Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Pec

For one person, living is cheaper in Pec: $665 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Pec
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Pec Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Pec

🇽🇰 Kosovo

$665

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Pec

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $665 in Pec.

Bucharest $1,340
Pec $665

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $1,078 in Pec.

Bucharest $2,037
Pec $1,078

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $1,490 in Pec.

Bucharest $2,734
Pec $1,490

Living in Bucharest is roughly 102% more expensive than in Pec, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Pec 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$5.52 €4.91

162.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$22.36 €19.89

159.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$4.33 €3.85

72.75%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$1.32 €1.18

160.61%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$1.56 €1.39

51.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$1.05 €0.94

119.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$1.96 €1.74

88.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$2.77 €2.46

50.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$1.28 €1.13

30.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$0.63 €0.56

117.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$1.32 €1.17

30.30%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$1.81 €1.61

101.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$7.63 €6.78

19.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$6.50 €5.78

5.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$12.30 €10.94

-2.44%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$1.43 €1.27

-13.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$1.42 €1.27

14.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.11 €0.98

41.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$1.69 €1.51

50.30%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$0.90 €0.80

-12.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$0.87 €0.77

-11.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$0.79 €0.71

10.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$0.50 €0.44

98.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$2.84 €2.53

122.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$5.56 €4.94

11.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$0.88 €0.79

35.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.19 €1.06

31.93%

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

$2.19 €1.94

-70.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.55 €0.49

9.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$3.30 €2.94

94.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$1.42 €1.26

38.03%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$22.3K €19.8K

30.02%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$26.2K €23.3K

1.72%

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

$196 RON 927

$104 €92.3

88.85%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$11.14 €9.91

-27.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$23.36 €20.78

-59.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$21.87 €19.46

129.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$33.79 €30.06

-25.04%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$4.56 €4.06

78.73%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$150 €133

319.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$2,954 €2,627

376.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$41.97 €37.33

113.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$28.42 €25.28

34.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$63.6 €56.6

24.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$81.5 €72.5

10.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$167 €149

305.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$111 €98.7

303.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$335 €298

223.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$277 €247

161.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$1,251 €1,112

199.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$1,043 €928

110.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$471 €419

182.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

4.5

50.00%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Pec: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Pec

$111 16.7% 75.2% $337

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Pec

$99 14.9% 56.1% $126

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Pec

$184 27.7% 18.2% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Pec

$138 20.8% 35.2% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Pec

$97 14.6% 27.6% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Pec

$31 4.7% 53.4% $36

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Pec

$4.9 * 0.7% 82.5% $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 $678 in Bucharest and $167 in Pec. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 182% 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 $22.00 in Pec for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $184 per month, with Pec cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇽🇰 Pec

🕒 Local time

13:35 1:35 PM

12:35 12:35 PM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

48,962

💱 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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Pec 510 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Pec

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 Pec: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Pec differ by about 102% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $665 including rent). Pec is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 182% 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: $678 in Bucharest versus $167 in Pec. 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 $1,340 per month in Bucharest versus $665 in Pec – a 102% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $665 in Pec versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Pec but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Pec 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 Pec 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 Pec gentler on the wallet – expenses run 102% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.