Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Sabratha

For one person, living is cheaper in Sabratha: $406 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Sabratha
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Sabratha Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Sabratha

🇱🇾 Libya

$406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Sabratha

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $406 in Sabratha.

Bucharest $1,340
Sabratha $406

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $597 in Sabratha.

Bucharest $2,037
Sabratha $597

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $787 in Sabratha.

Bucharest $2,734
Sabratha $787

Living in Bucharest is roughly 230% more expensive than in Sabratha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Sabratha 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$3.04 LYD 19.46

376.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$9.22 LYD 59.1

530.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$1.52 LYD 9.75

392.11%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.65 LYD 4.14

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 LYD 4.70

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$0.48 LYD 3.09

616.67%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$0.30 LYD 1.90

690.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$0.07 LYD 0.44

3185.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$0.89 LYD 5.67

87.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$0.22 LYD 1.41

522.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$1.10 LYD 7.07

56.36%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$1.37 LYD 8.76

165.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$5.27 LYD 33.79

72.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$3.48 LYD 22.32

96.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$9.58 LYD 61.4

25.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$2.00 LYD 12.79

-38.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$1.54 LYD 9.89

5.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$0.73 LYD 4.70

115.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$0.57 LYD 3.64

345.61%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$0.49 LYD 3.13

61.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$0.29 LYD 1.89

165.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$0.32 LYD 2.06

171.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$0.17 LYD 1.06

482.35%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.76 LYD 11.30

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 LYD 5.85

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 LYD 5.00

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$1.84 LYD 11.79

242.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$0.75 LYD 4.80

14.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$0.76 LYD 4.88

-15.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.30 LYD 1.89

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$0.81 LYD 5.22

693.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$0.02 LYD 0.14

9700.00%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$22.9K LYD 146.9K

26.51%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$21.3K LYD 136.5K

25.10%

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

$196 RON 927

$92.0 LYD 590

112.88%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$3.99 LYD 25.56

101.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$13.73 LYD 88.0

-31.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$10.85 LYD 69.5

362.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$7.74 LYD 49.62

227.26%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

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

$628 RON 2,971

$39.51 LYD 253

1489.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$945 LYD 6,055

1390.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$19.54 LYD 125

358.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$17.60 LYD 113

117.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$64.6 LYD 414

22.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$15.66 LYD 100

477.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$158 LYD 1,011

329.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$78.2 LYD 501

473.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$229 LYD 1,466

373.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$110 LYD 705

558.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$281 LYD 1,802

1234.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$185 LYD 1,183

1089.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$189 LYD 1,212

602.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sabratha: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Sabratha

$78 19.3% 82.6% $370

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Sabratha

$36 8.9% 84% $189

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Sabratha

$113 27.9% 49.7% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Sabratha

$110 27% 48.5% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Sabratha

$53 13% 60.5% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Sabratha

$11 * 2.7% 83.7% $56

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Sabratha

$5.2 * 1.3% 81.4% $23

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 $678 in Bucharest and $158 in Sabratha. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 603% 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 $9.00 in Sabratha for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $113 per month, with Sabratha cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇱🇾 Sabratha

🕒 Local time

20:37 8:37 PM

19:37 7:37 PM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

83,398

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.139 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LYD, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Libyan Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.41 LYD (1 LYD = 0.156 USD). 1 EUR = 7.2 LYD (1 LYD = 0.139 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bucharest Sabratha 1,750 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Sabratha

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 Sabratha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Sabratha differ by about 230% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $406 including rent). Sabratha is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 603% 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: $678 in Bucharest versus $158 in Sabratha. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 99% higher in Bucharest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,340 per month in Bucharest versus $406 in Sabratha – a 230% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $406 in Sabratha versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sabratha but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Sabratha 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.

Expats usually find Sabratha gentler on the wallet – expenses run 230% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.