Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Sfax

For one person, living is cheaper in Sfax: $620 a month against $1,351 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Sfax
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Sfax Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Sfax

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$620

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Sfax

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,351 in Bucharest versus $620 in Sfax.

Bucharest $1,351
Sfax $620

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,033 in Bucharest versus $975 in Sfax.

Bucharest $2,033
Sfax $975

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,715 in Bucharest versus $1,329 in Sfax.

Bucharest $2,715
Sfax $1,329

Living in Bucharest is roughly 118% more expensive than in Sfax, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% above, Sfax is 54% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 RON 68.4

$3.43 TND 10.25

321.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 273

$19.82 TND 59.2

190.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 RON 35.46

$5.03 TND 15.04

49.11%

Cappuccino

$3.43 RON 16.20

$0.71 TND 2.11

383.10%

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

$2.46 RON 11.63

$0.58 TND 1.73

324.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.01

$0.27 TND 0.82

762.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 RON 17.97

$1.56 TND 4.67

143.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.41

$2.02 TND 6.04

102.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.79

$0.50 TND 1.50

230.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.39

$0.24 TND 0.72

462.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.42

$1.38 TND 4.12

28.99%

Eggs

$3.66 RON 17.33

$1.56 TND 4.65

134.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 RON 40.54

$12.32 TND 36.81

-30.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RON 32.17

$5.76 TND 17.20

18.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 RON 55.4

$13.97 TND 41.75

-16.11%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.11

$1.77 TND 5.29

-27.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.37

$3.08 TND 9.20

-49.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.28

$1.04 TND 3.11

48.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 RON 11.75

$0.68 TND 2.05

264.71%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.92

$0.81 TND 2.42

2.47%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.77

$0.77 TND 2.30

3.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 3.98

$0.58 TND 1.72

44.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 RON 4.39

$0.35 TND 1.03

165.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 RON 30.45

$3.87 TND 11.55

66.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 RON 29.91

$6.51 TND 19.44

-2.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.94

$1.19 TND 3.57

5.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 RON 7.59

$1.04 TND 3.10

53.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.85

$0.18 TND 0.55

350.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.13 RON 99.9

$9.98 TND 29.81

111.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.33 TND 1.00

81.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.91

$0.34 TND 1.03

79.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.19

$7.56 TND 22.59

-18.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.27

$0.83 TND 2.48

136.14%

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

$28.1K RON 133.1K

$36.5K TND 109.2K

-22.97%

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

$26.3K RON 124.3K

$34.9K TND 104.3K

-24.70%

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

$197 RON 931

$44.47 TND 133

342.66%

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

$8.34 RON 39.44

$9.43 TND 28.18

-11.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.19 RON 43.47

$14.85 TND 44.37

-38.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.87 RON 236

$27.37 TND 81.8

82.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 118

$7.32 TND 21.88

241.39%

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 RON 40.01

$4.46 TND 13.31

89.69%

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

$639 RON 3,023

$98.6 TND 295

548.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.1K

$2,470 TND 7,379

482.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 RON 429

$42.94 TND 128

110.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 RON 180

$36.43 TND 109

4.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 RON 377

$114 TND 340

-30.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 RON 441

$66.2 TND 198

40.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 RON 3,184

$194 TND 580

247.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 RON 2,123

$135 TND 405

231.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 RON 5,195

$340 TND 1,014

223.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 RON 3,448

$217 TND 650

235.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,740 RON 17.7K

$1,020 TND 3,047

266.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 RON 10.4K

$745 TND 2,227

193.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,323 RON 6,259

$327 TND 977

304.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

13.6

-50.44%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Last update for Sfax: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$449 33.5%

Sfax

$135 21.5% 69.8% $313

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.8%

Sfax

$66 10.5% 70.6% $159

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$222 16.5%

Sfax

$193 30.7% 12.9% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 16%

Sfax

$69 10.9% 67.9% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$136 10.1%

Sfax

$117 18.6% 14% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Sfax

$36 5.8% 45.7% $31

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Sfax

$13 2% 54.5% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $673 in Bucharest and $194 in Sfax. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 305% 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 $20.00 in Sfax for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $193 per month, with Sfax cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇹🇳 Sfax

🕒 Local time

09:16 9:16 AM

07:16 7:16 AM

2 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

955,421

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

1 TND = 0.335 USD

1 TND = 0.298 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.99 TND (1 TND = 0.335 USD). 1 EUR = 3.35 TND (1 TND = 0.298 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Sfax 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Sfax

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 Sfax: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Sfax differ by about 118% in total monthly costs ($1,351 vs $620 including rent). Sfax is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 305% 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: $673 in Bucharest versus $194 in Sfax. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,351 per month in Bucharest versus $620 in Sfax – a 118% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Sfax runs roughly 112% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $620 in Sfax versus $1,351 in Bucharest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sfax but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Sfax 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 Sfax gentler on the wallet – expenses run 118% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.