 RON 17.31

$2.97 RON 14.11

22.56%

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

$2.62 RON 12.43

$2.20 RON 10.47

19.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 RON 11.23

$1.78 RON 8.45

32.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.78 RON 17.98

$3.16 RON 15.03

19.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 RON 19.53

$3.72 RON 17.69

10.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 RON 7.89

$1.04 RON 4.92

59.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 RON 6.64

$1.34 RON 6.38

4.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 RON 8.53

$1.92 RON 9.14

-6.77%

Eggs

$3.63 RON 17.25

$2.94 RON 13.96

23.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.92 RON 42.39

$7.46 RON 35.46

19.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.86 RON 32.63

$6.56 RON 31.18

4.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.99 RON 57.0

$10.11 RON 48.07

18.60%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.17

$1.03 RON 4.90

26.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.76

$1.45 RON 6.89

12.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.09

$1.68 RON 8.00

-11.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.09

$2.06 RON 9.81

23.30%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 RON 3.86

$0.80 RON 3.80

1.25%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.78

$0.82 RON 3.89

-2.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 RON 4.07

$1.12 RON 5.32

-23.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RON 4.46

$0.61 RON 2.88

54.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.60 RON 31.39

$6.32 RON 30.06

4.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.33 RON 30.09

$5.34 RON 25.38

18.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.64

$1.34 RON 6.35

-11.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 RON 7.53

$2.14 RON 10.15

-26.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 RON 4.64

$0.70 RON 3.30

40.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.91 RON 99.4

$22.70 RON 108

-7.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.80 RON 3.81

-25.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 RON 2.93

$0.88 RON 4.16

-29.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.37 RON 30.26

$8.57 RON 40.74

-25.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 RON 9.62

$1.43 RON 6.81

41.26%

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

$28.2K RON 134.0K

$28.5K RON 135.6K

-1.14%

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

$26.3K RON 124.9K

$26.1K RON 124.1K

0.65%

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

$196 RON 932

$186 RON 882

5.72%

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

$8.60 RON 40.85

$7.43 RON 35.31

15.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.20 RON 43.71

$8.70 RON 41.34

5.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 RON 243

$36.79 RON 175

38.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.04 RON 119

$20.40 RON 97.0

22.75%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 RON 39.28

$8.50 RON 40.41

-2.82%

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

$681 RON 3,235

$389 RON 1,848

75.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K RON 89.1K

$7,819 RON 37.2K

139.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 RON 444

$37.62 RON 179

148.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.87 RON 189

$39.20 RON 186

1.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 RON 381

$94.7 RON 450

-15.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 RON 431

$91.9 RON 437

-1.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$731 RON 3,474

$406 RON 1,931

79.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 RON 2,233

$261 RON 1,242

79.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,110 RON 5,278

$653 RON 3,102

70.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 RON 3,432

$464 RON 2,203

55.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 RON 17.8K

$1,929 RON 9,170

94.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,233 RON 10.6K

$1,329 RON 6,315

68.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,365 RON 6,489

$634 RON 3,015

115.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

7.18

-5.99%

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

Last update for Bucharest: November 2, 2026

Last update for Onesti: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$470 34.3%

Onesti

$261 25.1% 44.4% $208

Eating Out

Bucharest

$229 16.7%

Onesti

$179 17.2% 21.9% $50

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.4%

Onesti

$197 18.9% 12.3% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 15.6%

Onesti

$202 19.4% 5.7% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$137 10%

Onesti

$119 11.4% 13.3% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$68 4.9%

Onesti

$54 5.2% 20.4% $14

Getting Around

Bucharest

$29 2.1%

Onesti

$31 2.9% 7.6% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $731 in Bucharest and $406 in Onesti. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Bucharest vs $42 in Onesti for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $197 per month, with Onesti cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇷🇴 Onesti

🕒 Local time

03:36 3:36 AM

Same time as Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

57,333

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Onesti 210 km

From you

Bucharest
Onesti

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 Onesti: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,371 in Bucharest and $1,042 in Onesti, so Onesti is about 24% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Bucharest is about 2.2 times higher, 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: $731 in Bucharest versus $406 in Onesti. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,371 per month in Bucharest versus $1,042 in Onesti – Onesti is about 24% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 8% less than in Onesti. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Onesti is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Onesti wins on affordability, Bucharest on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.