Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Tunis

For one person, living is cheaper in Tunis: $859 a month against $1,351 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Tunis
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Tunis Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Tunis

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Tunis

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,351 in Bucharest versus $859 in Tunis.

Bucharest $1,351
Tunis $859

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,033 in Bucharest versus $1,293 in Tunis.

Bucharest $2,033
Tunis $1,293

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,715 in Bucharest versus $1,728 in Tunis.

Bucharest $2,715
Tunis $1,728

Living in Bucharest is roughly 57% more expensive than in Tunis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% above, Tunis is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 RON 68.9

$3.95 TND 11.77

266.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 275

$22.82 TND 68.1

152.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 RON 35.72

$5.86 TND 17.49

27.99%

Cappuccino

$3.43 RON 16.32

$1.17 TND 3.49

193.16%

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

$2.46 RON 11.72

$0.79 TND 2.36

211.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.09

$0.38 TND 1.13

513.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 RON 18.10

$1.72 TND 5.13

120.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.56

$2.73 TND 8.15

50.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.85

$0.49 TND 1.46

236.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.44

$0.39 TND 1.18

246.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.48

$1.70 TND 5.06

4.71%

Eggs

$3.66 RON 17.46

$1.84 TND 5.49

98.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 RON 40.84

$10.04 TND 29.97

-14.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RON 32.41

$5.98 TND 17.85

13.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 RON 55.8

$17.51 TND 52.3

-33.07%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.16

$2.14 TND 6.38

-39.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.43

$5.88 TND 17.56

-73.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.34

$1.11 TND 3.32

38.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 RON 11.84

$0.80 TND 2.40

210.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.95

$0.82 TND 2.44

1.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.80

$0.65 TND 1.95

23.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 4.01

$0.50 TND 1.49

68.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 RON 4.42

$0.34 TND 1.02

173.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 RON 30.68

$3.79 TND 11.30

69.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 RON 30.13

$6.52 TND 19.46

-3.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.99

$1.28 TND 3.83

-1.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 RON 7.65

$1.58 TND 4.70

1.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.88

$0.34 TND 1.02

138.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.13 RON 101

$16.93 TND 50.5

24.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.88

$0.32 TND 0.97

87.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.93

$0.31 TND 0.91

96.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.41

$1.85 TND 5.52

233.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.34

$0.88 TND 2.62

122.73%

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

$28.1K RON 134.2K

$39.6K TND 118.0K

-28.84%

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

$26.3K RON 125.3K

$36.0K TND 107.5K

-27.00%

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

$197 RON 938

$61.2 TND 183

221.49%

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

$8.34 RON 39.74

$8.82 TND 26.31

-5.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.19 RON 43.80

$20.50 TND 61.2

-55.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.87 RON 238

$34.96 TND 104

42.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 119

$12.54 TND 37.42

99.28%

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 RON 40.31

$5.99 TND 17.88

41.24%

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

$639 RON 3,046

$102 TND 305

526.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.6K

$3,211 TND 9,582

348.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 RON 432

$43.37 TND 129

108.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 RON 181

$59.8 TND 178

-36.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 RON 380

$102 TND 304

-21.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 RON 444

$86.6 TND 258

7.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 RON 3,209

$388 TND 1,158

73.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 RON 2,139

$253 TND 756

77.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 RON 5,234

$645 TND 1,925

70.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 RON 3,474

$391 TND 1,166

86.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,740 RON 17.8K

$1,467 TND 4,377

154.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 RON 10.4K

$776 TND 2,317

181.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,323 RON 6,306

$349 TND 1,040

279.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

10.28

-34.44%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Last update for Tunis: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$449 33.5%

Tunis

$253 29.9% 43.6% $196

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.8%

Tunis

$82 9.7% 63.7% $144

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$222 16.5%

Tunis

$222 26.3% 0.3% $0.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 16%

Tunis

$91 10.7% 57.8% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$136 10.1%

Tunis

$131 15.5% 3.3% $4.5

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Tunis

$47 5.6% 29.7% $20

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Tunis

$20 2.4% 28.2% $7.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $673 in Bucharest and $388 in Tunis. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 280% 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 $23.00 in Tunis. Groceries flip the comparison at $222 vs $222, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇹🇳 Tunis

🕒 Local time

07:50 7:50 AM

05:50 5:50 AM

2 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

728,453 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 TND = 0.335 USD

1 TND = 0.299 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.77 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.98 TND (1 TND = 0.335 USD). 1 EUR = 3.35 TND (1 TND = 0.299 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Tunis 1,590 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Tunis

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 Tunis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Tunis differ by about 57% in total monthly costs ($1,351 vs $859 including rent). Tunis is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 280% 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: $673 in Bucharest versus $388 in Tunis. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,351 per month in Bucharest versus $859 in Tunis – a 57% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Tunis runs roughly 25% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $859 in Tunis versus $1,351 in Bucharest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tunis but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Tunis 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 Tunis gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.