Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Tembisa

For one person, living is cheaper in Tembisa: $1,106 a month against $1,337 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Tembisa
Learn more

Tembisa Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,337

/mo nomad

Tembisa

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,106

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Tembisa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,337 in Bucharest versus $1,106 in Tembisa.

Bucharest $1,337
Tembisa $1,106

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,029 in Bucharest versus $1,692 in Tembisa.

Bucharest $2,029
Tembisa $1,692

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,721 in Bucharest versus $2,279 in Tembisa.

Bucharest $2,721
Tembisa $2,279

Living in Bucharest is roughly 21% more expensive than in Tembisa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Tembisa 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.45 RON 68.4

$9.55 R 157

51.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$40.71 R 671

42.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.53 RON 35.65

$5.67 R 93.5

32.80%

Cappuccino

$3.45 RON 16.33

$2.24 R 36.98

54.02%

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

$2.46 RON 11.65

$1.05 R 17.34

134.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 RON 10.54

$0.87 R 14.40

156.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.76 RON 17.78

$2.42 R 39.79

55.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 RON 19.84

$2.78 R 45.74

50.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 RON 7.67

$1.21 R 19.90

33.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 RON 6.13

$1.13 R 18.68

15.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 RON 8.05

$1.75 R 28.88

-2.86%

Eggs

$3.79 RON 17.93

$2.54 R 41.85

49.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.86 RON 41.90

$8.67 R 143

2.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.90 RON 32.67

$5.08 R 83.7

35.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.14 RON 57.4

$7.38 R 122

64.50%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.17

$1.79 R 29.57

-27.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 RON 7.55

$1.68 R 27.65

-4.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.42

$1.81 R 29.74

-13.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 RON 12.67

$1.67 R 27.52

60.48%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 RON 3.82

$1.53 R 25.22

-47.06%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.73

$1.40 R 23.09

-43.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 RON 4.30

$1.24 R 20.48

-26.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 RON 4.58

$1.05 R 17.35

-7.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.41 RON 30.34

$3.61 R 59.5

77.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 RON 29.24

$5.31 R 87.5

16.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 RON 5.83

$1.43 R 23.50

-13.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 RON 7.91

$1.80 R 29.68

-7.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 RON 4.10

$1.36 R 22.38

-36.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.98 RON 99.3

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.66 RON 3.10

$0.68 R 11.20

-2.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.85

$0.98 R 16.21

-38.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.19 RON 29.28

$11.10 R 183

-44.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 RON 9.15

$1.54 R 25.38

25.32%

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

$28.7K RON 135.9K

$32.4K R 534.0K

-11.35%

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

$26.3K RON 124.6K

$31.7K R 521.5K

-16.83%

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

$196 RON 926

$148 R 2,438

32.20%

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

$8.49 RON 40.19

$31.88 R 525

-73.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.05 RON 42.84

$38.41 R 633

-76.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.54 RON 234

$32.17 R 530

53.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.03 RON 118

$9.83 R 162

154.63%

Cinema Ticket

$8.24 RON 39.01

$6.34 R 105

29.97%

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

$636 RON 3,007

$246 R 4,057

158.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K RON 69.0K

$6,091 R 100.3K

139.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.5 RON 419

$60.3 R 993

46.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 RON 183

$37.09 R 611

4.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 RON 373

$101 R 1,665

-22.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 RON 428

$82.4 R 1,358

9.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 RON 3,288

$406 R 6,686

71.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 RON 2,109

$365 R 6,008

22.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,084 RON 5,130

$688 R 11.3K

57.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$712 RON 3,368

$673 R 11.1K

5.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,797 RON 18.0K

$942 R 15.5K

303.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,202 RON 10.4K

$694 R 11.4K

217.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,354 RON 6,406

$574 R 9,454

135.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

10.94

-38.30%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Tembisa: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$446 33.3%

Tembisa

$365 33% 18.2% $81

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.9%

Tembisa

$146 13.2% 35.4% $80

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.9%

Tembisa

$195 17.6% 13.5% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Tembisa

$218 19.7% 2.4% $5.1

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$133 10%

Tembisa

$126 11.4% 5.3% $7.1

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$66 4.9%

Tembisa

$45 4.1% 32.1% $21

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Tembisa

$11 * 1% 60.8% $17

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 $695 in Bucharest and $406 in Tembisa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 136% 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 $41.00 in Tembisa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $195 per month, with Tembisa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇿🇦 Tembisa

🕒 Local time

00:06 12:06 AM

23:06 11:06 PM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

463,109

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Tembisa 7,840 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Tembisa

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 Tembisa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Tembisa differ by about 21% in total monthly costs ($1,337 vs $1,106 including rent). Tembisa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 136% 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 $406 in Tembisa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Bucharest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,337 per month in Bucharest versus $1,106 in Tembisa – a 21% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,106 in Tembisa versus $1,337 in Bucharest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Tembisa but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Tembisa 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 Tembisa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.