Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Tesanj

For one person, living is cheaper in Tesanj: $880 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Tesanj
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Tesanj Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Tesanj

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$880

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Tesanj

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $880 in Tesanj.

Bucharest $1,340
Tesanj $880

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $1,288 in Tesanj.

Bucharest $2,037
Tesanj $1,288

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $1,696 in Tesanj.

Bucharest $2,734
Tesanj $1,696

Living in Bucharest is roughly 52% more expensive than in Tesanj, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Tesanj 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$3.38 BAM 5.87

328.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$16.14 BAM 28.07

259.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$2.82 BAM 4.91

165.25%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$0.84 BAM 1.46

309.52%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$1.39 BAM 2.42

70.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$0.83 BAM 1.44

177.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$1.97 BAM 3.42

87.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$1.70 BAM 2.95

144.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$0.83 BAM 1.44

101.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$0.83 BAM 1.44

65.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$2.47 BAM 4.30

-30.36%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$3.07 BAM 5.34

18.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$10.03 BAM 17.44

-9.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$7.09 BAM 12.33

-3.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$14.12 BAM 24.56

-15.01%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$0.99 BAM 1.72

24.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$1.60 BAM 2.79

1.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.22 BAM 2.12

28.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$1.76 BAM 3.06

44.32%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$1.05 BAM 1.82

-24.76%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$1.09 BAM 1.89

-29.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$1.15 BAM 2.00

-24.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$0.97 BAM 1.69

2.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$3.79 BAM 6.59

66.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$8.67 BAM 15.07

-28.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.11 BAM 1.94

7.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.33 BAM 2.31

18.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$1.48 BAM 2.57

-41.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$1.16 BAM 2.02

-44.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.59 BAM 1.03

1.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$10.46 BAM 18.18

-38.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$1.58 BAM 2.75

24.05%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$30.2K BAM 52.6K

-4.11%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$22.0K BAM 38.3K

20.92%

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

$196 RON 927

$93.1 BAM 162

110.50%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$18.33 BAM 31.87

-56.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$28.91 BAM 50.3

-67.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$33.13 BAM 57.6

51.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$28.53 BAM 49.62

-11.22%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$2.79 BAM 4.86

192.11%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$135 BAM 235

363.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$3,835 BAM 6,668

267.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$58.2 BAM 101

53.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$32.70 BAM 56.9

17.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$95.7 BAM 166

-17.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$128 BAM 222

-29.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$318 BAM 554

113.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$260 BAM 452

72.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$470 BAM 817

130.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$367 BAM 638

97.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$2,412 BAM 4,195

55.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$1,780 BAM 3,096

23.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$685 BAM 1,191

94.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

4.3

56.98%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Tesanj: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Tesanj

$260 29.5% 42% $188

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Tesanj

$68 7.7% 69.9% $158

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Tesanj

$222 25.2% 1.3% $3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Tesanj

$140 15.9% 34.2% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Tesanj

$142 16.1% 5.7% $7.6

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Tesanj

$39 4.4% 41.8% $28

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Tesanj

$10 * 1.1% 64.4% $18

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 $678 in Bucharest and $318 in Tesanj. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 94% 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 $16.00 in Tesanj for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $222 per month, with Tesanj cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇧🇦 Tesanj

🕒 Local time

07:57 7:57 AM

06:57 6:57 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

5,500

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1 BAM = 0.575 USD

1 BAM = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BAM, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BAM (1 BAM = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BAM (1 BAM = 0.512 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Tesanj 640 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Tesanj

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 Tesanj: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Tesanj differ by about 52% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $880 including rent). Tesanj is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 94% 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: $678 in Bucharest versus $318 in Tesanj. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Bucharest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,340 per month in Bucharest versus $880 in Tesanj – a 52% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $880 in Tesanj versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Tesanj but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Tesanj 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 Tesanj 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 Tesanj gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.