Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Slatina

For one person, living is cheaper in Slatina: $799 a month against $1,354 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Slatina
Learn more

Slatina Living Index

Jump to prices

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,354

/mo nomad

Slatina

🇷🇴 Romania

$799

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Slatina

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,354 in Bucharest versus $799 in Slatina.

Bucharest $1,354
Slatina $799

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,043 in Bucharest versus $1,251 in Slatina.

Bucharest $2,043
Slatina $1,251

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,733 in Bucharest versus $1,704 in Slatina.

Bucharest $2,733
Slatina $1,704

Living in Bucharest is roughly 69% more expensive than in Slatina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.66 RON 70.1

$11.16 RON 53.4

31.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 276

$31.03 RON 148

85.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 RON 35.97

$7.51 RON 35.91

0.13%

Cappuccino

$3.56 RON 17.01

$2.60 RON 12.44

36.92%

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

$2.47 RON 11.83

$2.09 RON 10.02

18.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 RON 10.45

$1.72 RON 8.22

26.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 RON 17.65

$1.66 RON 7.96

122.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 RON 20.48

$2.13 RON 10.18

100.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 8.00

$1.44 RON 6.88

15.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.46

$0.86 RON 4.13

56.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.49

$1.71 RON 8.18

4.09%

Eggs

$3.56 RON 17.04

$2.60 RON 12.44

36.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.12 RON 43.65

$8.70 RON 41.60

4.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.82 RON 32.62

$3.91 RON 18.70

74.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.13 RON 58.0

$5.99 RON 28.67

102.50%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 RON 6.05

$0.80 RON 3.84

57.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 RON 7.77

$1.43 RON 6.86

13.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.45

$1.60 RON 7.66

-2.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.15

$1.17 RON 5.60

117.09%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 RON 3.74

$0.83 RON 3.96

-6.02%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.71

$0.82 RON 3.94

-6.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 RON 4.25

$0.91 RON 4.37

-2.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 RON 4.30

$0.66 RON 3.16

36.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 RON 31.34

$5.18 RON 24.77

26.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.37 RON 30.46

$3.22 RON 15.41

97.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 RON 5.95

$1.19 RON 5.71

4.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 RON 7.76

$1.80 RON 8.62

-10.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 RON 4.09

$0.75 RON 3.59

13.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.71 RON 99.1

$21.64 RON 104

-4.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 RON 2.94

$0.68 RON 3.26

-10.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.93

$0.62 RON 2.97

-1.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.16 RON 29.48

$6.60 RON 31.56

-6.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 RON 9.56

$1.38 RON 6.60

44.93%

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

$27.9K RON 133.7K

$29.0K RON 138.6K

-3.53%

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

$25.3K RON 121.2K

$24.9K RON 119.2K

1.66%

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

$192 RON 919

$106 RON 507

81.28%

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

$7.92 RON 37.88

$1.67 RON 7.98

374.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.96 RON 42.86

$9.41 RON 45.01

-4.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.99 RON 239

$37.64 RON 180

32.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 RON 119

$20.63 RON 98.7

20.26%

Cinema Ticket

$8.51 RON 40.70

$9.38 RON 44.90

-9.28%

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

$686 RON 3,282

$441 RON 2,112

55.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 69.0K

$6,983 RON 33.4K

106.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.2 RON 432

$51.4 RON 246

75.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.74 RON 185

$31.52 RON 151

22.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.9 RON 378

$67.8 RON 324

16.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 RON 440

$72.2 RON 346

27.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$711 RON 3,403

$213 RON 1,017

234.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 RON 2,210

$165 RON 792

179.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 RON 5,040

$353 RON 1,688

198.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$723 RON 3,457

$296 RON 1,415

144.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,634 RON 17.4K

$1,890 RON 9,042

92.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,173 RON 10.4K

$1,321 RON 6,319

64.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,354 RON 6,477

$859 RON 4,111

57.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

7.07

-4.53%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 26, 2026

Last update for Slatina: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$462 34.1%

Slatina

$165 20.7% 64.2% $296

Eating Out

Bucharest

$228 16.9%

Slatina

$171 21.4% 25.1% $57

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.6%

Slatina

$160 20.1% 28.6% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$209 15.4%

Slatina

$117 14.7% 44% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$135 10%

Slatina

$100 12.6% 25.7% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Slatina

$56 7.1% 15.8% $11

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Slatina

$28 3.6% 2.2% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $711 in Bucharest and $213 in Slatina. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 58% 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 in Bucharest vs $31 in Slatina for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $160 per month, with Slatina cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇷🇴 Slatina

🕒 Local time

07:19 7:19 AM

Same time as Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

70,293

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bucharest Slatina 140 km

From you

Bucharest
Slatina

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 Slatina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,354 in Bucharest and $799 in Slatina, so Slatina is about 41% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 58% 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: $711 in Bucharest versus $213 in Slatina. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,354 per month in Bucharest versus $799 in Slatina – Slatina is about 41% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 4% less than in Slatina. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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.

It comes down to priorities – Slatina wins on affordability, Bucharest on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.