Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Targu Jiu

For one person, living is cheaper in Targu Jiu: $966 a month against $1,354 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Targu Jiu
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Targu Jiu Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,354

/mo nomad

Targu Jiu

🇷🇴 Romania

$966

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,354 in Bucharest versus $966 in Targu Jiu.

Bucharest $1,354
Targu Jiu $966

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,043 in Bucharest versus $1,502 in Targu Jiu.

Bucharest $2,043
Targu Jiu $1,502

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,733 in Bucharest versus $2,038 in Targu Jiu.

Bucharest $2,733
Targu Jiu $2,038

Living in Bucharest is roughly 40% more expensive than in Targu Jiu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.66 RON 70.5

$14.60 RON 70.2

0.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 277

$57.6 RON 277

0.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 RON 36.13

$7.24 RON 34.80

3.87%

Cappuccino

$3.56 RON 17.09

$3.56 RON 17.10

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

$2.47 RON 11.88

$1.02 RON 4.93

142.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 RON 10.50

$2.21 RON 10.64

-1.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 RON 17.72

$3.67 RON 17.66

0.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 RON 20.57

$4.23 RON 20.32

1.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 8.04

$1.67 RON 8.03

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.49

$1.28 RON 6.17

5.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.53

$1.77 RON 8.49

0.56%

Eggs

$3.56 RON 17.12

$2.75 RON 13.21

29.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.12 RON 43.84

$7.41 RON 35.63

23.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.82 RON 32.76

$2.91 RON 13.99

134.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.13 RON 58.3

$6.95 RON 33.40

74.53%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 RON 6.08

$0.91 RON 4.38

38.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 RON 7.80

$1.49 RON 7.17

8.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.49

$1.17 RON 5.60

33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.21

$1.22 RON 5.84

108.20%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 RON 3.76

$0.83 RON 3.97

-6.02%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.72

$0.74 RON 3.54

4.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 RON 4.27

$0.61 RON 2.92

45.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 RON 4.32

$0.50 RON 2.40

80.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 RON 31.48

$5.21 RON 25.02

25.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.37 RON 30.60

$3.00 RON 14.42

112.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 RON 5.97

$0.82 RON 3.93

51.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 RON 7.79

$1.07 RON 5.16

51.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 RON 4.10

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.71 RON 99.6

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 RON 2.95

$0.65 RON 3.12

-6.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.95

$0.61 RON 2.93

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.16 RON 29.62

$6.39 RON 30.69

-3.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 RON 9.60

$1.93 RON 9.30

3.63%

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

$27.9K RON 134.3K

$28.8K RON 138.4K

-2.92%

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

$25.3K RON 121.7K

$25.9K RON 124.3K

-2.06%

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

$192 RON 923

$196 RON 943

-2.16%

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

$7.92 RON 38.05

$6.01 RON 28.87

31.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.96 RON 43.05

$9.32 RON 44.78

-3.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.99 RON 240

$31.49 RON 151

58.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 RON 119

Cinema Ticket

$8.51 RON 40.88

$8.34 RON 40.08

2.04%

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

$686 RON 3,296

$676 RON 3,247

1.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 69.3K

$14.3K RON 68.8K

0.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.2 RON 434

$49.38 RON 237

82.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.74 RON 186

$25.42 RON 122

52.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.9 RON 379

$51.7 RON 248

52.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 RON 442

$84.2 RON 405

9.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$711 RON 3,418

$353 RON 1,698

101.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 RON 2,220

$233 RON 1,119

98.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 RON 5,063

$478 RON 2,295

120.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$723 RON 3,473

$403 RON 1,937

79.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,634 RON 17.5K

$2,555 RON 12.3K

42.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,173 RON 10.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,354 RON 6,506

$518 RON 2,490

161.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 26, 2026

Last update for Targu Jiu: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$462 34.1%

Targu Jiu

$233 24.1% 49.6% $229

Eating Out

Bucharest

$228 16.9%

Targu Jiu

$221 22.9% 3.1% $7.1

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.6%

Targu Jiu

$154 16% 31.5% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$209 15.4%

Targu Jiu

$212 21.9% 1.3% $2.7

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$135 10%

Targu Jiu

$95 9.8% 29.8% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Targu Jiu

$48 5% 28.1% $19

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Targu Jiu

$3.7 * 0.4% 86.7% $24

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $711 in Bucharest and $353 in Targu Jiu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays about 2.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $58 in Bucharest vs $58 in Targu Jiu. Groceries flip the comparison at $225 vs $154, with Targu Jiu cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇷🇴 Targu Jiu

🕒 Local time

19:42 7:42 PM

Same time as Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

82,504

💱 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

On the map

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Bucharest Targu Jiu 230 km

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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 Targu Jiu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Targu Jiu differ by about 40% in total monthly costs ($1,354 vs $966 including rent). Targu Jiu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Bucharest is about 2.6 times higher, 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 $353 in Targu Jiu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $686 in Bucharest versus $676 in Targu Jiu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,354 per month in Bucharest versus $966 in Targu Jiu – a 40% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Targu Jiu is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 – Targu Jiu wins on affordability, Bucharest on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.