Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Targoviste

For one person, living is cheaper in Targoviste: $958 a month against $1,354 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Targoviste
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Targoviste Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,354

/mo nomad

Targoviste

🇷🇴 Romania

$958

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Targoviste

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,354 in Bucharest versus $958 in Targoviste.

Bucharest $1,354
Targoviste $958

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,043 in Bucharest versus $1,376 in Targoviste.

Bucharest $2,043
Targoviste $1,376

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,733 in Bucharest versus $1,793 in Targoviste.

Bucharest $2,733
Targoviste $1,793

Living in Bucharest is roughly 41% more expensive than in Targoviste, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.66 RON 70.1

$7.17 RON 34.29

104.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 276

$25.39 RON 121

127.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 RON 35.97

$6.37 RON 30.50

18.05%

Cappuccino

$3.56 RON 17.01

$2.09 RON 9.98

70.33%

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

$2.47 RON 11.83

$1.35 RON 6.45

82.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 RON 10.45

$1.30 RON 6.23

67.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 RON 17.65

$2.06 RON 9.86

79.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 RON 20.48

$2.71 RON 12.95

57.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 8.00

$1.32 RON 6.32

26.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.46

$0.87 RON 4.17

55.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.49

$1.36 RON 6.51

30.88%

Eggs

$3.56 RON 17.04

$2.54 RON 12.17

40.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.12 RON 43.65

$3.21 RON 15.38

184.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.82 RON 32.62

$6.34 RON 30.33

7.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.13 RON 58.0

$11.20 RON 53.6

8.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 RON 6.05

$1.03 RON 4.95

22.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 RON 7.77

$1.51 RON 7.22

7.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.45

$1.47 RON 7.04

6.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.15

$1.83 RON 8.76

38.80%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 RON 3.74

$0.83 RON 3.97

-6.02%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.71

$0.92 RON 4.39

-16.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 RON 4.25

$0.75 RON 3.60

18.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 RON 4.30

$0.76 RON 3.61

18.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 RON 31.34

$5.86 RON 28.03

11.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.37 RON 30.46

$5.43 RON 25.98

17.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 RON 5.95

$1.15 RON 5.50

7.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 RON 7.76

$1.47 RON 7.06

10.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 RON 4.09

$0.44 RON 2.10

93.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.71 RON 99.1

$21.70 RON 104

-4.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 RON 2.94

$0.77 RON 3.69

-20.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.93

$0.61 RON 2.91

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.16 RON 29.48

$6.34 RON 30.33

-2.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 RON 9.56

$1.60 RON 7.66

25.00%

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

$27.9K RON 133.7K

$28.9K RON 138.5K

-3.43%

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

$25.3K RON 121.2K

$25.3K RON 121.1K

0.06%

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

$192 RON 919

$218 RON 1,042

-11.81%

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

$7.92 RON 37.88

$7.21 RON 34.51

9.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.96 RON 42.86

$8.23 RON 39.37

8.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.99 RON 239

$21.14 RON 101

136.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 RON 119

$19.95 RON 95.5

24.36%

Cinema Ticket

$8.51 RON 40.70

$3.19 RON 15.27

166.77%

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

$686 RON 3,282

$312 RON 1,491

120.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 69.0K

$8,239 RON 39.4K

74.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.2 RON 432

$63.4 RON 303

42.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.74 RON 185

$31.01 RON 148

24.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.9 RON 378

$53.7 RON 257

46.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 RON 440

$74.4 RON 356

23.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$711 RON 3,403

$355 RON 1,698

100.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 RON 2,210

$265 RON 1,267

74.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 RON 5,040

$453 RON 2,166

132.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$723 RON 3,457

$401 RON 1,918

80.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,634 RON 17.4K

$1,877 RON 8,980

93.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,173 RON 10.4K

$1,353 RON 6,473

60.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,354 RON 6,477

$867 RON 4,147

56.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

6.84

-1.32%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 26, 2026

Last update for Targoviste: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$462 34.1%

Targoviste

$265 27.6% 42.7% $197

Eating Out

Bucharest

$228 16.9%

Targoviste

$128 13.3% 44% $100

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.6%

Targoviste

$178 18.5% 21% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$209 15.4%

Targoviste

$233 24.3% 11.6% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$135 10%

Targoviste

$100 10.4% 25.9% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Targoviste

$28 2.9% 58.9% $39

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Targoviste

$27 2.9% 1.9% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $711 in Bucharest and $355 in Targoviste. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 56% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $58 in Bucharest vs $25 in Targoviste for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $178 per month, with Targoviste cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇷🇴 Targoviste

🕒 Local time

09:01 9:01 AM

Same time as Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

79,610

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Targoviste 74 km

From you

Bucharest
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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 Targoviste: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,354 in Bucharest and $958 in Targoviste, so Targoviste is about 29% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 56% 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: $711 in Bucharest versus $355 in Targoviste. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,354 per month in Bucharest versus $958 in Targoviste – Targoviste is about 29% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 5% less than in Targoviste. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $958 in Targoviste versus $1,354 in Bucharest, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Targoviste but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Targoviste 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.

It comes down to priorities – Targoviste wins on affordability, Bucharest on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.