Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Timisoara

For one person, living is cheaper in Timisoara: $1,197 a month against $1,354 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Timisoara
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Timisoara Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,354

/mo nomad

Timisoara

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,197

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Timisoara

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,354 in Bucharest versus $1,197 in Timisoara.

Bucharest $1,354
Timisoara $1,197

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,043 in Bucharest versus $1,776 in Timisoara.

Bucharest $2,043
Timisoara $1,776

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,733 in Bucharest versus $2,354 in Timisoara.

Bucharest $2,733
Timisoara $2,354

Living in Bucharest is roughly 13% more expensive than in Timisoara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.66 RON 70.5

$10.64 RON 51.2

37.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 277

$46.12 RON 222

25.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 RON 36.14

$8.44 RON 40.57

-10.90%

Cappuccino

$3.56 RON 17.09

$3.02 RON 14.52

17.88%

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

$2.47 RON 11.88

$2.20 RON 10.59

12.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 RON 10.50

$1.64 RON 7.89

32.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 RON 17.73

$2.70 RON 13.00

36.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 RON 20.57

$4.10 RON 19.72

4.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 8.04

$1.37 RON 6.60

21.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.49

$1.20 RON 5.76

12.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.53

$1.38 RON 6.63

28.99%

Eggs

$3.56 RON 17.12

$2.92 RON 14.02

21.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.12 RON 43.86

$8.40 RON 40.40

8.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.82 RON 32.77

$5.88 RON 28.28

15.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.13 RON 58.3

$10.89 RON 52.3

11.39%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 RON 6.08

$1.15 RON 5.53

9.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 RON 7.80

$1.46 RON 7.02

10.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.49

$1.40 RON 6.73

11.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.21

$2.37 RON 11.40

7.17%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 RON 3.76

$0.77 RON 3.71

1.30%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.72

$0.96 RON 4.62

-19.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 RON 4.27

$0.64 RON 3.08

39.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 RON 4.32

$0.78 RON 3.77

15.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 RON 31.49

$6.25 RON 30.03

4.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.37 RON 30.60

$7.46 RON 35.89

-14.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 RON 5.98

$1.14 RON 5.46

8.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 RON 7.80

$1.75 RON 8.41

-7.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 RON 4.11

$1.07 RON 5.14

-20.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.71 RON 99.6

$33.33 RON 160

-37.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 RON 2.95

$0.84 RON 4.06

-27.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.95

$0.87 RON 4.18

-29.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.16 RON 29.62

$8.40 RON 40.38

-26.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 RON 9.60

$1.90 RON 9.15

5.26%

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

$27.9K RON 134.4K

$28.9K RON 138.8K

-3.22%

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

$25.3K RON 121.7K

$24.8K RON 119.0K

2.32%

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

$192 RON 923

$168 RON 806

14.50%

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

$7.92 RON 38.06

$6.72 RON 32.30

17.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.96 RON 43.06

$8.47 RON 40.71

5.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.99 RON 240

$40.08 RON 193

24.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 RON 119

$15.65 RON 75.2

58.53%

Cinema Ticket

$8.51 RON 40.90

$7.86 RON 37.80

8.27%

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

$686 RON 3,297

$583 RON 2,802

17.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 69.3K

$8,900 RON 42.8K

61.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.2 RON 434

$75.7 RON 364

19.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.74 RON 186

$38.89 RON 187

-0.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.9 RON 379

$75.5 RON 363

4.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 RON 443

$89.3 RON 429

3.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$711 RON 3,419

$568 RON 2,729

25.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 RON 2,220

$404 RON 1,941

14.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 RON 5,064

$802 RON 3,855

31.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$723 RON 3,474

$600 RON 2,882

20.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,634 RON 17.5K

$2,656 RON 12.8K

36.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,173 RON 10.4K

$1,847 RON 8,879

17.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,354 RON 6,508

$1,151 RON 5,534

17.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

6.88

-1.89%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 26, 2026

Last update for Timisoara: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$462 34.1%

Timisoara

$404 33.7% 12.6% $58

Eating Out

Bucharest

$228 16.9%

Timisoara

$184 15.4% 19.4% $44

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.6%

Timisoara

$202 16.9% 9.9% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$209 15.4%

Timisoara

$183 15.3% 12.5% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$135 10%

Timisoara

$126 10.5% 6.9% $9.3

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Timisoara

$56 4.7% 16.7% $11

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Timisoara

$43 3.6% 53.9% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $711 in Bucharest and $568 in Timisoara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 18% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $58 in Bucharest vs $46 in Timisoara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $202 per month, with Timisoara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇷🇴 Timisoara

🕒 Local time

20:38 8:38 PM

Same time as Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

319,279

💱 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

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Bucharest Timisoara 410 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 Timisoara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Timisoara differ by about 13% in total monthly costs ($1,354 vs $1,197 including rent). Timisoara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 18% 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: $711 in Bucharest versus $568 in Timisoara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,354 per month in Bucharest versus $1,197 in Timisoara – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 38% less than in Timisoara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Timisoara gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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