Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Sidi Bel Abbes

For one person, living is cheaper in Sidi Bel Abbes: $524 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 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
26

Cost of Living Index in Sidi Bel Abbes
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Sidi Bel Abbes Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Sidi Bel Abbes

🇩🇿 Algeria

$524

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Sidi Bel Abbes

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 Sidi Bel Abbes actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $524 in Sidi Bel Abbes.

Bucharest $1,340
Sidi Bel Abbes $524

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $858 in Sidi Bel Abbes.

Bucharest $2,037
Sidi Bel Abbes $858

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $1,191 in Sidi Bel Abbes.

Bucharest $2,734
Sidi Bel Abbes $1,191

Living in Bucharest is roughly 156% more expensive than in Sidi Bel Abbes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Sidi Bel Abbes 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$2.31 DZD 309

527.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$20.73 DZD 2,776

180.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$3.70 DZD 496

102.16%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$0.36 DZD 48.75

855.56%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$0.59 DZD 79.0

301.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$0.26 DZD 34.38

784.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$1.65 DZD 221

124.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$2.82 DZD 377

47.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$0.94 DZD 126

77.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$0.08 DZD 11.11

1612.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$1.01 DZD 135

70.30%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$1.54 DZD 206

136.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$9.79 DZD 1,311

-7.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$5.28 DZD 707

29.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$14.51 DZD 1,943

-17.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$2.64 DZD 353

-53.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$2.33 DZD 312

-30.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.39 DZD 187

12.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$0.44 DZD 59.4

477.27%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$0.33 DZD 43.60

139.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$0.63 DZD 84.9

22.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$0.65 DZD 87.4

33.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$0.36 DZD 47.74

175.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$1.95 DZD 260

223.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$9.98 DZD 1,336

-37.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$2.12 DZD 284

-43.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$0.89 DZD 119

76.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$0.20 DZD 26.81

330.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$6.21 DZD 831

239.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$0.70 DZD 94.0

-8.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.31 DZD 41.36

93.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$2.33 DZD 312

175.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$0.30 DZD 40.13

553.33%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$15.9K DZD 2.1M

82.35%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$29.4K DZD 3.9M

-9.44%

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

$196 RON 927

$18.93 DZD 2,534

934.81%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$8.56 DZD 1,147

-6.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$15.66 DZD 2,097

-40.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$17.27 DZD 2,313

190.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$1.52 DZD 203

436.18%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$55.9 DZD 7,489

1022.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$3,201 DZD 428.6K

339.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$33.36 DZD 4,466

168.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$53.9 DZD 7,213

-28.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$79.3 DZD 10.6K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$80.7 DZD 10.8K

11.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$144 DZD 19.3K

369.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$93.0 DZD 12.5K

381.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$299 DZD 40.0K

262.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$175 DZD 23.4K

314.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$958 DZD 128.2K

291.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$1,171 DZD 156.8K

87.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$336 DZD 45.0K

295.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

6.5

3.85%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sidi Bel Abbes: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Sidi Bel Abbes

$93 17.7% 79.3% $355

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Sidi Bel Abbes

$51 9.8% 77.3% $174

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Sidi Bel Abbes

$196 37.4% 12.8% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Sidi Bel Abbes

$43 8.2% 79.8% $170

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Sidi Bel Abbes

$111 21.2% 16.9% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Sidi Bel Abbes

$20 3.9% 69.5% $46

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Sidi Bel Abbes

$9.3 1.8% 67.2% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $144 in Sidi Bel Abbes. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 296% 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 $21.00 in Sidi Bel Abbes for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $196 per month, with Sidi Bel Abbes cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇩🇿 Sidi Bel Abbes

🕒 Local time

19:42 7:42 PM

17:42 5:42 PM

2 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

212,935

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Algerian Dinar DZD د.ج

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1,000 DZD = 7.47 USD

1,000 DZD = 6.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DZD, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 134 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.47 USD). 1 EUR = 151 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.64 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Sidi Bel Abbes 2,490 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Sidi Bel Abbes

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 Sidi Bel Abbes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Sidi Bel Abbes differ by about 156% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $524 including rent). Sidi Bel Abbes is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 296% 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: $678 in Bucharest versus $144 in Sidi Bel Abbes. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,340 per month in Bucharest versus $524 in Sidi Bel Abbes – a 156% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Sidi Bel Abbes runs roughly 240% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $524 in Sidi Bel Abbes versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sidi Bel Abbes but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Sidi Bel Abbes 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 Sidi Bel Abbes 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 Sidi Bel Abbes gentler on the wallet – expenses run 156% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.