Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Osh

For one person, living is cheaper in Osh: $691 a month against $1,351 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Osh
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Osh Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Osh

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan

$691

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Osh

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,351 in Bucharest versus $691 in Osh.

Bucharest $1,351
Osh $691

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,033 in Bucharest versus $1,118 in Osh.

Bucharest $2,033
Osh $1,118

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,715 in Bucharest versus $1,544 in Osh.

Bucharest $2,715
Osh $1,544

Living in Bucharest is roughly 95% more expensive than in Osh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% above, Osh is 48% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 RON 68.4

$4.46 KGS 390

224.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 273

$23.08 KGS 2,017

149.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 RON 35.46

$9.33 KGS 815

-19.61%

Cappuccino

$3.43 RON 16.20

$1.91 KGS 167

79.58%

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

$2.46 RON 11.63

$0.84 KGS 73.3

192.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.01

$0.28 KGS 24.71

732.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 RON 17.97

$1.12 KGS 97.8

239.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.41

$1.29 KGS 113

217.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.79

$0.86 KGS 74.8

91.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.39

$0.38 KGS 32.81

255.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.42

$1.21 KGS 106

47.11%

Eggs

$3.66 RON 17.33

$1.45 KGS 127

152.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 RON 40.54

$4.84 KGS 423

77.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RON 32.17

$3.52 KGS 308

93.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 RON 55.4

$7.92 KGS 692

47.98%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.11

$0.67 KGS 58.7

92.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.37

$1.55 KGS 135

0.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.28

$2.21 KGS 193

-30.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 RON 11.75

$1.19 KGS 104

108.40%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.92

$0.47 KGS 40.88

76.60%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.77

$0.46 KGS 40.30

73.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 3.98

$0.59 KGS 51.2

42.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 RON 4.39

$0.70 KGS 61.2

32.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 RON 30.45

$2.11 KGS 185

205.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 RON 29.91

$5.08 KGS 444

24.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.94

$1.11 KGS 96.7

13.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 RON 7.59

$1.65 KGS 144

-3.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.85

$0.22 KGS 19.14

268.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.13 RON 99.9

$11.97 KGS 1,046

76.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.24 KGS 21.01

150.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.91

$0.33 KGS 29.15

84.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.19

$7.55 KGS 660

-18.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.27

$1.00 KGS 87.6

96.00%

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

$28.1K RON 133.1K

$18.4K KGS 1.6M

53.23%

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

$26.3K RON 124.3K

$17.0K KGS 1.5M

54.47%

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

$197 RON 931

$38.39 KGS 3,356

412.76%

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

$8.34 RON 39.44

$4.97 KGS 435

67.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.19 RON 43.47

$9.38 KGS 820

-2.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.87 RON 236

$45.54 KGS 3,981

9.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 118

$20.09 KGS 1,756

24.39%

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 RON 40.01

$3.33 KGS 291

154.05%

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

$639 RON 3,023

$169 KGS 14.8K

278.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.1K

$1,886 KGS 164.8K

663.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 RON 429

$18.96 KGS 1,658

377.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 RON 180

$36.46 KGS 3,187

4.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 RON 377

$53.9 KGS 4,713

47.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 RON 441

$52.2 KGS 4,564

78.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 RON 3,184

$367 KGS 32.1K

83.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 RON 2,123

$272 KGS 23.8K

64.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 RON 5,195

$900 KGS 78.7K

22.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 RON 3,448

$578 KGS 50.6K

26.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,740 RON 17.7K

$1,233 KGS 107.8K

203.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 RON 10.4K

$1,010 KGS 88.3K

116.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,323 RON 6,259

$308 KGS 26.9K

329.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Last update for Osh: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$449 33.5%

Osh

$272 38.8% 39.4% $177

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.8%

Osh

$99 14.1% 56.1% $127

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$222 16.5%

Osh

$138 19.7% 37.6% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 16%

Osh

$53 7.5% 75.4% $162

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$136 10.1%

Osh

$73 10.4% 46.4% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Osh

$52 7.4% 21.8% $15

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Osh

$15 2.1% 47.4% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $673 in Bucharest and $367 in Osh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 330% 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 $23.00 in Osh for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $138 per month, with Osh cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇰🇬 Osh

🕒 Local time

10:27 10:27 AM

13:27 1:27 PM

3 h ahead of Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

270,347

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Kyrgyzstani Som KGS сом

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

100 KGS = 1.14 USD

100 KGS = 1.02 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KGS, 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).

Kyrgyzstani Som exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 87.42 KGS (100 KGS = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 98.05 KGS (100 KGS = 1.02 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Osh 3,800 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Osh

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 Osh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Osh differ by about 95% in total monthly costs ($1,351 vs $691 including rent). Osh is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 330% 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 $367 in Osh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,351 per month in Bucharest versus $691 in Osh – a 95% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Osh runs roughly 77% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $691 in Osh versus $1,351 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Osh but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Osh 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 Osh 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 Osh gentler on the wallet – expenses run 95% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.