Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Roman

For one person, living is cheaper in Roman: $842 a month against $1,371 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Roman
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Roman Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,371

/mo nomad

Roman

🇷🇴 Romania

$842

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Roman

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,371 in Bucharest versus $842 in Roman.

Bucharest $1,371
Roman $842

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,067 in Bucharest versus $1,393 in Roman.

Bucharest $2,067
Roman $1,393

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,764 in Bucharest versus $1,944 in Roman.

Bucharest $2,764
Roman $1,944

Living in Bucharest is roughly 63% more expensive than in Roman, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.51 RON 68.9

$10.46 RON 49.67

38.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 RON 291

$33.05 RON 157

85.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.46 RON 35.44

$7.27 RON 34.51

2.61%

Cappuccino

$3.64 RON 17.30

$2.54 RON 12.05

43.31%

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

$2.62 RON 12.42

$1.35 RON 6.40

94.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 RON 11.22

$1.04 RON 4.93

126.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.78 RON 17.96

$2.14 RON 10.16

76.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 RON 19.51

$2.18 RON 10.35

88.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 RON 7.88

$1.18 RON 5.61

40.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 RON 6.63

$0.66 RON 3.14

112.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 RON 8.52

$1.43 RON 6.81

25.17%

Eggs

$3.63 RON 17.24

$2.91 RON 13.82

24.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.92 RON 42.35

$7.85 RON 37.28

13.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.86 RON 32.60

$5.76 RON 27.35

19.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.99 RON 56.9

$8.25 RON 39.18

45.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.16

$1.07 RON 5.06

21.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.76

$1.49 RON 7.10

9.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.08

$1.39 RON 6.58

7.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.07

$1.83 RON 8.69

38.80%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 RON 3.86

$0.68 RON 3.25

19.12%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.78

$0.83 RON 3.94

-3.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 RON 4.07

$0.81 RON 3.86

6.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RON 4.45

$0.73 RON 3.45

28.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.60 RON 31.36

$5.32 RON 25.24

24.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.33 RON 30.06

$5.38 RON 25.56

17.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$0.96 RON 4.55

23.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 RON 7.52

$1.17 RON 5.58

35.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 RON 4.63

$0.74 RON 3.53

32.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.91 RON 99.3

$20.48 RON 97.3

2.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.85

$0.65 RON 3.11

-7.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 RON 2.93

$0.65 RON 3.08

-4.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.37 RON 30.23

$7.36 RON 34.94

-13.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 RON 9.62

$1.82 RON 8.65

10.99%

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

$28.2K RON 133.9K

$28.3K RON 134.4K

-0.38%

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

$26.3K RON 124.8K

$24.7K RON 117.5K

6.18%

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

$196 RON 932

$147 RON 698

33.36%

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

$8.60 RON 40.81

$6.70 RON 31.82

28.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.20 RON 43.66

$8.03 RON 38.14

14.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 RON 242

$37.42 RON 178

36.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.04 RON 119

$17.23 RON 81.8

45.33%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 RON 39.24

$6.26 RON 29.70

31.95%

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

$681 RON 3,231

$290 RON 1,375

134.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K RON 89.0K

$6,433 RON 30.5K

191.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 RON 443

$96.0 RON 456

-2.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.87 RON 189

$25.20 RON 120

58.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 RON 380

$61.6 RON 292

30.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 RON 430

$58.4 RON 277

55.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$731 RON 3,470

$213 RON 1,013

242.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 RON 2,230

$159 RON 754

195.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,110 RON 5,272

$611 RON 2,903

81.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 RON 3,428

$459 RON 2,179

57.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 RON 17.8K

$1,818 RON 8,634

106.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,233 RON 10.6K

$1,519 RON 7,212

47.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,365 RON 6,482

$828 RON 3,931

64.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

7.2

-6.25%

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

Last update for Bucharest: November 2, 2026

Last update for Roman: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$470 34.3%

Roman

$159 18.8% 66.2% $311

Eating Out

Bucharest

$229 16.7%

Roman

$161 19.1% 30% $69

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.4%

Roman

$176 20.8% 21.9% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 15.6%

Roman

$162 19.2% 24.4% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$137 10%

Roman

$109 12.9% 20.7% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$68 4.9%

Roman

$50 5.9% 26.1% $18

Getting Around

Bucharest

$29 2.1%

Roman

$27 3.3% 4% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $731 in Bucharest and $213 in Roman. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 65% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Bucharest vs $33 in Roman for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $176 per month, with Roman cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇷🇴 Roman

🕒 Local time

03:36 3:36 AM

Same time as Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

80,328

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Roman 280 km

From you

Bucharest
Roman

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 Roman: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,371 in Bucharest and $842 in Roman, so Roman is about 39% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 65% 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: $731 in Bucharest versus $213 in Roman. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in Bucharest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,371 per month in Bucharest versus $842 in Roman – Roman is about 39% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $842 in Roman versus $1,371 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Roman but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Roman 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.

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