Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Sibiu

For one person, living is cheaper in Sibiu: $1,112 a month against $1,337 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Sibiu
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Sibiu Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,337

/mo nomad

Sibiu

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,112

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Sibiu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,337 in Bucharest versus $1,112 in Sibiu.

Bucharest $1,337
Sibiu $1,112

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,029 in Bucharest versus $1,654 in Sibiu.

Bucharest $2,029
Sibiu $1,654

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,721 in Bucharest versus $2,197 in Sibiu.

Bucharest $2,721
Sibiu $2,197

Living in Bucharest is roughly 20% more expensive than in Sibiu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Sibiu 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.45 RON 68.4

$8.50 RON 40.21

70.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$42.33 RON 200

37.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.53 RON 35.65

$7.48 RON 35.37

0.67%

Cappuccino

$3.45 RON 16.33

$3.27 RON 15.48

5.50%

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

$2.46 RON 11.65

$2.01 RON 9.50

22.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 RON 10.54

$1.76 RON 8.33

26.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.76 RON 17.78

$3.09 RON 14.60

21.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 RON 19.84

$3.87 RON 18.31

8.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 RON 7.67

$1.43 RON 6.78

13.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 RON 6.13

$1.14 RON 5.40

14.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 RON 8.05

$1.36 RON 6.43

25.00%

Eggs

$3.79 RON 17.93

$3.47 RON 16.41

9.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.86 RON 41.90

$7.95 RON 37.60

11.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.90 RON 32.67

$5.86 RON 27.73

17.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.14 RON 57.4

$8.04 RON 38.05

51.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.17

$1.15 RON 5.44

13.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 RON 7.55

$1.57 RON 7.43

1.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.42

$1.44 RON 6.80

9.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 RON 12.67

$2.54 RON 12.02

5.51%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 RON 3.82

$0.66 RON 3.13

22.73%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.73

$0.60 RON 2.84

31.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 RON 4.30

$0.99 RON 4.68

-8.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 RON 4.58

$0.85 RON 4.03

14.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.41 RON 30.34

$5.90 RON 27.92

8.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 RON 29.24

$7.46 RON 35.28

-17.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 RON 5.83

$0.92 RON 4.36

33.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 RON 7.91

$1.40 RON 6.61

19.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 RON 4.10

$0.71 RON 3.34

22.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.98 RON 99.3

$17.14 RON 81.1

22.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.66 RON 3.10

$0.91 RON 4.28

-27.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.85

$0.80 RON 3.79

-25.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.19 RON 29.28

$8.24 RON 39.00

-24.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 RON 9.15

$1.94 RON 9.19

-0.52%

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

$28.7K RON 135.9K

$28.8K RON 136.4K

-0.34%

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

$26.3K RON 124.6K

$25.6K RON 121.1K

2.83%

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

$196 RON 926

$117 RON 551

67.84%

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

$8.49 RON 40.19

$9.07 RON 42.90

-6.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.05 RON 42.84

$12.40 RON 58.7

-27.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.54 RON 234

$35.35 RON 167

40.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.03 RON 118

$14.48 RON 68.5

72.86%

Cinema Ticket

$8.24 RON 39.01

$6.77 RON 32.04

21.71%

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

$636 RON 3,007

$449 RON 2,123

41.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K RON 69.0K

$6,702 RON 31.7K

117.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.5 RON 419

$74.7 RON 353

18.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 RON 183

$31.65 RON 150

22.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 RON 373

$87.3 RON 413

-9.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 RON 428

$88.0 RON 416

2.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 RON 3,288

$450 RON 2,131

54.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 RON 2,109

$410 RON 1,938

8.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,084 RON 5,130

$837 RON 3,960

29.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$712 RON 3,368

$606 RON 2,867

17.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,797 RON 18.0K

$2,501 RON 11.8K

51.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,202 RON 10.4K

$2,022 RON 9,566

8.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,354 RON 6,406

$1,111 RON 5,257

21.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

7.02

-3.85%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sibiu: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$446 33.3%

Sibiu

$410 36.8% 8.1% $36

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.9%

Sibiu

$168 15.1% 25.5% $58

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.9%

Sibiu

$196 17.6% 13.2% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Sibiu

$138 12.4% 35.3% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$133 10%

Sibiu

$127 11.4% 5% $6.7

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$66 4.9%

Sibiu

$49 4.4% 26% $17

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Sibiu

$25 2.2% 11.6% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Bucharest and $450 in Sibiu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 22% 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 $42.00 in Sibiu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $196 per month, with Sibiu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇷🇴 Sibiu

🕒 Local time

20:44 8:44 PM

Same time as Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

147,245

💱 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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Bucharest Sibiu 220 km

From you

Bucharest
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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 Sibiu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Sibiu differ by about 20% in total monthly costs ($1,337 vs $1,112 including rent). Sibiu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 22% 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 $450 in Sibiu. 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 $1,112 in Sibiu – a 20% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Sibiu runs roughly 22% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,112 in Sibiu versus $1,337 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sibiu but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Sibiu 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 Sibiu 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 Sibiu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.