Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Somerset West

For one person, living is cheaper in Somerset West: $1,162 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 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
56

Cost of Living Index in Somerset West
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Somerset West Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Somerset West

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,162

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Somerset West

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,162 in Somerset West.

Bucharest $1,340
Somerset West $1,162

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $1,890 in Somerset West.

Bucharest $2,037
Somerset West $1,890

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $2,618 in Somerset West.

Bucharest $2,734
Somerset West $2,618

Living in Bucharest is roughly 15% more expensive than in Somerset West, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Somerset West 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$11.86 R 195

22.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$45.93 R 757

26.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$5.42 R 89.3

38.01%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$2.17 R 35.82

58.53%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$1.03 R 16.99

130.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$0.91 R 15.02

152.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$2.52 R 41.47

46.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$3.32 R 54.6

25.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$0.94 R 15.56

77.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$1.00 R 16.43

37.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$2.06 R 33.91

-16.50%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$2.27 R 37.42

60.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$8.65 R 142

4.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$5.25 R 86.6

30.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$9.52 R 157

26.05%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$1.84 R 30.28

-33.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$1.90 R 31.24

-14.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.69 R 27.83

-7.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$1.74 R 28.62

45.98%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$1.54 R 25.30

-48.70%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$1.54 R 25.30

-50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$1.29 R 21.21

-32.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$1.09 R 17.92

-9.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$3.28 R 54.0

92.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$5.98 R 98.5

3.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.34 R 22.13

-11.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.76 R 28.95

-10.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$1.12 R 18.52

-23.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$59.4 R 979

-64.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$0.58 R 9.56

10.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$1.48 R 24.35

-59.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$5.08 R 83.7

26.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$1.43 R 23.49

37.06%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$28.8K R 474.1K

0.76%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$30.0K R 494.4K

-11.24%

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

$196 RON 927

$85.2 R 1,404

129.94%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$28.77 R 474

-72.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$40.92 R 674

-77.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$45.25 R 745

11.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$10.76 R 177

135.41%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$7.19 R 118

13.35%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$261 R 4,308

140.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$3,633 R 59.9K

287.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$30.84 R 508

190.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$31.76 R 523

20.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$70.5 R 1,161

12.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$56.5 R 930

60.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$637 R 10.5K

6.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$425 R 6,997

5.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$1,358 R 22.4K

-20.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$935 R 15.4K

-22.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$1,227 R 20.2K

205.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$907 R 14.9K

142.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$1,427 R 23.5K

-6.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

10.12

-33.30%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Somerset West: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Somerset West

$425 36.5% 5.3% $24

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Somerset West

$164 14.1% 27.1% $61

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Somerset West

$202 17.4% 10.4% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Somerset West

$155 13.3% 27.4% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Somerset West

$85 7.3% 36.3% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Somerset West

$60 5.1% 10.4% $6.9

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Somerset West

$72 6.2% 155% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $637 in Somerset West. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Somerset West pays 7% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $58.0 in Bucharest vs $46.00 in Somerset West for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $202 per month, with Somerset West cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇿🇦 Somerset West

🕒 Local time

16:23 4:23 PM

15:23 3:23 PM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

55,166

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, 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).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Somerset West 8,760 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Somerset West

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 Somerset West: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Somerset West differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $1,162 including rent). Somerset West is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 7% lower in Somerset West. 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 $637 in Somerset West. 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 $1,162 in Somerset West – a 15% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Somerset West runs roughly 182% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,162 in Somerset West versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Somerset West but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Somerset West 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 Somerset West 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 Somerset West gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.