Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Sion

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $3,235 in Sion, rent and utilities included – about $22,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index
157

Cost of Living Index in Sion
Learn more

Sion Living Index

Jump to prices

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Sion

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,235

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Sion

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $3,235 in Sion.

Bucharest $1,340
Sion $3,235

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $4,857 in Sion.

Bucharest $2,037
Sion $4,857

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $6,479 in Sion.

Bucharest $2,734
Sion $6,479

Living in Bucharest costs roughly 59% less than in Sion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% below, Sion is 140% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$28.97 CHF 23.86

-49.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$89.6 CHF 73.8

-35.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$19.15 CHF 15.77

-60.94%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$4.60 CHF 3.79

-25.22%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$5.09 CHF 4.19

-53.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$4.28 CHF 3.52

-46.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$7.36 CHF 6.06

-49.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$7.29 CHF 6.00

-42.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$1.94 CHF 1.60

-13.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$3.54 CHF 2.92

-61.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$4.19 CHF 3.45

-58.95%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$7.13 CHF 5.87

-48.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$26.01 CHF 21.42

-65.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$22.69 CHF 18.69

-69.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$40.09 CHF 33.02

-70.07%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$3.15 CHF 2.59

-60.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$1.70 CHF 1.40

-4.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$2.53 CHF 2.09

-37.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$6.20 CHF 5.11

-59.03%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$1.85 CHF 1.53

-57.30%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$2.16 CHF 1.78

-64.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$2.43 CHF 2.00

-64.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$1.17 CHF 0.97

-15.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$10.85 CHF 8.94

-41.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$14.25 CHF 11.74

-56.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.76 CHF 1.45

-32.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.91 CHF 1.57

-17.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$5.24 CHF 4.32

-83.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$179 CHF 148

-88.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$5.94 CHF 4.89

-89.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$5.29 CHF 4.36

-88.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$48.12 CHF 39.63

-86.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$2.21 CHF 1.82

-11.31%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$34.2K CHF 28.2K

-15.31%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$37.6K CHF 31.0K

-29.20%

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

$196 RON 927

$308 CHF 254

-36.44%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$24.86 CHF 20.48

-67.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$49.64 CHF 40.89

-81.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$135 CHF 111

-62.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$54.5 CHF 44.88

-53.51%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$20.28 CHF 16.70

-59.81%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$953 CHF 785

-34.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$37.7K CHF 31.1K

-62.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$109 CHF 89.7

-17.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$48.21 CHF 39.71

-20.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$161 CHF 133

-50.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$165 CHF 136

-45.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$1,221 CHF 1,005

-44.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$1,240 CHF 1,021

-63.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$2,323 CHF 1,913

-53.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$2,072 CHF 1,707

-65.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$7,339 CHF 6,045

-48.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$5,532 CHF 4,556

-60.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$5,826 CHF 4,798

-77.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

2.15

213.95%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sion: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Sion

$1.2K 38.3% 177% $792

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Sion

$433 13.4% 92.4% $208

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Sion

$554 17.1% 146% $329

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Sion

$383 11.8% 79.4% $169

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Sion

$217 6.7% 62.3% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Sion

$175 5.4% 164% $109

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Sion

$233 7.2% 725% $205

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $1,221 in Sion. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sion pays 338% 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 $90.0 in Sion for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $554 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇨🇭 Sion

🕒 Local time

09:24 9:24 AM

08:24 8:24 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

34,599

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bucharest Sion 1,480 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Sion

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 Sion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Sion differ by about 141% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $3,235 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 338% lower in Sion. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $678 in Bucharest versus $1,221 in Sion. 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 $3,235 in Sion – a 141% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 750% less than in Sion. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $3,235 in Sion, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Sion. The gap between the two cities makes Bucharest 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 Bucharest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 141% less than in Sion. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.