Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Tehran

For one person, living is cheaper in Tehran: $617 a month against $1,371 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Tehran
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Tehran Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,371

/mo nomad

Tehran

🇮🇷 Iran

$617

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Tehran

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,371 in Bucharest versus $617 in Tehran.

Bucharest $1,371
Tehran $617

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,067 in Bucharest versus $1,064 in Tehran.

Bucharest $2,067
Tehran $1,064

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,764 in Bucharest versus $1,511 in Tehran.

Bucharest $2,764
Tehran $1,511

Living in Bucharest is roughly 122% more expensive than in Tehran, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.51 RON 69.0

$3.45 $3.45

320.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 RON 291

$16.20 $16.20

277.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.46 RON 35.50

$3.91 $3.91

90.79%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.68 $0.68

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 $1.46

Cappuccino

$3.64 RON 17.33

$1.40 $1.40

160.00%

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

$2.62 RON 12.44

$0.50 $0.50

424.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 RON 11.24

$1.71 $1.71

38.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.78 RON 18.00

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 RON 19.54

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 RON 7.90

$0.67 $0.67

147.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 RON 6.64

$0.59 $0.59

137.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 RON 8.54

$3.46 $3.46

-48.27%

Eggs

$3.63 RON 17.27

$1.26 $1.26

188.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.92 RON 42.43

$4.32 $4.32

106.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.86 RON 32.65

$3.32 $3.32

106.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.99 RON 57.0

$10.44 $10.44

14.85%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.17

$1.48 $1.48

-12.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.77

$1.99 $1.99

-18.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.10

$1.27 $1.27

17.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.09

$0.63 $0.63

303.17%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 RON 3.86

$0.55 $0.55

47.27%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.79

$0.47 $0.47

70.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 RON 4.07

$0.52 $0.52

65.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RON 4.46

$0.27 $0.27

248.15%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.77 $0.77

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 $0.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.60 RON 31.42

$2.46 $2.46

168.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.33 RON 30.11

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.64

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 RON 7.54

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 RON 4.64

$0.11 $0.11

790.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.91 RON 99.5

$5.61 $5.61

272.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.51 $0.51

17.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 RON 2.93

$0.29 $0.29

113.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.37 RON 30.28

$3.01 $3.01

111.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 RON 9.63

$0.10 $0.10

1920.00%

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

$28.2K RON 134.1K

$49.6K $49.6K

-43.13%

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

$26.3K RON 125.0K

$45.6K $45.6K

-42.33%

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

$196 RON 933

$13.23 $13.23

1382.84%

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

$8.60 RON 40.89

$1.60 $1.60

437.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.20 RON 43.74

$3.85 $3.85

138.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 RON 243

$24.30 $24.30

110.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.04 RON 119

$13.26 $13.26

88.84%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 RON 39.31

$2.02 $2.02

308.91%

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

$681 RON 3,237

$108 $108

531.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K RON 89.1K

$2,533 $2,533

639.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 RON 444

$26.03 $26.03

258.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.87 RON 190

$38.33 $38.33

4.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 RON 381

$116 $116

-30.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 RON 431

$72.9 $72.9

24.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$731 RON 3,477

$419 $419

74.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 RON 2,234

$256 $256

83.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,110 RON 5,282

$940 $940

18.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 RON 3,435

$632 $632

14.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 RON 17.8K

$1,293 $1,293

189.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,233 RON 10.6K

$727 $727

207.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,365 RON 6,494

$210 $210

549.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

24.79

-72.77%

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

Last update for Bucharest: November 2, 2026

Last update for Tehran: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$470 34.3%

Tehran

$256 41.4% 45.6% $214

Eating Out

Bucharest

$229 16.7%

Tehran

$65 10.5% 71.7% $164

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.4%

Tehran

$128 20.7% 43.1% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 15.6%

Tehran

$19 3% 91.3% $195

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$137 10%

Tehran

$114 18.4% 16.8% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$68 4.9%

Tehran

$28 4.6% 58.1% $39

Getting Around

Bucharest

$29 2.1%

Tehran

$8 1.3% 71.9% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $731 in Bucharest and $419 in Tehran. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays about 6.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Bucharest vs $16 in Tehran for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $128 per month, with Tehran cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇮🇷 Tehran

🕒 Local time

20:10 8:10 PM

21:40 9:40 PM

1 h 30 min ahead of Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

8,000,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 4.76 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

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Between locations

Bucharest Tehran 2,350 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

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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 Tehran: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,371 in Bucharest and $617 in Tehran, so Tehran is about 55% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Bucharest is about 6.5 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: $731 in Bucharest versus $419 in Tehran. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,371 per month in Bucharest versus $617 in Tehran – Tehran is about 55% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Tehran runs roughly 73% less than in Bucharest. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $617 in Tehran versus $1,371 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tehran but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Tehran 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.

Expats usually find Tehran gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.