Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Turda

For one person, living is cheaper in Turda: $1,115 a month against $1,337 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Turda
Learn more

Turda Living Index

Jump to prices

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,337

/mo nomad

Turda

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,115

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Turda

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,337 in Bucharest versus $1,115 in Turda.

Bucharest $1,337
Turda $1,115

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,029 in Bucharest versus $1,627 in Turda.

Bucharest $2,029
Turda $1,627

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,721 in Bucharest versus $2,140 in Turda.

Bucharest $2,721
Turda $2,140

Living in Bucharest is roughly 20% more expensive than in Turda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.45 RON 68.4

$12.82 RON 60.7

12.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$33.00 RON 156

75.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.53 RON 35.65

$8.25 RON 39.05

-8.73%

Cappuccino

$3.45 RON 16.33

$2.76 RON 13.07

25.00%

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

$2.46 RON 11.65

$1.77 RON 8.35

38.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 RON 10.54

$1.34 RON 6.32

66.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.76 RON 17.78

$2.17 RON 10.26

73.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 RON 19.84

$2.14 RON 10.14

95.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 RON 7.67

$1.46 RON 6.90

10.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 RON 6.13

$1.45 RON 6.86

-10.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 RON 8.05

$1.56 RON 7.38

8.97%

Eggs

$3.79 RON 17.93

$2.89 RON 13.67

31.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.86 RON 41.90

$6.13 RON 28.99

44.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.90 RON 32.67

$6.62 RON 31.32

4.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.14 RON 57.4

$11.50 RON 54.4

5.57%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.17

$1.14 RON 5.37

14.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 RON 7.55

$1.49 RON 7.07

7.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.42

$1.33 RON 6.30

18.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 RON 12.67

$2.42 RON 11.43

10.74%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 RON 3.82

$0.99 RON 4.68

-18.18%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.73

$0.94 RON 4.45

-15.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 RON 4.30

$0.92 RON 4.33

-1.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 RON 4.58

$1.02 RON 4.81

-4.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.41 RON 30.34

$5.16 RON 24.42

24.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 RON 29.24

$7.57 RON 35.80

-18.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 RON 5.83

$1.21 RON 5.71

1.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 RON 7.91

$1.63 RON 7.70

2.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 RON 4.10

$1.24 RON 5.87

-29.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.98 RON 99.3

$21.70 RON 103

-3.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.66 RON 3.10

$0.80 RON 3.80

-17.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.85

$0.76 RON 3.61

-21.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.19 RON 29.28

$6.09 RON 28.80

1.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 RON 9.15

$1.77 RON 8.35

9.04%

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

$28.7K RON 135.9K

$29.0K RON 137.4K

-1.04%

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

$26.3K RON 124.6K

$25.2K RON 119.1K

4.57%

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

$196 RON 926

$153 RON 726

27.52%

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

$8.49 RON 40.19

$8.54 RON 40.42

-0.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.05 RON 42.84

$9.48 RON 44.87

-4.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.54 RON 234

$37.72 RON 178

31.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.03 RON 118

$19.10 RON 90.4

31.05%

Cinema Ticket

$8.24 RON 39.01

$9.48 RON 44.87

-13.08%

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

$636 RON 3,007

$582 RON 2,752

9.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K RON 69.0K

$6,196 RON 29.3K

135.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.5 RON 419

$42.71 RON 202

107.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 RON 183

$42.77 RON 202

-9.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 RON 373

$98.6 RON 467

-20.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 RON 428

$108 RON 511

-16.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 RON 3,288

$439 RON 2,076

58.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 RON 2,109

$326 RON 1,541

36.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,084 RON 5,130

$665 RON 3,147

63.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$712 RON 3,368

$434 RON 2,055

63.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,797 RON 18.0K

$1,866 RON 8,829

103.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,202 RON 10.4K

$1,304 RON 6,169

68.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,354 RON 6,406

$737 RON 3,489

83.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

6.65

1.50%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Turda: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$446 33.3%

Turda

$326 29.2% 26.9% $120

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.9%

Turda

$188 16.9% 16.6% $38

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.9%

Turda

$210 18.9% 6.8% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Turda

$171 15.4% 19.6% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$133 10%

Turda

$131 11.8% 1.5% $2

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$66 4.9%

Turda

$57 5.1% 14.1% $9.3

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Turda

$31 2.8% 11.2% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Bucharest and $439 in Turda. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 84% 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 $33.00 in Turda for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $210 per month, with Turda cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇷🇴 Turda

🕒 Local time

23:03 11:03 PM

Same time as Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

47,744

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bucharest Turda 300 km

From you

Bucharest
Turda

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 Turda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Turda differ by about 20% in total monthly costs ($1,337 vs $1,115 including rent). Turda is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 84% 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 $439 in Turda. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,337 per month in Bucharest versus $1,115 in Turda – a 20% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Turda runs roughly 3% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,115 in Turda versus $1,337 in Bucharest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Turda but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Turda 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 Turda 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 Turda gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.