Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Solan

For one person, living is cheaper in Solan: $369 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 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
17

Cost of Living Index in Solan
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Solan Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Solan

🇮🇳 India

$369

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Solan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $369 in Solan.

Bucharest $1,340
Solan $369

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $587 in Solan.

Bucharest $2,037
Solan $587

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $805 in Solan.

Bucharest $2,734
Solan $805

Living in Bucharest is roughly 263% more expensive than in Solan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Solan 73% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$1.27 ₹121

1040.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$15.77 ₹1,498

268.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$3.21 ₹305

133.02%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$1.98 ₹188

73.74%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$0.32 ₹30.71

640.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$0.09 ₹8.40

2455.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$2.14 ₹203

72.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$2.58 ₹245

61.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$0.44 ₹41.75

279.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$0.54 ₹50.8

153.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$0.41 ₹38.60

319.51%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$0.68 ₹64.7

435.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$5.12 ₹486

77.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$2.37 ₹225

188.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$1.93 ₹184

-36.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$0.77 ₹72.9

111.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$0.54 ₹51.5

190.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$0.49 ₹46.58

418.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$0.30 ₹28.34

163.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$0.40 ₹37.94

92.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$0.64 ₹60.5

35.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$0.30 ₹28.04

230.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$2.75 ₹261

129.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$7.24 ₹687

-14.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.72 ₹164

-30.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$2.64 ₹251

-40.53%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$5.44 ₹516

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$0.27 ₹25.87

218.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$8.31 ₹789

153.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$1.02 ₹96.8

-37.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.25 ₹23.62

140.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$2.13 ₹202

201.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$0.94 ₹89.0

108.51%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$15.9K ₹1.5M

82.32%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$23.9K ₹2.3M

11.63%

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

$196 RON 927

$37.62 ₹3,572

420.71%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$2.57 ₹244

212.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$7.51 ₹713

24.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$14.33 ₹1,360

250.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$6.21 ₹589

307.89%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$2.05 ₹195

297.56%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$95.6 ₹9,080

556.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$1,716 ₹163.0K

720.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$20.45 ₹1,942

338.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$23.89 ₹2,268

60.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$47.10 ₹4,472

68.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$25.83 ₹2,453

249.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$138 ₹13.1K

390.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$81.0 ₹7,687

453.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$281 ₹26.7K

285.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$170 ₹16.1K

327.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$854 ₹81.1K

339.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$564 ₹53.6K

288.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

9.12

-25.99%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Solan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Solan

$81 21.9% 81.9% $367

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Solan

$61 16.6% 72.9% $164

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Solan

$96 26.1% 57.2% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Solan

$48 12.9% 77.6% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Solan

$53 14.3% 60.6% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Solan

$18 5% 72.3% $48

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Solan

$12 3.2% 58.6% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $138 in Solan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $58.0 in Bucharest vs $16.00 in Solan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $96.0 per month, with Solan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇮🇳 Solan

🕒 Local time

06:18 6:18 AM

08:48 8:48 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

39,256

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.35 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.33 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 94.95 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.35 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Solan 4,650 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Solan

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 Solan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Solan differ by about 263% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $369 including rent). Solan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,011 in Bucharest and $553 in Solan to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $678 in Bucharest versus $138 in Solan. 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 $369 in Solan – a 263% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Solan runs roughly 154% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $369 in Solan versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Solan but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Solan 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 Solan 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 Solan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 263% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.