Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Targu Mures

For one person, living is cheaper in Targu Mures: $938 a month against $1,337 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Targu Mures
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Targu Mures Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,337

/mo nomad

Targu Mures

🇷🇴 Romania

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,337 in Bucharest versus $938 in Targu Mures.

Bucharest $1,337
Targu Mures $938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,029 in Bucharest versus $1,461 in Targu Mures.

Bucharest $2,029
Targu Mures $1,461

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,721 in Bucharest versus $1,984 in Targu Mures.

Bucharest $2,721
Targu Mures $1,984

Living in Bucharest is roughly 43% more expensive than in Targu Mures, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Targu Mures 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.45 RON 68.4

$9.12 RON 43.15

58.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$42.19 RON 200

37.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.53 RON 35.65

$8.00 RON 37.83

-5.87%

Cappuccino

$3.45 RON 16.33

$2.17 RON 10.27

58.99%

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

$2.46 RON 11.65

$1.44 RON 6.83

70.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 RON 10.54

$1.23 RON 5.83

81.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.76 RON 17.78

$1.91 RON 9.04

96.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 RON 19.84

$2.26 RON 10.68

85.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 RON 7.67

$1.34 RON 6.34

20.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 RON 6.13

$1.07 RON 5.07

21.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 RON 8.05

$1.45 RON 6.87

17.24%

Eggs

$3.79 RON 17.93

$2.88 RON 13.65

31.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.86 RON 41.90

$8.00 RON 37.84

10.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.90 RON 32.67

$5.81 RON 27.47

18.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.14 RON 57.4

$10.08 RON 47.68

20.44%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.17

$1.00 RON 4.72

30.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 RON 7.55

$1.33 RON 6.29

20.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.42

$1.39 RON 6.59

12.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 RON 12.67

$1.90 RON 9.00

41.05%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 RON 3.82

$0.77 RON 3.64

5.19%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.73

$0.55 RON 2.61

43.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 RON 4.30

$0.80 RON 3.79

13.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 RON 4.58

$0.77 RON 3.64

25.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.41 RON 30.34

$5.84 RON 27.61

9.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 RON 29.24

$7.39 RON 34.98

-16.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 RON 5.83

$1.07 RON 5.06

14.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 RON 7.91

$1.55 RON 7.32

7.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 RON 4.10

$0.66 RON 3.11

31.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.98 RON 99.3

$25.06 RON 119

-16.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.66 RON 3.10

$0.88 RON 4.14

-25.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.85

$0.85 RON 4.04

-29.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.19 RON 29.28

$7.47 RON 35.32

-17.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 RON 9.15

$1.81 RON 8.55

6.63%

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

$28.7K RON 135.9K

$28.1K RON 133.0K

2.22%

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

$26.3K RON 124.6K

$25.3K RON 119.8K

3.99%

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

$196 RON 926

$101 RON 477

94.11%

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

$8.49 RON 40.19

$9.37 RON 44.35

-9.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.05 RON 42.84

$8.19 RON 38.75

10.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.54 RON 234

$42.30 RON 200

17.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.03 RON 118

$18.38 RON 87.0

36.18%

Cinema Ticket

$8.24 RON 39.01

$6.27 RON 29.67

31.42%

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

$636 RON 3,007

$1,330 RON 6,291

-52.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K RON 69.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.5 RON 419

$52.3 RON 248

69.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 RON 183

$29.80 RON 141

30.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 RON 373

$76.7 RON 363

2.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 RON 428

$77.4 RON 366

16.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 RON 3,288

$415 RON 1,964

67.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 RON 2,109

$286 RON 1,355

55.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,084 RON 5,130

$650 RON 3,077

66.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$712 RON 3,368

$472 RON 2,232

50.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,797 RON 18.0K

$2,238 RON 10.6K

69.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,202 RON 10.4K

$1,487 RON 7,035

48.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,354 RON 6,406

$991 RON 4,687

36.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

7.47

-9.64%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Targu Mures: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$446 33.3%

Targu Mures

$286 30.5% 35.7% $159

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.9%

Targu Mures

$148 15.8% 34.5% $78

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.9%

Targu Mures

$192 20.5% 14.9% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Targu Mures

$118 12.6% 44.5% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$133 10%

Targu Mures

$106 11.3% 20.4% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$66 4.9%

Targu Mures

$55 5.8% 16.9% $11

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Targu Mures

$33 3.5% 16.7% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Bucharest and $415 in Targu Mures. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 37% 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 $42.00 in Targu Mures for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $192 per month, with Targu Mures cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇷🇴 Targu Mures

🕒 Local time

03:43 3:43 AM

Same time as Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

134,290

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 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 Mures: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Targu Mures differ by about 43% in total monthly costs ($1,337 vs $938 including rent). Targu Mures is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 37% 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: $695 in Bucharest versus $415 in Targu Mures. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,337 per month in Bucharest versus $938 in Targu Mures – a 43% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Targu Mures runs roughly 19% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $938 in Targu Mures versus $1,337 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Targu Mures but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Targu Mures 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 Targu Mures 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 Targu Mures gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.