Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Souk Ahras

For one person, living is cheaper in Souk Ahras: $492 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Souk Ahras
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Souk Ahras Living Index

Jump to prices

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Souk Ahras

🇩🇿 Algeria

$492

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Souk Ahras

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $492 in Souk Ahras.

Bucharest $1,340
Souk Ahras $492

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $771 in Souk Ahras.

Bucharest $2,037
Souk Ahras $771

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $1,051 in Souk Ahras.

Bucharest $2,734
Souk Ahras $1,051

Living in Bucharest is roughly 173% more expensive than in Souk Ahras, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Souk Ahras 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 69.3

$2.26 DZD 302

541.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 278

$10.45 DZD 1,400

455.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.78

$4.02 DZD 538

86.07%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.46

$0.63 DZD 84.0

446.03%

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

$2.37 RON 11.34

$0.48 DZD 64.5

393.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 11.00

$0.26 DZD 34.98

784.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.69

$1.36 DZD 183

172.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.90

$2.06 DZD 275

101.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.98

$0.83 DZD 111

101.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.57

$0.22 DZD 29.17

522.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.22

$1.24 DZD 167

38.71%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.40

$1.23 DZD 165

195.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 43.43

$3.35 DZD 449

171.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.69

$2.83 DZD 380

141.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 57.4

$16.28 DZD 2,181

-26.29%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.86

$1.50 DZD 201

-18.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.81

$2.95 DZD 395

-44.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.53

$1.12 DZD 150

40.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.14

$0.91 DZD 122

179.12%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.78

$0.38 DZD 50.9

107.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.69

$0.40 DZD 53.2

92.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.17

$0.22 DZD 29.40

295.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.75

$0.28 DZD 37.79

253.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 30.17

$2.15 DZD 288

193.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.65

$6.65 DZD 891

-6.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.68

$1.14 DZD 153

4.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.53

$1.74 DZD 233

-9.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.12

$0.17 DZD 23.44

405.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 101

$5.98 DZD 801

252.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.08

$0.55 DZD 73.1

16.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.89

$0.49 DZD 65.1

22.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.76

$4.91 DZD 658

30.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.35

$0.32 DZD 42.91

512.50%

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

$29.0K RON 138.6K

$31.3K DZD 4.2M

-7.45%

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

$26.6K RON 127.4K

$34.7K DZD 4.7M

-23.32%

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

$196 RON 937

$35.87 DZD 4,807

446.11%

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

$8.04 RON 38.45

$9.06 DZD 1,214

-11.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.68

$19.29 DZD 2,585

-51.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 240

$11.48 DZD 1,538

337.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 121

$3.93 DZD 526

544.53%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.96

$4.56 DZD 611

78.73%

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

$628 RON 3,003

$88.6 DZD 11.9K

609.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 67.3K

$4,059 DZD 544.0K

246.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 428

$29.49 DZD 3,952

203.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 183

$32.54 DZD 4,361

17.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 379

$75.8 DZD 10.2K

4.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 432

$76.3 DZD 10.2K

18.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,243

$142 DZD 19.0K

378.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,144

$93.3 DZD 12.5K

380.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,179

$290 DZD 38.9K

273.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,466

$174 DZD 23.4K

315.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.9K

$956 DZD 128.2K

292.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.5K

$1,018 DZD 136.4K

115.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,356

$285 DZD 38.3K

365.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

5.3

27.36%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Souk Ahras: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Souk Ahras

$93 19% 79.2% $355

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Souk Ahras

$52 10.5% 77.1% $174

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Souk Ahras

$156 31.8% 30.5% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Souk Ahras

$64 13.1% 69.9% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Souk Ahras

$96 19.6% 28% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Souk Ahras

$21 4.2% 69% $46

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Souk Ahras

$9.7 2% 65.8% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $142 in Souk Ahras. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 366% 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 $10.00 in Souk Ahras for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $156 per month, with Souk Ahras cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇩🇿 Souk Ahras

🕒 Local time

21:05 9:05 PM

19:05 7:05 PM

2 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

155,259

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Algerian Dinar DZD د.ج

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1,000 DZD = 7.46 USD

1,000 DZD = 6.68 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DZD, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 4.78 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 134 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 150 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.68 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Souk Ahras 1,780 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Souk Ahras

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 Souk Ahras: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Souk Ahras differ by about 173% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $492 including rent). Souk Ahras is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 366% 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: $678 in Bucharest versus $142 in Souk Ahras. 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 $492 in Souk Ahras – a 173% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Souk Ahras runs roughly 253% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $492 in Souk Ahras versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Souk Ahras but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Souk Ahras 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 Souk Ahras 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 Souk Ahras gentler on the wallet – expenses run 173% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.