Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Targu Frumos

For one person, living is cheaper in Targu Frumos: $1,001 a month against $1,354 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Targu Frumos
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Targu Frumos Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,354

/mo nomad

Targu Frumos

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,001

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Targu Frumos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,354 in Bucharest versus $1,001 in Targu Frumos.

Bucharest $1,354
Targu Frumos $1,001

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,043 in Bucharest versus $1,527 in Targu Frumos.

Bucharest $2,043
Targu Frumos $1,527

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,733 in Bucharest versus $2,053 in Targu Frumos.

Bucharest $2,733
Targu Frumos $2,053

Living in Bucharest is roughly 35% more expensive than in Targu Frumos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.66 RON 70.5

$10.73 RON 51.6

36.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 277

$41.38 RON 199

39.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 RON 36.13

$7.43 RON 35.70

1.21%

Cappuccino

$3.56 RON 17.09

$2.42 RON 11.61

47.11%

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

$2.47 RON 11.88

$2.10 RON 10.09

17.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 RON 10.50

$1.87 RON 9.01

16.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 RON 17.72

$2.05 RON 9.87

80.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 RON 20.57

$3.21 RON 15.43

33.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 8.04

$1.18 RON 5.65

41.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.49

$0.71 RON 3.39

90.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.53

$1.72 RON 8.26

3.49%

Eggs

$3.56 RON 17.12

$3.37 RON 16.20

5.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.12 RON 43.84

$7.75 RON 37.25

17.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.82 RON 32.76

$5.95 RON 28.62

14.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.13 RON 58.3

$8.22 RON 39.53

47.57%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 RON 6.08

$1.30 RON 6.25

-3.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 RON 7.80

$1.59 RON 7.62

1.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.49

$1.59 RON 7.62

-1.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.21

$1.77 RON 8.51

43.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 RON 3.76

$0.95 RON 4.55

-17.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.72

$1.01 RON 4.85

-23.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 RON 4.27

$0.80 RON 3.85

11.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 RON 4.32

$0.69 RON 3.31

30.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 RON 31.48

$5.88 RON 28.26

11.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.37 RON 30.60

$5.17 RON 24.85

23.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 RON 5.97

$0.93 RON 4.49

33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 RON 7.79

$1.22 RON 5.87

32.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 RON 4.10

$0.72 RON 3.45

18.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.71 RON 99.6

$21.53 RON 104

-3.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 RON 2.95

$0.61 RON 2.92

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.95

$0.64 RON 3.08

-4.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.16 RON 29.62

$6.93 RON 33.28

-11.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 RON 9.60

$1.80 RON 8.67

11.11%

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

$27.9K RON 134.3K

$28.1K RON 135.1K

-0.59%

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

$25.3K RON 121.7K

$25.1K RON 120.6K

0.95%

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

$192 RON 923

$148 RON 713

29.40%

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

$7.92 RON 38.05

$7.74 RON 37.20

2.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.96 RON 43.05

$7.74 RON 37.22

15.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.99 RON 240

$37.80 RON 182

32.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 RON 119

$20.56 RON 98.8

20.67%

Cinema Ticket

$8.51 RON 40.88

$6.18 RON 29.71

37.70%

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

$686 RON 3,296

$589 RON 2,833

16.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 69.3K

$4,907 RON 23.6K

193.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.2 RON 434

$97.0 RON 466

-7.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.74 RON 186

$32.37 RON 156

19.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.9 RON 379

$61.4 RON 295

28.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 RON 442

$84.1 RON 404

9.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$711 RON 3,418

$387 RON 1,860

83.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 RON 2,220

$283 RON 1,362

62.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 RON 5,063

$589 RON 2,831

78.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$723 RON 3,473

$450 RON 2,163

60.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,634 RON 17.5K

$1,817 RON 8,734

99.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,173 RON 10.4K

$1,363 RON 6,551

59.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,354 RON 6,506

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

7.2

-6.25%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 26, 2026

Last update for Targu Frumos: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$462 34.1%

Targu Frumos

$283 28.3% 38.6% $178

Eating Out

Bucharest

$228 16.9%

Targu Frumos

$170 17% 25.6% $58

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.6%

Targu Frumos

$182 18.2% 19.1% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$209 15.4%

Targu Frumos

$164 16.4% 21.6% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$135 10%

Targu Frumos

$124 12.4% 8.4% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Targu Frumos

$50 5% 25.1% $17

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Targu Frumos

$28 2.8% 1.5% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $711 in Bucharest and $387 in Targu Frumos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $58 in Bucharest vs $41 in Targu Frumos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $182 per month, with Targu Frumos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇷🇴 Targu Frumos

🕒 Local time

00:27 12:27 AM

Same time as Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

13,875

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Targu Frumos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,354 in Bucharest and $1,001 in Targu Frumos, so Targu Frumos is about 26% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,030 in Bucharest and $1,502 in Targu Frumos to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $711 in Bucharest versus $387 in Targu Frumos. 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 $1,001 in Targu Frumos – Targu Frumos is about 26% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 4% less than in Targu Frumos. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Targu Frumos gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.