Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Rabat

For one person, living is cheaper in Rabat: $912 a month against $1,371 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Rabat
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Rabat Living Index

Jump to prices

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,371

/mo nomad

Rabat

🇲🇦 Morocco

$912

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Rabat

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,371 in Bucharest versus $912 in Rabat.

Bucharest $1,371
Rabat $912

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,067 in Bucharest versus $1,495 in Rabat.

Bucharest $2,067
Rabat $1,495

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,764 in Bucharest versus $2,078 in Rabat.

Bucharest $2,764
Rabat $2,078

Living in Bucharest is roughly 50% more expensive than in Rabat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.51 RON 69.0

$4.02 MAD 39.19

260.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 RON 291

$40.54 MAD 395

51.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.46 RON 35.50

$6.99 MAD 68.1

6.72%

Cappuccino

$3.64 RON 17.33

$2.03 MAD 19.83

79.31%

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

$2.62 RON 12.44

$0.57 MAD 5.55

359.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 RON 11.24

$0.36 MAD 3.52

555.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.78 RON 18.00

$5.23 MAD 51.0

-27.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 RON 19.54

$3.10 MAD 30.20

32.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 RON 7.90

$0.89 MAD 8.72

86.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 RON 6.64

$0.61 MAD 5.92

129.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 RON 8.54

$1.93 MAD 18.80

-7.25%

Eggs

$3.63 RON 17.27

$1.91 MAD 18.58

90.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.92 RON 42.43

$11.25 MAD 110

-20.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.86 RON 32.65

$6.83 MAD 66.6

0.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.99 RON 57.0

$12.05 MAD 117

-0.50%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.17

$1.59 MAD 15.54

-18.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.77

$1.38 MAD 13.50

18.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.10

$0.81 MAD 7.92

83.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.09

$0.82 MAD 8.01

209.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 RON 3.86

$0.72 MAD 6.99

12.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.79

$0.80 MAD 7.77

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 RON 4.07

$0.36 MAD 3.53

138.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RON 4.46

$0.60 MAD 5.88

56.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.60 RON 31.42

$4.10 MAD 39.94

60.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.33 RON 30.11

$7.51 MAD 73.2

-15.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.64

$2.66 MAD 25.97

-55.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 RON 7.54

$2.59 MAD 25.24

-39.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 RON 4.64

$0.50 MAD 4.92

96.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.91 RON 99.5

$25.16 MAD 245

-16.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.72 MAD 7.03

-16.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 RON 2.93

$0.74 MAD 7.21

-16.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.37 RON 30.28

$4.01 MAD 39.12

58.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 RON 9.63

$1.53 MAD 14.96

32.03%

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

$28.2K RON 134.1K

$30.2K MAD 294.4K

-6.61%

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

$26.3K RON 125.0K

$31.9K MAD 311.2K

-17.69%

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

$196 RON 933

$36.33 MAD 354

439.99%

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

$8.60 RON 40.89

$9.94 MAD 96.9

-13.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.20 RON 43.74

$34.00 MAD 331

-72.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 RON 243

$25.85 MAD 252

97.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.04 RON 119

$23.47 MAD 229

6.69%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 RON 39.31

$6.03 MAD 58.8

36.98%

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

$681 RON 3,237

$181 MAD 1,761

276.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K RON 89.1K

$13.8K MAD 134.1K

36.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 RON 444

$48.10 MAD 469

94.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.87 RON 190

$40.64 MAD 396

-1.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 RON 381

$90.7 MAD 884

-11.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 RON 431

$66.7 MAD 651

35.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$731 RON 3,477

$565 MAD 5,512

29.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 RON 2,234

$334 MAD 3,258

40.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,110 RON 5,282

$963 MAD 9,386

15.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 RON 3,435

$694 MAD 6,767

4.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 RON 17.8K

$2,132 MAD 20.8K

75.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,233 RON 10.6K

$1,229 MAD 12.0K

81.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,365 RON 6,494

$672 MAD 6,551

103.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

4.55

48.35%

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

Last update for Bucharest: November 2, 2026

Last update for Rabat: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$470 34.3%

Rabat

$334 36.6% 28.9% $136

Eating Out

Bucharest

$229 16.7%

Rabat

$114 12.5% 50.5% $116

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.4%

Rabat

$204 22.4% 9.3% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 15.6%

Rabat

$80 8.8% 62.5% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$137 10%

Rabat

$111 12.1% 19% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$68 4.9%

Rabat

$38 4.2% 43.9% $30

Getting Around

Bucharest

$29 2.1%

Rabat

$32 3.5% 10.8% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $731 in Bucharest and $565 in Rabat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays about 2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Bucharest vs $41 in Rabat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $204 per month, with Rabat cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇲🇦 Rabat

🕒 Local time

20:36 8:36 PM

18:36 6:36 PM

2 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

573,895 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

100 MAD = 10.26 USD

100 MAD = 9.13 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MAD, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 4.76 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 9.75 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.95 MAD (100 MAD = 9.13 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Rabat 3,040 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Rabat

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 Rabat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,371 in Bucharest and $912 in Rabat, so Rabat is about 33% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Bucharest is about 2 times higher, 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: $731 in Bucharest versus $565 in Rabat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,371 per month in Bucharest versus $912 in Rabat – Rabat is about 33% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 17% less than in Rabat. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Rabat is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Rabat wins on affordability, Bucharest on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.