Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Sousse

For one person, living is cheaper in Sousse: $778 a month against $1,351 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Sousse
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Sousse Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Sousse

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$778

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Sousse

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,351 in Bucharest versus $778 in Sousse.

Bucharest $1,351
Sousse $778

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,033 in Bucharest versus $1,256 in Sousse.

Bucharest $2,033
Sousse $1,256

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,715 in Bucharest versus $1,733 in Sousse.

Bucharest $2,715
Sousse $1,733

Living in Bucharest is roughly 74% more expensive than in Sousse, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% above, Sousse is 42% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 RON 68.4

$4.94 TND 14.77

192.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 273

$23.57 TND 70.4

144.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 RON 35.46

$6.76 TND 20.20

10.95%

Cappuccino

$3.43 RON 16.20

$1.05 TND 3.12

226.67%

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

$2.46 RON 11.63

$0.75 TND 2.24

228.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.01

$0.37 TND 1.12

529.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 RON 17.97

$1.71 TND 5.10

122.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.41

$1.65 TND 4.93

148.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.79

$0.45 TND 1.34

266.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.39

$0.15 TND 0.46

800.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.42

$1.28 TND 3.83

39.06%

Eggs

$3.66 RON 17.33

$1.66 TND 4.96

120.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 RON 40.54

$13.80 TND 41.23

-37.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RON 32.17

$5.64 TND 16.85

20.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 RON 55.4

$14.21 TND 42.45

-17.52%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.11

$2.05 TND 6.14

-37.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.37

$3.57 TND 10.66

-56.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.28

$0.98 TND 2.93

57.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 RON 11.75

$0.70 TND 2.09

254.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.92

$0.86 TND 2.58

-3.49%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.77

$0.68 TND 2.03

17.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 3.98

$0.43 TND 1.29

95.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 RON 4.39

$0.30 TND 0.90

210.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 RON 30.45

$3.75 TND 11.21

71.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 RON 29.91

$5.98 TND 17.88

5.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.94

$1.08 TND 3.23

16.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 RON 7.59

$1.17 TND 3.50

36.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.85

$0.34 TND 1.03

138.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.13 RON 99.9

$9.92 TND 29.65

113.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.31 TND 0.94

93.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.91

$0.64 TND 1.92

-4.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.19

$3.98 TND 11.90

55.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.27

$0.87 TND 2.59

125.29%

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

$28.1K RON 133.1K

$40.0K TND 119.6K

-29.66%

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

$26.3K RON 124.3K

$36.8K TND 110.0K

-28.58%

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

$197 RON 931

$75.6 TND 226

160.31%

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

$8.34 RON 39.44

$13.63 TND 40.72

-38.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.19 RON 43.47

$19.75 TND 59.0

-53.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.87 RON 236

$28.30 TND 84.6

76.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 118

$26.72 TND 79.8

-6.47%

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 RON 40.01

$6.45 TND 19.27

31.16%

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

$639 RON 3,023

$93.4 TND 279

584.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.1K

$3,224 TND 9,635

346.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 RON 429

$51.5 TND 154

76.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 RON 180

$71.4 TND 213

-46.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 RON 377

$150 TND 450

-47.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 RON 441

$101 TND 301

-7.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 RON 3,184

$243 TND 727

176.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 RON 2,123

$159 TND 476

181.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 RON 5,195

$524 TND 1,565

109.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 RON 3,448

$341 TND 1,019

113.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,740 RON 17.7K

$992 TND 2,963

277.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 RON 10.4K

$635 TND 1,896

244.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,323 RON 6,259

$381 TND 1,138

247.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

11.4

-40.88%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Last update for Sousse: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$449 33.5%

Sousse

$159 20.5% 64.5% $289

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.8%

Sousse

$89 11.4% 60.7% $137

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$222 16.5%

Sousse

$198 25.4% 10.7% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 16%

Sousse

$109 14% 49.2% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$136 10.1%

Sousse

$168 21.6% 24% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Sousse

$41 5.3% 38.3% $26

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Sousse

$15 1.9% 47.2% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $673 in Bucharest and $243 in Sousse. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 247% 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 $24.00 in Sousse for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $198 per month, with Sousse cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇹🇳 Sousse

🕒 Local time

05:46 5:46 AM

03:46 3:46 AM

2 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

221,530

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

1 TND = 0.335 USD

1 TND = 0.298 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.99 TND (1 TND = 0.335 USD). 1 EUR = 3.35 TND (1 TND = 0.298 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Sousse 1,620 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Sousse

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 Sousse: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Sousse differ by about 74% in total monthly costs ($1,351 vs $778 including rent). Sousse is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 247% 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: $673 in Bucharest versus $243 in Sousse. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,351 per month in Bucharest versus $778 in Sousse – a 74% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Sousse runs roughly 113% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $778 in Sousse versus $1,351 in Bucharest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sousse but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Sousse 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 Sousse gentler on the wallet – expenses run 74% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.