Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Sfantu Gheorghe

For one person, living is cheaper in Sfantu Gheorghe: $813 a month against $1,337 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Sfantu Gheorghe
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Sfantu Gheorghe Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,337

/mo nomad

Sfantu Gheorghe

🇷🇴 Romania

$813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Sfantu Gheorghe

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,337 in Bucharest versus $813 in Sfantu Gheorghe.

Bucharest $1,337
Sfantu Gheorghe $813

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,029 in Bucharest versus $1,297 in Sfantu Gheorghe.

Bucharest $2,029
Sfantu Gheorghe $1,297

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,721 in Bucharest versus $1,781 in Sfantu Gheorghe.

Bucharest $2,721
Sfantu Gheorghe $1,781

Living in Bucharest is roughly 64% more expensive than in Sfantu Gheorghe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Sfantu Gheorghe 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.45 RON 68.4

$8.56 RON 40.51

68.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$41.50 RON 196

39.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.53 RON 35.65

$7.21 RON 34.10

4.44%

Cappuccino

$3.45 RON 16.33

$2.54 RON 12.04

35.83%

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

$2.46 RON 11.65

$1.23 RON 5.81

100.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 RON 10.54

$1.07 RON 5.06

108.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.76 RON 17.78

$2.48 RON 11.74

51.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 RON 19.84

$2.16 RON 10.20

93.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 RON 7.67

$1.39 RON 6.55

16.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 RON 6.13

$1.13 RON 5.36

15.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 RON 8.05

$1.40 RON 6.64

21.43%

Eggs

$3.79 RON 17.93

$3.28 RON 15.52

15.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.86 RON 41.90

$7.81 RON 36.97

13.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.90 RON 32.67

$4.61 RON 21.83

49.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.14 RON 57.4

$7.72 RON 36.51

57.25%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.17

$1.08 RON 5.11

20.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 RON 7.55

$1.51 RON 7.14

5.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.42

$1.17 RON 5.52

34.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 RON 12.67

$2.52 RON 11.92

6.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 RON 3.82

$0.69 RON 3.27

17.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.73

$0.60 RON 2.84

31.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 RON 4.30

$1.03 RON 4.86

-11.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 RON 4.58

$0.81 RON 3.81

19.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.41 RON 30.34

$4.90 RON 23.17

30.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 RON 29.24

$7.42 RON 35.10

-16.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 RON 5.83

$0.96 RON 4.56

28.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 RON 7.91

$1.07 RON 5.05

56.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 RON 4.10

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.98 RON 99.3

$15.61 RON 73.9

34.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.66 RON 3.10

$1.00 RON 4.72

-34.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.85

$0.88 RON 4.17

-31.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.19 RON 29.28

$8.38 RON 39.63

-26.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 RON 9.15

$1.62 RON 7.68

19.14%

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

$28.7K RON 135.9K

$28.9K RON 136.9K

-0.69%

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

$26.3K RON 124.6K

$24.9K RON 117.8K

5.77%

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

$196 RON 926

$113 RON 536

72.63%

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

$8.49 RON 40.19

$9.41 RON 44.53

-9.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.05 RON 42.84

$12.23 RON 57.9

-26.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.54 RON 234

$40.71 RON 193

21.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.03 RON 118

$20.72 RON 98.0

20.80%

Cinema Ticket

$8.24 RON 39.01

$3.13 RON 14.80

163.26%

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

$636 RON 3,007

$444 RON 2,102

43.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K RON 69.0K

$6,646 RON 31.4K

119.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.5 RON 419

$25.88 RON 122

242.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 RON 183

$13.62 RON 64.4

184.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 RON 373

$39.45 RON 187

99.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 RON 428

$63.3 RON 299

43.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 RON 3,288

$294 RON 1,389

136.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 RON 2,109

$212 RON 1,003

110.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,084 RON 5,130

$524 RON 2,479

106.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$712 RON 3,368

$401 RON 1,897

77.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,797 RON 18.0K

$1,843 RON 8,718

106.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,202 RON 10.4K

$1,362 RON 6,445

61.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,354 RON 6,406

$691 RON 3,271

95.83%

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 19, 2026

Last update for Sfantu Gheorghe: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$446 33.3%

Sfantu Gheorghe

$212 26.1% 52.4% $234

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.9%

Sfantu Gheorghe

$147 18% 35% $79

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.9%

Sfantu Gheorghe

$184 22.6% 18.3% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Sfantu Gheorghe

$135 16.6% 36.7% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$133 10%

Sfantu Gheorghe

$64 7.9% 52% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$66 4.9%

Sfantu Gheorghe

$47 5.8% 28.9% $19

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Sfantu Gheorghe

$24 3% 12.9% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Bucharest and $294 in Sfantu Gheorghe. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 96% 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 $41.00 in Sfantu Gheorghe for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $184 per month, with Sfantu Gheorghe cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇷🇴 Sfantu Gheorghe

🕒 Local time

03:07 3:07 AM

Same time as Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

56,006

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Sfantu Gheorghe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Sfantu Gheorghe differ by about 64% in total monthly costs ($1,337 vs $813 including rent). Sfantu Gheorghe is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 96% 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: $695 in Bucharest versus $294 in Sfantu Gheorghe. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,337 per month in Bucharest versus $813 in Sfantu Gheorghe – a 64% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Sfantu Gheorghe runs roughly 34% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $813 in Sfantu Gheorghe versus $1,337 in Bucharest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sfantu Gheorghe but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Sfantu Gheorghe 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.

Safety-wise, Bucharest and Sfantu Gheorghe are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Sfantu Gheorghe gentler on the wallet – expenses run 64% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.