Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Pula

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $1,577 in Pula, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Pula
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Pula Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Pula

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,577

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Pula

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,577 in Pula.

Bucharest $1,340
Pula $1,577

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $2,504 in Pula.

Bucharest $2,037
Pula $2,504

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

Bucharest $2,734
Pula $3,432

Living in Bucharest costs roughly 15% less than in Pula, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% below, Pula is 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 69.1

$14.57 €13.01

-0.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 277

$66.0 €58.9

-11.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.65

$8.89 €7.94

-15.86%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.40

$2.48 €2.22

38.71%

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

$2.37 RON 11.30

$2.98 €2.66

-20.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.96

$2.11 €1.89

9.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.63

$3.29 €2.94

12.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.83

$4.35 €3.88

-4.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.95

$1.18 €1.05

41.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.54

$1.79 €1.60

-23.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.20

$3.20 €2.85

-46.25%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.34

$3.90 €3.48

-6.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 43.28

$10.68 €9.54

-14.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.57

$10.67 €9.53

-35.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 57.2

$18.47 €16.50

-35.03%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.84

$1.91 €1.71

-35.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.79

$1.88 €1.68

-13.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.50

$2.12 €1.89

-25.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.10

$2.55 €2.28

-0.39%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.77

$1.31 €1.17

-39.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.68

$1.30 €1.16

-40.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.16

$1.31 €1.17

-33.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.73

$1.21 €1.08

-18.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 30.07

$5.54 €4.95

13.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.55

$7.80 €6.96

-20.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.67

$1.89 €1.69

-37.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.50

$2.38 €2.13

-34.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.10

$2.18 €1.95

-60.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 101

$33.87 €30.24

-37.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.07

$3.38 €3.01

-81.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.88

$2.18 €1.94

-72.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.65

$21.65 €19.33

-70.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.32

$1.78 €1.59

10.11%

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

$29.0K RON 138.2K

$26.0K €23.3K

11.33%

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

$26.6K RON 126.9K

$26.9K €24.0K

-0.96%

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

$196 RON 933

$156 €139

25.92%

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

$8.04 RON 38.31

$22.06 €19.70

-63.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.53

$40.22 €35.92

-76.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 239

$49.30 €44.03

1.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 121

$37.54 €33.53

-32.53%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.82

$10.91 €9.74

-25.30%

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

$628 RON 2,992

$237 €212

164.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 67.1K

$2,769 €2,473

408.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 427

$115 €102

-21.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 183

$35.58 €31.77

7.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 378

$144 €128

-44.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 431

$133 €118

-31.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,232

$667 €596

1.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,136

$523 €467

-14.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,161

$1,302 €1,163

-16.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,454

$1,004 €896

-27.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.9K

$4,316 €3,854

-13.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.5K

$3,539 €3,160

-37.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,334

$1,520 €1,357

-12.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

3.54

90.68%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Pula: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Pula

$523 33.2% 16.7% $75

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Pula

$219 13.9% 3% $6.6

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Pula

$297 18.8% 32% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Pula

$218 13.8% 2.1% $4.6

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Pula

$192 12.2% 43.4% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Pula

$71 4.5% 6.9% $4.6

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Pula

$57 3.6% 102% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $667 in Pula. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pula pays 14% 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 Pula for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $297 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇭🇷 Pula

🕒 Local time

14:06 2:06 PM

13:06 1:06 PM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

52,220

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 4.76 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 0.893 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Pula 970 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Pula

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 Pula: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Pula differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $1,577 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 14% lower in Pula. 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 $667 in Pula. 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 $1,577 in Pula – a 18% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 61% less than in Pula. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,577 in Pula, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Pula. 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.

Safety-wise, Bucharest and Pula 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 Bucharest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Pula. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.