Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Szekszard

For one person, living is cheaper in Szekszard: $1,184 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Szekszard
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Szekszard Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Szekszard

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,184

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Szekszard

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,184 in Szekszard.

Bucharest $1,340
Szekszard $1,184

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $1,818 in Szekszard.

Bucharest $2,037
Szekszard $1,818

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $2,452 in Szekszard.

Bucharest $2,734
Szekszard $2,452

Living in Bucharest is roughly 13% more expensive than in Szekszard, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Szekszard 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$12.34 Ft 3,986

17.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$46.10 Ft 14.9K

26.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$9.09 Ft 2,938

-17.71%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$1.51 Ft 489

127.81%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$1.92 Ft 620

23.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$1.15 Ft 371

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$3.02 Ft 976

22.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$2.75 Ft 889

51.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$1.13 Ft 366

47.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$1.39 Ft 448

-1.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$2.36 Ft 761

-27.12%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$3.14 Ft 1,014

15.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$10.96 Ft 3,542

-17.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$6.42 Ft 2,075

6.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$13.68 Ft 4,420

-12.28%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$1.65 Ft 534

-25.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$1.97 Ft 636

-17.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.94 Ft 628

-19.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$2.68 Ft 866

-5.22%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$1.05 Ft 338

-24.76%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$1.30 Ft 419

-40.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$1.68 Ft 544

-48.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$0.47 Ft 153

110.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$7.74 Ft 2,502

-18.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$6.02 Ft 1,944

2.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.13 Ft 366

5.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.51 Ft 489

3.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$1.21 Ft 390

-28.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$26.94 Ft 8,703

-21.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$3.15 Ft 1,018

-79.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$1.50 Ft 485

-60.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$18.22 Ft 5,886

-64.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$1.83 Ft 590

7.10%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$32.7K Ft 10.6M

-11.23%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$33.5K Ft 10.8M

-20.41%

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

$196 RON 927

$120 Ft 38.9K

62.77%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$18.05 Ft 5,833

-55.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$23.16 Ft 7,482

-59.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$47.14 Ft 15.2K

6.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$18.37 Ft 5,935

37.89%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$7.49 Ft 2,419

8.81%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$252 Ft 81.5K

148.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$8,566 Ft 2.8M

64.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$61.8 Ft 20.0K

45.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$24.55 Ft 7,932

56.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$91.5 Ft 29.6K

-13.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$76.4 Ft 24.7K

18.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$524 Ft 169.3K

29.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$393 Ft 126.9K

14.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$752 Ft 243.1K

43.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$650 Ft 209.9K

11.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$1,584 Ft 511.7K

136.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$1,204 Ft 388.9K

82.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$919 Ft 296.8K

44.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

8.25

-18.18%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Szekszard: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Szekszard

$393 33.2% 12.4% $56

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Szekszard

$177 15% 21.4% $48

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Szekszard

$233 19.7% 3.7% $8.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Szekszard

$162 13.7% 24.2% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Szekszard

$114 9.7% 14.6% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Szekszard

$62 5.3% 6.6% $4.4

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Szekszard

$42 3.6% 50.3% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $524 in Szekszard. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 45% 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 $46.00 in Szekszard. Groceries flip the comparison at $225 vs $233, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇭🇺 Szekszard

🕒 Local time

22:23 10:23 PM

21:23 9:23 PM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

29,707

💱 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

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Between locations

Bucharest Szekszard 620 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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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 Szekszard: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Szekszard differ by about 13% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $1,184 including rent). Szekszard is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 45% 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 $524 in Szekszard. 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 $1,184 in Szekszard – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Szekszard runs roughly 28% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,184 in Szekszard versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Szekszard but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Szekszard 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 Szekszard 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 Szekszard gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.