Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Safi

For one person, living is cheaper in Safi: $583 a month against $1,371 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index
28

Cost of Living Index in Safi
Learn more

Safi Living Index

Jump to prices

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,371

/mo nomad

Safi

🇲🇦 Morocco

$583

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Safi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,371 in Bucharest versus $583 in Safi.

Bucharest $1,371
Safi $583

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,067 in Bucharest versus $909 in Safi.

Bucharest $2,067
Safi $909

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,764 in Bucharest versus $1,234 in Safi.

Bucharest $2,764
Safi $1,234

Living in Bucharest is roughly 135% more expensive than in Safi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.51 RON 69.0

$2.99 MAD 29.15

385.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 RON 291

$20.33 MAD 198

201.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.46 RON 35.50

$5.10 MAD 49.73

46.27%

Cappuccino

$3.64 RON 17.33

$1.54 MAD 15.03

136.36%

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

$2.62 RON 12.44

$0.50 MAD 4.89

424.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 RON 11.24

$0.33 MAD 3.26

615.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.78 RON 18.00

$1.56 MAD 15.17

142.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 RON 19.54

$1.50 MAD 14.65

174.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 RON 7.90

$0.82 MAD 8.04

102.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 RON 6.64

$0.46 MAD 4.44

204.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 RON 8.54

$1.60 MAD 15.56

11.87%

Eggs

$3.63 RON 17.27

$1.75 MAD 17.04

107.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.92 RON 42.43

$6.94 MAD 67.6

28.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.86 RON 32.65

$6.76 MAD 65.9

1.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.99 RON 57.0

$8.51 MAD 83.0

40.89%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.17

$1.17 MAD 11.38

11.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.77

$1.13 MAD 11.02

44.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.10

$0.74 MAD 7.26

101.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.09

$0.70 MAD 6.83

262.86%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 RON 3.86

$0.62 MAD 6.05

30.65%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.79

$0.74 MAD 7.20

8.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 RON 4.07

$0.36 MAD 3.54

138.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RON 4.46

$0.56 MAD 5.49

67.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.60 RON 31.42

$3.82 MAD 37.19

72.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.33 RON 30.11

$7.47 MAD 72.8

-15.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.64

$1.84 MAD 17.97

-35.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 RON 7.54

$1.77 MAD 17.29

-10.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 RON 4.64

$0.48 MAD 4.67

104.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.91 RON 99.5

$10.31 MAD 100

102.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.71 MAD 6.88

-15.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 RON 2.93

$0.50 MAD 4.85

24.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.37 RON 30.28

$5.99 MAD 58.4

6.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 RON 9.63

$1.39 MAD 13.53

45.32%

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

$28.2K RON 134.1K

$29.9K MAD 291.0K

-5.54%

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

$26.3K RON 125.0K

$31.7K MAD 309.4K

-17.21%

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

$196 RON 933

$35.18 MAD 343

457.65%

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

$8.60 RON 40.89

$10.28 MAD 100

-16.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.20 RON 43.74

$34.35 MAD 335

-73.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 RON 243

$18.71 MAD 182

172.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.04 RON 119

$5.06 MAD 49.35

394.86%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 RON 39.31

$3.50 MAD 34.07

136.00%

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

$681 RON 3,237

$93.4 MAD 911

628.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K RON 89.1K

$3,536 MAD 34.5K

429.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 RON 444

$38.73 MAD 378

140.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.87 RON 190

$33.12 MAD 323

20.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 RON 381

$92.8 MAD 904

-13.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 RON 431

$36.07 MAD 352

151.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$731 RON 3,477

$278 MAD 2,707

163.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 RON 2,234

$136 MAD 1,322

246.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,110 RON 5,282

$453 MAD 4,417

145.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 RON 3,435

$239 MAD 2,330

202.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 RON 17.8K

$877 MAD 8,552

327.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,233 RON 10.6K

$551 MAD 5,373

305.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,365 RON 6,494

$440 MAD 4,288

210.38%

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 Safi: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$470 34.3%

Safi

$136 23.3% 71.1% $334

Eating Out

Bucharest

$229 16.7%

Safi

$72 12.3% 68.7% $157

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.4%

Safi

$165 28.2% 26.7% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 15.6%

Safi

$80 13.7% 62.7% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$137 10%

Safi

$90 15.5% 34% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$68 4.9%

Safi

$26 4.4% 62% $42

Getting Around

Bucharest

$29 2.1%

Safi

$15 2.6% 45.9% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $731 in Bucharest and $278 in Safi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays about 3.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Bucharest vs $20 in Safi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $165 per month, with Safi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇲🇦 Safi

🕒 Local time

20:30 8:30 PM

18:30 6:30 PM

2 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

323,888

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bucharest Safi 3,330 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Safi

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 Safi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,371 in Bucharest and $583 in Safi, so Safi is about 57% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Bucharest is about 3.1 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 $278 in Safi. 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 $583 in Safi – Safi is about 57% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Safi runs roughly 51% less than in Bucharest. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $583 in Safi versus $1,371 in Bucharest, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Safi but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Safi 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 Safi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.