Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Piatra Neamt

For one person, living is cheaper in Piatra Neamt: $781 a month against $1,354 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Piatra Neamt
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Piatra Neamt Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,354

/mo nomad

Piatra Neamt

🇷🇴 Romania

$781

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Piatra Neamt

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,354 in Bucharest versus $781 in Piatra Neamt.

Bucharest $1,354
Piatra Neamt $781

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,043 in Bucharest versus $1,188 in Piatra Neamt.

Bucharest $2,043
Piatra Neamt $1,188

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,733 in Bucharest versus $1,596 in Piatra Neamt.

Bucharest $2,733
Piatra Neamt $1,596

Living in Bucharest is roughly 73% more expensive than in Piatra Neamt, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.66 RON 69.9

$8.94 RON 42.62

63.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 275

$32.41 RON 155

78.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 RON 35.84

$7.23 RON 34.48

4.01%

Cappuccino

$3.56 RON 16.95

$2.25 RON 10.73

58.22%

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

$2.47 RON 11.78

$1.42 RON 6.79

73.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 RON 10.41

$1.22 RON 5.80

78.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 RON 17.58

$1.91 RON 9.13

93.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 RON 20.40

$2.28 RON 10.89

87.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.97

$1.40 RON 6.65

19.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.44

$0.97 RON 4.63

39.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.46

$1.39 RON 6.61

28.06%

Eggs

$3.56 RON 16.98

$2.79 RON 13.30

27.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.12 RON 43.49

$7.98 RON 38.03

14.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.82 RON 32.50

$5.68 RON 27.09

20.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.13 RON 57.8

$9.38 RON 44.74

29.32%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 RON 6.03

$0.91 RON 4.36

38.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 RON 7.74

$1.28 RON 6.09

26.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.43

$1.19 RON 5.69

31.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.11

$1.89 RON 9.02

34.39%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 RON 3.73

$0.58 RON 2.79

34.48%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.69

$0.53 RON 2.54

45.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 RON 4.23

$0.81 RON 3.86

9.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 RON 4.29

$0.72 RON 3.45

25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 RON 31.22

$5.71 RON 27.24

14.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.37 RON 30.35

$4.61 RON 21.97

38.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 RON 5.93

$0.91 RON 4.33

36.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 RON 7.73

$1.09 RON 5.20

48.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 RON 4.07

$0.61 RON 2.90

39.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.71 RON 98.8

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 RON 2.93

$0.80 RON 3.82

-23.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.92

$0.87 RON 4.17

-29.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.16 RON 29.38

$7.32 RON 34.88

-15.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 RON 9.52

$1.61 RON 7.66

24.22%

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

$27.9K RON 133.2K

$28.1K RON 134.0K

-0.62%

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

$25.3K RON 120.7K

$25.3K RON 120.4K

0.23%

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

$192 RON 916

$99.3 RON 473

93.40%

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

$7.92 RON 37.74

$7.02 RON 33.44

12.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.96 RON 42.70

$5.59 RON 26.66

60.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.99 RON 238

$31.63 RON 151

58.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 RON 118

$8.27 RON 39.42

200.00%

Cinema Ticket

$8.51 RON 40.55

$5.75 RON 27.42

48.00%

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

$686 RON 3,270

$1,341 RON 6,391

-48.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.2 RON 430

$52.6 RON 251

71.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.74 RON 185

$30.37 RON 145

27.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.9 RON 376

$75.2 RON 358

4.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 RON 439

$77.2 RON 368

19.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$711 RON 3,390

$280 RON 1,337

153.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 RON 2,202

$189 RON 903

143.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 RON 5,022

$407 RON 1,940

158.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$723 RON 3,444

$258 RON 1,232

179.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,634 RON 17.3K

$2,263 RON 10.8K

60.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,173 RON 10.4K

$1,807 RON 8,615

20.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,354 RON 6,454

$1,329 RON 6,337

1.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

6.63

1.81%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 26, 2026

Last update for Piatra Neamt: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$462 34.1%

Piatra Neamt

$189 24.3% 59% $272

Eating Out

Bucharest

$228 16.9%

Piatra Neamt

$145 18.6% 36.5% $83

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.6%

Piatra Neamt

$178 22.8% 20.8% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$209 15.4%

Piatra Neamt

$112 14.3% 46.4% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$135 10%

Piatra Neamt

$106 13.6% 21.5% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Piatra Neamt

$43 5.5% 35.6% $24

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Piatra Neamt

$7.6 * 1% 72.7% $20

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 $711 in Bucharest and $280 in Piatra Neamt. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $58 in Bucharest vs $32 in Piatra Neamt for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $178 per month, with Piatra Neamt cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇷🇴 Piatra Neamt

🕒 Local time

05:42 5:42 AM

Same time as Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

85,055

💱 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 Piatra Neamt 280 km

From you

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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 Piatra Neamt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,354 in Bucharest and $781 in Piatra Neamt, so Piatra Neamt is about 42% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,030 in Bucharest and $1,171 in Piatra Neamt to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $711 in Bucharest versus $280 in Piatra Neamt. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Bucharest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,354 per month in Bucharest versus $781 in Piatra Neamt – Piatra Neamt is about 42% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $781 in Piatra Neamt versus $1,354 in Bucharest, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Piatra Neamt but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Piatra Neamt 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.