Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Ostia

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $1,756 in Ostia, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
85

Cost of Living Index in Ostia
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Ostia Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Ostia

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,756

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Ostia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,756 in Ostia.

Bucharest $1,340
Ostia $1,756

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $2,594 in Ostia.

Bucharest $2,037
Ostia $2,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $3,432 in Ostia.

Bucharest $2,734
Ostia $3,432

Living in Bucharest costs roughly 24% less than in Ostia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% below, Ostia is 30% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$16.51 €14.69

-12.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$66.0 €58.7

-11.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$11.36 €10.10

-34.15%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$2.25 €2.00

52.89%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$2.33 €2.07

1.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$1.20 €1.06

91.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$5.46 €4.86

-32.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$4.80 €4.27

-13.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$1.67 €1.48

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$2.16 €1.92

-36.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$3.00 €2.67

-42.67%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$4.54 €4.04

-19.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$14.92 €13.27

-39.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$12.49 €11.11

-45.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$19.61 €17.44

-38.81%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$2.59 €2.30

-52.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$2.06 €1.84

-20.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$2.33 €2.07

-32.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$2.38 €2.11

6.72%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$1.44 €1.28

-45.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$1.60 €1.42

-51.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$1.32 €1.17

-34.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$0.51 €0.46

94.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$6.63 €5.90

-4.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$5.42 €4.82

14.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.56 €1.39

-23.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$2.50 €2.22

-37.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$1.65 €1.47

-47.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$39.01 €34.70

-45.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$4.42 €3.93

-85.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$1.24 €1.11

-51.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$23.16 €20.60

-72.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$2.15 €1.91

-8.84%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$35.3K €31.4K

-17.79%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$35.4K €31.5K

-24.78%

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

$196 RON 927

$197 €175

-0.38%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$9.61 €8.55

-16.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$31.13 €27.69

-69.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$56.1 €49.93

-10.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$11.20 €9.96

126.16%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$11.07 €9.85

-26.38%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$449 €400

39.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$8,805 €7,832

59.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$72.2 €64.2

24.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$36.65 €32.60

4.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$84.6 €75.2

-6.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$125 €111

-27.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$853 €759

-20.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$673 €599

-33.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$1,130 €1,005

-4.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$990 €881

-26.77%

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

$1,992 €1,772

-33.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

3.5

92.86%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ostia: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Ostia

$673 38.3% 50.1% $225

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Ostia

$244 13.9% 8.5% $19

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Ostia

$324 18.4% 43.8% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Ostia

$237 13.5% 11.3% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Ostia

$143 8.2% 6.8% $9.2

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Ostia

$78 4.5% 17.7% $12

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Ostia

$56 3.2% 99.4% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $853 in Ostia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ostia pays 50% 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 $66.0 in Ostia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $324 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇮🇹 Ostia

🕒 Local time

05:40 5:40 AM

04:40 4:40 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

79,400

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to RON in detail →

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Between locations

Bucharest Ostia 1,160 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Ostia

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 Ostia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Ostia differ by about 31% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $1,756 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 50% lower in Ostia. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $678 in Bucharest versus $853 in Ostia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,340 per month in Bucharest versus $1,756 in Ostia – a 31% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 85% less than in Ostia. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,756 in Ostia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Ostia. The gap between the two cities makes Bucharest 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 Bucharest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Ostia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.