Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Ploiesti

For one person, living is cheaper in Ploiesti: $1,088 a month against $1,337 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Ploiesti
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Ploiesti Living Index

Jump to prices

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,337

/mo nomad

Ploiesti

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,088

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Ploiesti

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,337 in Bucharest versus $1,088 in Ploiesti.

Bucharest $1,337
Ploiesti $1,088

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,029 in Bucharest versus $1,663 in Ploiesti.

Bucharest $2,029
Ploiesti $1,663

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,721 in Bucharest versus $2,238 in Ploiesti.

Bucharest $2,721
Ploiesti $2,238

Living in Bucharest is roughly 23% more expensive than in Ploiesti, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Ploiesti 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.45 RON 68.4

$11.59 RON 54.8

24.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$46.97 RON 222

23.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.53 RON 35.65

$7.85 RON 37.15

-4.08%

Cappuccino

$3.45 RON 16.33

$2.97 RON 14.07

16.16%

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

$2.46 RON 11.65

$2.13 RON 10.07

15.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 RON 10.54

$2.12 RON 10.01

5.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.76 RON 17.78

$2.50 RON 11.81

50.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 RON 19.84

$3.32 RON 15.71

26.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 RON 7.67

$1.58 RON 7.46

2.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 RON 6.13

$1.17 RON 5.54

11.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 RON 8.05

$1.50 RON 7.11

13.33%

Eggs

$3.79 RON 17.93

$3.24 RON 15.31

16.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.86 RON 41.90

$7.85 RON 37.15

12.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.90 RON 32.67

$6.60 RON 31.21

4.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.14 RON 57.4

$9.28 RON 43.90

30.82%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.17

$1.30 RON 6.16

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 RON 7.55

$1.73 RON 8.17

-7.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.42

$1.38 RON 6.55

13.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 RON 12.67

$2.00 RON 9.47

34.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 RON 3.82

$0.78 RON 3.71

3.85%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.73

$0.78 RON 3.67

1.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 RON 4.30

$0.69 RON 3.28

31.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 RON 4.58

$0.78 RON 3.68

24.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.41 RON 30.34

$6.44 RON 30.46

-0.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 RON 29.24

$6.67 RON 31.58

-7.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 RON 5.83

$0.99 RON 4.69

24.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 RON 7.91

$1.40 RON 6.63

19.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 RON 4.10

$0.82 RON 3.90

6.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.98 RON 99.3

$21.31 RON 101

-1.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.66 RON 3.10

$0.62 RON 2.93

6.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.85

$0.64 RON 3.05

-6.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.19 RON 29.28

$6.38 RON 30.18

-2.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 RON 9.15

$1.85 RON 8.77

4.32%

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

$28.7K RON 135.9K

$28.8K RON 136.4K

-0.33%

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

$26.3K RON 124.6K

$25.2K RON 119.1K

4.62%

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

$196 RON 926

$167 RON 792

16.81%

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

$8.49 RON 40.19

$6.27 RON 29.67

35.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.05 RON 42.84

$8.86 RON 41.91

2.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.54 RON 234

$43.37 RON 205

14.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.03 RON 118

$21.38 RON 101

17.07%

Cinema Ticket

$8.24 RON 39.01

$8.66 RON 40.98

-4.85%

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

$636 RON 3,007

$399 RON 1,889

59.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K RON 69.0K

$5,802 RON 27.5K

151.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.5 RON 419

$73.4 RON 347

20.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 RON 183

$42.40 RON 201

-8.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 RON 373

$93.5 RON 442

-15.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 RON 428

$97.3 RON 460

-6.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 RON 3,288

$421 RON 1,990

65.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 RON 2,109

$290 RON 1,371

53.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,084 RON 5,130

$568 RON 2,685

91.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$712 RON 3,368

$459 RON 2,170

55.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,797 RON 18.0K

$1,967 RON 9,305

93.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,202 RON 10.4K

$1,226 RON 5,802

79.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,354 RON 6,406

$993 RON 4,698

36.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

7.85

-14.01%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Ploiesti: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$446 33.3%

Ploiesti

$290 26.6% 35% $156

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.9%

Ploiesti

$188 17.3% 16.6% $37

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.9%

Ploiesti

$200 18.4% 11.1% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Ploiesti

$183 16.8% 14.3% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$133 10%

Ploiesti

$138 12.7% 3.4% $4.5

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$66 4.9%

Ploiesti

$61 5.6% 8.1% $5.3

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Ploiesti

$28 2.6% 1.2% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Bucharest and $421 in Ploiesti. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 36% 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 $47.00 in Ploiesti for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $200 per month, with Ploiesti cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇷🇴 Ploiesti

🕒 Local time

19:05 7:05 PM

Same time as Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

224,406

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Ploiesti 57 km

From you

Bucharest
Ploiesti

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 Ploiesti: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Ploiesti differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($1,337 vs $1,088 including rent). Ploiesti is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 36% 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: $695 in Bucharest versus $421 in Ploiesti. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,337 per month in Bucharest versus $1,088 in Ploiesti – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Ploiesti runs roughly 2% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,088 in Ploiesti versus $1,337 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ploiesti but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Ploiesti 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 Ploiesti 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 Ploiesti gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.