Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Surat

For one person, living is cheaper in Surat: $806 a month against $1,351 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Surat
Learn more

Surat Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Surat

🇮🇳 India

$806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Surat

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,351 in Bucharest versus $806 in Surat.

Bucharest $1,351
Surat $806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,033 in Bucharest versus $826 in Surat.

Bucharest $2,033
Surat $826

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,715 in Bucharest versus $847 in Surat.

Bucharest $2,715
Surat $847

Living in Bucharest is roughly 68% more expensive than in Surat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% above, Surat is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 RON 68.4

$3.18 ₹307

354.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 273

$10.40 ₹1,006

454.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 RON 35.46

$3.14 ₹304

138.85%

Cappuccino

$3.43 RON 16.20

$1.83 ₹177

87.43%

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

$2.46 RON 11.63

$0.36 ₹34.38

583.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.01

$0.15 ₹14.56

1453.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 RON 17.97

$2.92 ₹282

30.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.41

$3.19 ₹309

28.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.79

$0.73 ₹70.9

126.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.39

$0.47 ₹45.50

187.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.42

$0.66 ₹63.5

169.70%

Eggs

$3.66 RON 17.33

$0.95 ₹91.5

285.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 RON 40.54

$4.34 ₹420

97.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RON 32.17

$2.73 ₹265

149.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 RON 55.4

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.11

$1.70 ₹164

-24.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.37

$0.62 ₹59.6

151.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.28

$0.80 ₹77.4

92.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 RON 11.75

$0.54 ₹52.2

359.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.92

$0.35 ₹33.56

137.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.77

$0.43 ₹41.73

86.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 3.98

$0.48 ₹46.59

75.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 RON 4.39

$0.30 ₹28.89

210.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 RON 30.45

$5.12 ₹495

25.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 RON 29.91

$7.60 ₹735

-16.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.94

$1.86 ₹180

-32.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 RON 7.59

$3.01 ₹291

-46.84%

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

$6.06 ₹586

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.85

$0.22 ₹21.19

268.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.13 RON 99.9

$5.27 ₹510

300.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.59 ₹57.2

1.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.91

$0.22 ₹21.32

177.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.19

$1.07 ₹103

476.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.27

$1.13 ₹110

73.45%

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

$28.1K RON 133.1K

$12.1K ₹1.2M

131.69%

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

$26.3K RON 124.3K

$18.3K ₹1.8M

43.41%

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

$197 RON 931

$36.72 ₹3,554

436.08%

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

$8.34 RON 39.44

$3.64 ₹353

129.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.19 RON 43.47

$7.44 ₹720

23.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.87 RON 236

$18.59 ₹1,799

168.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 118

$5.16 ₹499

384.30%

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 RON 40.01

$2.88 ₹278

193.75%

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

$639 RON 3,023

$33.35 ₹3,227

1816.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.1K

$891 ₹86.2K

1515.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 RON 429

$22.51 ₹2,179

302.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 RON 180

$24.53 ₹2,374

55.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 RON 377

$40.90 ₹3,958

94.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 RON 441

$32.42 ₹3,137

187.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 RON 3,184

$216 ₹20.9K

211.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 RON 2,123

$499 ₹48.3K

-10.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 RON 5,195

$375 ₹36.3K

193.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 RON 3,448

$201 ₹19.5K

262.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,740 RON 17.7K

$660 ₹63.8K

466.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 RON 10.4K

$309 ₹29.9K

608.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,323 RON 6,259

$313 ₹30.3K

322.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

9.17

-26.50%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Last update for Surat: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$449 33.5%

Surat

$499 61.3% 11.1% $50

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.8%

Surat

$80 9.8% 64.7% $146

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$222 16.5%

Surat

$101 12.4% 54.4% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 16%

Surat

$48 5.9% 77.7% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$136 10.1%

Surat

$54 6.7% 60.1% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Surat

$24 3% 63.6% $42

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Surat

$7.8 1% 72.1% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $673 in Bucharest and $216 in Surat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 322% 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 Surat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $101 per month, with Surat cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇮🇳 Surat

🕒 Local time

08:22 8:22 AM

10:52 10:52 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

6,936,534

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.21 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 109 INR (1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Surat 4,980 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Surat

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 Surat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Surat differ by about 68% in total monthly costs ($1,351 vs $806 including rent). Surat is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 322% 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 $216 in Surat. 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 $806 in Surat – a 68% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Surat runs roughly 301% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $806 in Surat versus $1,351 in Bucharest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Surat but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Surat 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 Surat 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 Surat gentler on the wallet – expenses run 68% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.