Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Stilbaai

For one person, living is cheaper in Stilbaai: $1,148 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 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 Stilbaai
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Stilbaai Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Stilbaai

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,148

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Stilbaai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,148 in Stilbaai.

Bucharest $1,340
Stilbaai $1,148

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $1,832 in Stilbaai.

Bucharest $2,037
Stilbaai $1,832

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $2,516 in Stilbaai.

Bucharest $2,734
Stilbaai $2,516

Living in Bucharest is roughly 17% more expensive than in Stilbaai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Stilbaai 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$11.91 R 196

21.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$46.22 R 761

25.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$6.10 R 100

22.62%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$2.38 R 39.28

44.54%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$1.26 R 20.84

88.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$0.96 R 15.77

139.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$2.95 R 48.65

25.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$3.58 R 59.1

16.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$1.38 R 22.74

21.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$1.26 R 20.69

8.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$2.20 R 36.30

-21.82%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$2.97 R 48.89

22.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$8.94 R 147

1.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$6.94 R 114

-1.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$9.58 R 158

25.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$1.92 R 31.62

-35.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$1.94 R 32.00

-15.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.65 R 27.23

-4.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$2.13 R 35.11

19.25%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$1.55 R 25.57

-49.03%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$1.47 R 24.20

-47.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$1.28 R 21.04

-32.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$1.18 R 19.49

-16.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$3.56 R 58.7

77.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$5.97 R 98.4

3.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.32 R 21.71

-9.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$2.15 R 35.46

-26.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$1.48 R 24.38

-41.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$0.59 R 9.68

8.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$1.53 R 25.16

-60.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$5.07 R 83.6

26.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$1.52 R 25.00

28.95%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$35.0K R 577.0K

-17.20%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$31.2K R 513.6K

-14.55%

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

$196 RON 927

$114 R 1,883

71.40%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$28.76 R 474

-72.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$39.29 R 647

-76.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$31.60 R 521

58.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$10.58 R 174

139.41%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$8.83 R 145

-7.70%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$267 R 4,405

134.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$6,885 R 113.4K

104.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$56.3 R 928

59.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$32.76 R 540

16.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$120 R 1,981

-34.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$105 R 1,726

-13.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$387 R 6,374

75.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$363 R 5,973

23.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$739 R 12.2K

46.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$742 R 12.2K

-2.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$864 R 14.2K

334.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$663 R 10.9K

231.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

10.97

-38.47%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Stilbaai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Stilbaai

$363 31.6% 19.1% $86

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Stilbaai

$173 15.1% 23.2% $52

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Stilbaai

$226 19.6% 0.2% $0.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Stilbaai

$182 15.9% 14.5% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Stilbaai

$141 12.3% 5.5% $7.4

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Stilbaai

$49 4.3% 26% $17

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Stilbaai

$14 * 1.2% 49.9% $14

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $387 in Stilbaai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $58.0 in Bucharest vs $46.00 in Stilbaai. Groceries flip the comparison at $225 vs $226, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇿🇦 Stilbaai

🕒 Local time

05:34 5:34 AM

04:34 4:34 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

8,000

💱 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 Stilbaai 8,780 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Stilbaai

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 Stilbaai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Stilbaai differ by about 17% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $1,148 including rent). Stilbaai 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 $1,722 in Stilbaai 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 $387 in Stilbaai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Bucharest pay roughly 0% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,340 per month in Bucharest versus $1,148 in Stilbaai – a 17% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,148 in Stilbaai versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Stilbaai but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Stilbaai 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 Stilbaai 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 Stilbaai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.