Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Szekesfehervar

For one person, living is cheaper in Szekesfehervar: $1,092 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Szekesfehervar
Learn more

Szekesfehervar Living Index

Jump to prices

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Szekesfehervar

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,092

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Szekesfehervar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,092 in Szekesfehervar.

Bucharest $1,340
Szekesfehervar $1,092

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $1,793 in Szekesfehervar.

Bucharest $2,037
Szekesfehervar $1,793

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $2,494 in Szekesfehervar.

Bucharest $2,734
Szekesfehervar $2,494

Living in Bucharest is roughly 23% more expensive than in Szekesfehervar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Szekesfehervar 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$9.28 Ft 2,998

56.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$57.0 Ft 18.4K

1.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$8.35 Ft 2,696

-10.42%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$2.15 Ft 695

60.00%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$1.42 Ft 458

66.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$1.07 Ft 346

114.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$2.01 Ft 650

84.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$2.22 Ft 717

87.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$1.22 Ft 394

36.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$1.35 Ft 435

1.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$2.51 Ft 812

-31.47%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$3.37 Ft 1,089

8.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$10.76 Ft 3,476

-15.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$6.18 Ft 1,997

10.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$16.27 Ft 5,256

-26.24%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$2.15 Ft 696

-42.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$2.25 Ft 728

-27.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.98 Ft 640

-20.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$3.15 Ft 1,018

-19.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$0.98 Ft 318

-19.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$1.08 Ft 350

-28.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$1.65 Ft 533

-47.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$0.49 Ft 157

102.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$6.40 Ft 2,067

-1.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$3.07 Ft 993

101.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.25 Ft 405

-4.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$2.02 Ft 653

-22.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$1.23 Ft 399

-30.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$26.59 Ft 8,589

-20.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$2.97 Ft 960

-78.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$1.73 Ft 558

-65.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$18.60 Ft 6,011

-65.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$1.90 Ft 613

3.16%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$29.7K Ft 9.6M

-2.25%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$30.8K Ft 10.0M

-13.56%

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

$196 RON 927

$129 Ft 41.5K

52.33%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$26.81 Ft 8,662

-70.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$19.60 Ft 6,333

-52.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$46.64 Ft 15.1K

7.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$8.73 Ft 2,819

-6.64%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$244 Ft 78.9K

157.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$6,665 Ft 2.2M

111.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$70.1 Ft 22.6K

27.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$24.67 Ft 7,970

55.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$76.5 Ft 24.7K

3.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$85.0 Ft 27.5K

6.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$395 Ft 127.7K

71.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$302 Ft 97.5K

48.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$614 Ft 198.5K

76.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$653 Ft 210.9K

11.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$3,394 Ft 1.1M

10.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$3,080 Ft 995.0K

-28.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$1,456 Ft 470.5K

-8.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

6.67

1.20%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Szekesfehervar: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Szekesfehervar

$302 27.6% 32.7% $147

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Szekesfehervar

$150 13.7% 33.6% $76

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Szekesfehervar

$243 22.3% 8.1% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Szekesfehervar

$175 16% 17.9% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Szekesfehervar

$115 10.6% 13.9% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Szekesfehervar

$64 5.9% 3.7% $2.4

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Szekesfehervar

$43 4% 52.9% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $395 in Szekesfehervar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Szekesfehervar pays 10% 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 $57.0 in Szekesfehervar. Groceries flip the comparison at $225 vs $243, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇭🇺 Szekesfehervar

🕒 Local time

22:37 10:37 PM

21:37 9:37 PM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

96,024

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bucharest Szekesfehervar 670 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Szekesfehervar

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 Szekesfehervar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Szekesfehervar differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $1,092 including rent). Szekesfehervar is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 10% lower in Szekesfehervar. 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 $395 in Szekesfehervar. 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 $1,092 in Szekesfehervar – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Szekesfehervar runs roughly 26% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,092 in Szekesfehervar versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Szekesfehervar but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Szekesfehervar 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 Szekesfehervar 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 Szekesfehervar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.