Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Szolnok

For one person, living is cheaper in Szolnok: $1,106 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Szolnok
Learn more

Szolnok Living Index

Jump to prices

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Szolnok

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,106

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Szolnok

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,106 in Szolnok.

Bucharest $1,340
Szolnok $1,106

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $1,692 in Szolnok.

Bucharest $2,037
Szolnok $1,692

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $2,278 in Szolnok.

Bucharest $2,734
Szolnok $2,278

Living in Bucharest is roughly 21% more expensive than in Szolnok, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Szolnok 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$9.60 Ft 3,101

50.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$46.62 Ft 15.1K

24.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$8.00 Ft 2,585

-6.50%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$2.30 Ft 741

49.57%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$2.01 Ft 648

17.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$1.19 Ft 386

93.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$2.55 Ft 823

45.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$2.67 Ft 864

55.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$0.92 Ft 297

81.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$1.24 Ft 399

10.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$1.62 Ft 523

6.17%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$3.08 Ft 994

18.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$7.29 Ft 2,356

24.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$6.60 Ft 2,132

3.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$13.28 Ft 4,291

-9.64%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$1.44 Ft 464

-14.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$1.74 Ft 562

-6.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.52 Ft 492

3.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$2.30 Ft 744

10.43%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$0.68 Ft 220

16.18%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$0.73 Ft 236

5.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$1.02 Ft 330

-14.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$0.37 Ft 120

167.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$6.84 Ft 2,211

-7.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$3.62 Ft 1,168

71.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$0.89 Ft 286

33.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.30 Ft 420

20.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$1.06 Ft 342

-18.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$26.01 Ft 8,402

-18.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$2.82 Ft 912

-77.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$2.24 Ft 724

-73.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$14.84 Ft 4,794

-56.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$1.82 Ft 588

7.69%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$27.5K Ft 8.9M

5.51%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$36.6K Ft 11.8M

-27.28%

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

$196 RON 927

$128 Ft 41.3K

53.10%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$29.81 Ft 9,631

-73.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$22.14 Ft 7,152

-57.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$41.80 Ft 13.5K

20.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$18.06 Ft 5,835

40.25%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$3.37 Ft 1,088

141.84%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$151 Ft 48.8K

315.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$4,944 Ft 1.6M

184.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$81.0 Ft 26.2K

10.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$50.2 Ft 16.2K

-23.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$88.6 Ft 28.6K

-10.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$116 Ft 37.6K

-22.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$397 Ft 128.1K

71.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$327 Ft 105.5K

37.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$625 Ft 201.9K

73.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$504 Ft 162.9K

43.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$2,013 Ft 650.4K

86.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$1,598 Ft 516.2K

37.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$1,059 Ft 342.1K

25.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

7.69

-12.22%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Szolnok: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Szolnok

$327 29.5% 27.2% $122

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Szolnok

$159 14.4% 29.3% $66

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Szolnok

$197 17.8% 12.7% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Szolnok

$180 16.3% 15.7% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Szolnok

$151 13.7% 13% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Szolnok

$49 4.4% 27.1% $18

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Szolnok

$44 4% 56.9% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $397 in Szolnok. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 26% 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 $47.00 in Szolnok for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $197 per month, with Szolnok cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇭🇺 Szolnok

🕒 Local time

04:09 4:09 AM

03:09 3:09 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

66,426

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Szolnok 550 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Szolnok

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 Szolnok: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Szolnok differ by about 21% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $1,106 including rent). Szolnok is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 26% 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 $397 in Szolnok. 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 $1,106 in Szolnok – a 21% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Szolnok runs roughly 23% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,106 in Szolnok versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Szolnok but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Szolnok 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 Szolnok 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 Szolnok gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.