Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Szombathely

For one person, living is cheaper in Szombathely: $1,231 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bucharest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Szombathely
Learn more

Szombathely Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Szombathely

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,231

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Szombathely

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,231 in Szombathely.

Bucharest $1,340
Szombathely $1,231

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $1,949 in Szombathely.

Bucharest $2,037
Szombathely $1,949

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $2,666 in Szombathely.

Bucharest $2,734
Szombathely $2,666

Living in Bucharest is roughly 9% more expensive than in Szombathely, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Szombathely 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.7

$11.55 Ft 3,724

25.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$53.4 Ft 17.2K

8.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.46

$8.89 Ft 2,866

-15.86%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.31

$2.37 Ft 763

45.15%

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

$2.37 RON 11.24

$1.35 Ft 434

75.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.90

$1.28 Ft 413

79.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.53

$1.72 Ft 555

115.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.72

$2.32 Ft 749

79.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.91

$1.21 Ft 389

38.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.51

$1.57 Ft 508

-12.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.15

$2.37 Ft 763

-27.43%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.24

$3.14 Ft 1,014

15.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 43.04

$10.39 Ft 3,349

-12.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.40

$6.55 Ft 2,111

4.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.9

$15.99 Ft 5,153

-24.95%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.81

$2.22 Ft 716

-44.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.74

$2.04 Ft 658

-20.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.46

$2.52 Ft 813

-37.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.03

$3.38 Ft 1,089

-24.85%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$1.08 Ft 349

-26.85%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$1.39 Ft 450

-44.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$1.88 Ft 605

-53.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.71

$0.54 Ft 175

83.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.90

$8.82 Ft 2,842

-28.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.39

$4.54 Ft 1,462

36.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.21 Ft 390

-1.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.46

$2.62 Ft 846

-40.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$0.88 Ft 284

-2.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 100.0

$27.09 Ft 8,734

-22.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$2.68 Ft 865

-76.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$1.37 Ft 441

-56.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.48

$23.64 Ft 7,620

-72.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.27

$1.85 Ft 596

5.95%

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

$29.0K RON 137.4K

$28.8K Ft 9.3M

0.65%

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

$26.6K RON 126.2K

$33.4K Ft 10.8M

-20.22%

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

$196 RON 928

$168 Ft 54.3K

16.31%

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

$8.04 RON 38.10

$20.42 Ft 6,584

-60.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.28

$20.92 Ft 6,744

-55.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$46.96 Ft 15.1K

6.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$20.68 Ft 6,666

22.49%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.61

$4.65 Ft 1,500

75.27%

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

$628 RON 2,976

$423 Ft 136.2K

48.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.7K

$7,637 Ft 2.5M

84.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 425

$103 Ft 33.0K

-12.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 182

$50.4 Ft 16.3K

-24.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 376

$96.9 Ft 31.2K

-18.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$111 Ft 35.8K

-18.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,214

$538 Ft 173.3K

26.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,124

$339 Ft 109.3K

32.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,133

$754 Ft 243.1K

43.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,435

$645 Ft 208.0K

12.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.8K

$2,402 Ft 774.2K

56.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$1,980 Ft 638.3K

10.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,299

$1,175 Ft 378.9K

13.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

7.5

-10.00%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Szombathely: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Szombathely

$339 27.5% 24.4% $109

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Szombathely

$171 13.9% 24% $54

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Szombathely

$252 20.5% 12.2% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Szombathely

$210 17% 1.6% $3.5

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Szombathely

$162 13.2% 21.3% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Szombathely

$56 4.6% 15.4% $10

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Szombathely

$40 3.3% 42.3% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $538 in Szombathely. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 13% 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 $53.0 in Szombathely. Groceries flip the comparison at $225 vs $252, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇭🇺 Szombathely

🕒 Local time

20:40 8:40 PM

19:40 7:40 PM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

77,757

💱 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 = 2.77 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 16, 2026: 1 USD = 4.74 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.31 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 322 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 362 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.77 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Szombathely 800 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Szombathely

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 Szombathely: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Szombathely differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $1,231 including rent). Szombathely is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 13% 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 $538 in Szombathely. 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 $1,231 in Szombathely – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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

At $1,231 in Szombathely versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Szombathely but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Szombathely 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 Szombathely 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 Szombathely gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.