Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Sari

For one person, living is cheaper in Sari: $872 a month against $1,371 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Sari
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Sari Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,371

/mo nomad

Sari

🇮🇷 Iran

$872

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Sari

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,371 in Bucharest versus $872 in Sari.

Bucharest $1,371
Sari $872

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,067 in Bucharest versus $1,083 in Sari.

Bucharest $2,067
Sari $1,083

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,764 in Bucharest versus $1,293 in Sari.

Bucharest $2,764
Sari $1,293

Living in Bucharest is roughly 57% more expensive than in Sari, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.51 RON 69.0

$3.47 $3.47

318.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 RON 291

$12.21 $12.21

401.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.46 RON 35.50

$3.95 $3.95

88.86%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.69 $0.69

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 $0.86

Cappuccino

$3.64 RON 17.33

$1.24 $1.24

193.55%

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

$2.62 RON 12.44

$0.51 $0.51

413.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 RON 11.24

$0.52 $0.52

353.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.78 RON 18.00

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 RON 19.54

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 RON 7.90

$0.52 $0.52

219.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 RON 6.64

$0.60 $0.60

133.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 RON 8.54

$3.42 $3.42

-47.66%

Eggs

$3.63 RON 17.27

$1.25 $1.25

190.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.92 RON 42.43

$4.43 $4.43

101.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.86 RON 32.65

$3.35 $3.35

104.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.99 RON 57.0

$9.08 $9.08

32.05%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.17

$1.43 $1.43

-9.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.77

$1.93 $1.93

-15.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.10

$1.27 $1.27

17.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.09

$0.68 $0.68

273.53%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 RON 3.86

$0.53 $0.53

52.83%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.79

$0.46 $0.46

73.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 RON 4.07

$0.49 $0.49

75.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RON 4.46

$0.27 $0.27

248.15%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.82 $0.82

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 $0.52

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.60 RON 31.42

$2.52 $2.52

161.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.33 RON 30.11

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.64

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 RON 7.54

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 RON 4.64

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.91 RON 99.5

$9.86 $9.86

112.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.52 $0.52

15.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 RON 2.93

$0.31 $0.31

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.37 RON 30.28

$2.95 $2.95

115.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 RON 9.63

$0.10 $0.10

1920.00%

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

$28.2K RON 134.1K

$50.2K $50.2K

-43.85%

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

$26.3K RON 125.0K

$46.3K $46.3K

-43.25%

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

$196 RON 933

$13.14 $13.14

1393.00%

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

$8.60 RON 40.89

$1.60 $1.60

437.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.20 RON 43.74

$3.83 $3.83

140.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 RON 243

$50.6 $50.6

0.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.04 RON 119

$11.99 $11.99

108.84%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 RON 39.31

$0.97 $0.97

751.55%

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

$681 RON 3,237

$50.0 $50.0

1260.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K RON 89.1K

$798 $798

2249.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 RON 444

$25.92 $25.92

260.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.87 RON 190

$39.18 $39.18

1.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 RON 381

$114 $114

-29.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 RON 431

$74.0 $74.0

22.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$731 RON 3,477

$803 $803

-8.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 RON 2,234

$495 $495

-5.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,110 RON 5,282

$706 $706

57.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 RON 3,435

$404 $404

78.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 RON 17.8K

$846 $846

343.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,233 RON 10.6K

$530 $530

321.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,365 RON 6,494

$245 $245

457.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

24.79

-72.77%

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

Last update for Bucharest: November 2, 2026

Last update for Sari: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$470 34.3%

Sari

$495 56.7% 5.3% $25

Eating Out

Bucharest

$229 16.7%

Sari

$59 6.7% 74.4% $171

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.4%

Sari

$122 14% 45.7% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 15.6%

Sari

$19 2.1% 91.3% $195

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$137 10%

Sari

$114 13.1% 16.7% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$68 4.9%

Sari

$53 6% 22.2% $15

Getting Around

Bucharest

$29 2.1%

Sari

$12 * 1.4% 58.1% $17

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 $731 in Bucharest and $803 in Sari. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays about 5.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Bucharest vs $12 in Sari for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $122 per month, with Sari cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇮🇷 Sari

🕒 Local time

20:13 8:13 PM

21:43 9:43 PM

1 h 30 min ahead of Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

300,000

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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).

USD exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Sari 2,430 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Sari

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 Sari: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,371 in Bucharest and $872 in Sari, so Sari is about 36% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Bucharest is about 5.6 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 $803 in Sari. 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 $872 in Sari – Sari is about 36% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Sari runs roughly 53% less than in Bucharest. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $872 in Sari versus $1,371 in Bucharest, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Sari but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Sari 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 – Sari wins on affordability, Bucharest on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.