Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Sighisoara

For one person, living is cheaper in Sighisoara: $935 a month against $1,337 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Sighisoara
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Sighisoara Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,337

/mo nomad

Sighisoara

🇷🇴 Romania

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Sighisoara

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,337 in Bucharest versus $935 in Sighisoara.

Bucharest $1,337
Sighisoara $935

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,029 in Bucharest versus $1,507 in Sighisoara.

Bucharest $2,029
Sighisoara $1,507

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,721 in Bucharest versus $2,079 in Sighisoara.

Bucharest $2,721
Sighisoara $2,079

Living in Bucharest is roughly 43% more expensive than in Sighisoara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Sighisoara 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.45 RON 68.4

$10.56 RON 49.97

36.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$37.09 RON 176

56.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.53 RON 35.65

$8.36 RON 39.54

-9.93%

Cappuccino

$3.45 RON 16.33

$2.14 RON 10.14

61.21%

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

$2.46 RON 11.65

$2.09 RON 9.87

17.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 RON 10.54

$2.32 RON 10.97

-3.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.76 RON 17.78

$2.17 RON 10.27

73.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 RON 19.84

$2.79 RON 13.22

50.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 RON 7.67

$1.50 RON 7.08

8.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 RON 6.13

$1.18 RON 5.57

10.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 RON 8.05

$1.43 RON 6.75

18.88%

Eggs

$3.79 RON 17.93

$3.51 RON 16.59

7.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.86 RON 41.90

$7.33 RON 34.69

20.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.90 RON 32.67

$7.32 RON 34.66

-5.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.14 RON 57.4

$7.43 RON 35.16

63.39%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.17

$1.03 RON 4.86

26.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 RON 7.55

$1.65 RON 7.80

-3.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.42

$1.83 RON 8.66

-14.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 RON 12.67

$2.43 RON 11.50

10.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 RON 3.82

$0.73 RON 3.45

10.96%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.73

$0.95 RON 4.50

-16.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 RON 4.30

$1.00 RON 4.71

-9.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 RON 4.58

$1.01 RON 4.79

-3.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.41 RON 30.34

$5.16 RON 24.43

24.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 RON 29.24

$7.50 RON 35.47

-17.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 RON 5.83

$1.27 RON 6.00

-3.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 RON 7.91

$1.68 RON 7.95

-0.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 RON 4.10

$0.65 RON 3.07

33.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.98 RON 99.3

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.66 RON 3.10

$0.81 RON 3.83

-18.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.85

$0.99 RON 4.66

-39.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.19 RON 29.28

$8.62 RON 40.77

-28.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 RON 9.15

$1.73 RON 8.17

11.56%

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

$28.7K RON 135.9K

$28.2K RON 133.4K

1.90%

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

$26.3K RON 124.6K

$24.3K RON 115.0K

8.36%

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

$196 RON 926

$59.0 RON 279

231.33%

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

$8.49 RON 40.19

$8.38 RON 39.64

1.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.05 RON 42.84

$8.35 RON 39.53

8.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.54 RON 234

$51.7 RON 245

-4.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.03 RON 118

Cinema Ticket

$8.24 RON 39.01

$9.69 RON 45.85

-14.96%

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

$636 RON 3,007

$585 RON 2,767

8.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K RON 69.0K

$9,663 RON 45.7K

50.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.5 RON 419

$87.8 RON 415

0.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 RON 183

$47.36 RON 224

-18.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 RON 373

$98.9 RON 468

-20.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 RON 428

$108 RON 511

-16.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 RON 3,288

$319 RON 1,510

117.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 RON 2,109

$249 RON 1,179

78.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,084 RON 5,130

$535 RON 2,530

102.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$712 RON 3,368

$489 RON 2,316

45.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,797 RON 18.0K

$1,554 RON 7,355

144.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,202 RON 10.4K

$1,059 RON 5,010

107.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,354 RON 6,406

$595 RON 2,817

127.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

6.65

1.50%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sighisoara: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$446 33.3%

Sighisoara

$249 26.7% 44.1% $196

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.9%

Sighisoara

$169 18.1% 24.9% $56

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.9%

Sighisoara

$207 22.1% 8.3% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Sighisoara

$76 8.1% 64.5% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$133 10%

Sighisoara

$154 16.5% 15.3% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$66 4.9%

Sighisoara

$71 7.6% 7.7% $5.1

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Sighisoara

$8.3 * 0.9% 70.4% $20

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 $695 in Bucharest and $319 in Sighisoara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 127% 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 $37.00 in Sighisoara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $207 per month, with Sighisoara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇷🇴 Sighisoara

🕒 Local time

03:06 3:06 AM

Same time as Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

32,570

💱 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

On the map

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Bucharest Sighisoara 220 km

From you

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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 Sighisoara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Sighisoara differ by about 43% in total monthly costs ($1,337 vs $935 including rent). Sighisoara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 127% 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 $319 in Sighisoara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Bucharest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,337 per month in Bucharest versus $935 in Sighisoara – a 43% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $935 in Sighisoara versus $1,337 in Bucharest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sighisoara but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Sighisoara 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 Sighisoara 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 Sighisoara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.