Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Urumqi

For one person, living is cheaper in Urumqi: $597 a month against $1,351 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Urumqi
Learn more

Urumqi Living Index

Jump to prices

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Urumqi

🇨🇳 China

$597

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Urumqi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,351 in Bucharest versus $597 in Urumqi.

Bucharest $1,351
Urumqi $597

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,033 in Bucharest versus $964 in Urumqi.

Bucharest $2,033
Urumqi $964

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,715 in Bucharest versus $1,332 in Urumqi.

Bucharest $2,715
Urumqi $1,332

Living in Bucharest is roughly 126% more expensive than in Urumqi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% above, Urumqi is 55% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 RON 68.9

$3.41 ¥22.84

324.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 275

$18.01 ¥121

220.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 RON 35.72

$5.16 ¥34.52

45.35%

Cappuccino

$3.43 RON 16.32

$2.79 ¥18.64

22.94%

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

$2.46 RON 11.72

$0.46 ¥3.10

434.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.09

$0.26 ¥1.75

796.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 RON 18.10

$1.14 ¥7.64

233.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.56

$1.77 ¥11.83

131.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.85

$1.27 ¥8.52

29.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.44

$0.91 ¥6.07

48.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.48

$0.65 ¥4.38

173.85%

Eggs

$3.66 RON 17.46

$1.52 ¥10.20

140.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 RON 40.84

$5.81 ¥38.91

47.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RON 32.41

$2.40 ¥16.06

183.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 RON 55.8

$9.91 ¥66.4

18.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.16

$2.04 ¥13.64

-36.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.43

$1.26 ¥8.45

23.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.34

$1.90 ¥12.69

-18.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 RON 11.84

$0.72 ¥4.81

244.44%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.95

$0.54 ¥3.59

53.70%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.80

$0.57 ¥3.82

40.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 4.01

$0.51 ¥3.38

64.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 RON 4.42

$0.48 ¥3.23

93.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 RON 30.68

$2.96 ¥19.85

117.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 RON 30.13

$10.17 ¥68.1

-37.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.99

$1.11 ¥7.41

13.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 RON 7.65

$1.52 ¥10.15

5.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.88

$0.31 ¥2.10

161.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.13 RON 101

$17.86 ¥120

18.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.88

$1.48 ¥9.91

-59.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.93

$0.29 ¥1.93

110.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.41

$7.26 ¥48.58

-15.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.34

$1.19 ¥7.96

64.71%

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

$28.1K RON 134.2K

$17.8K ¥119.0K

58.40%

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

$26.3K RON 125.3K

$14.0K ¥93.6K

87.98%

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

$197 RON 938

$66.8 ¥447

194.51%

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

$8.34 RON 39.74

$5.51 ¥36.90

51.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.19 RON 43.80

$11.18 ¥74.8

-17.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.87 RON 238

$22.05 ¥148

126.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 119

$9.48 ¥63.4

163.61%

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 RON 40.31

$6.09 ¥40.76

38.92%

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

$639 RON 3,046

$161 ¥1,079

296.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.6K

$8,771 ¥58.7K

64.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 RON 432

$52.0 ¥348

74.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 RON 181

$21.89 ¥147

73.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 RON 380

$105 ¥703

-24.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 RON 444

$44.58 ¥298

109.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 RON 3,209

$257 ¥1,721

161.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 RON 2,139

$121 ¥807

272.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 RON 5,234

$407 ¥2,727

169.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 RON 3,474

$247 ¥1,654

194.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,740 RON 17.8K

$1,887 ¥12.6K

98.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 RON 10.4K

$1,189 ¥7,959

84.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,323 RON 6,306

$1,136 ¥7,601

16.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

3.39

98.82%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Last update for Urumqi: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$449 33.5%

Urumqi

$121 19.9% 73.1% $328

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.8%

Urumqi

$88 14.5% 60.9% $137

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$222 16.5%

Urumqi

$158 26% 28.7% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 16%

Urumqi

$84 13.8% 61% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$136 10.1%

Urumqi

$101 16.6% 25.9% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Urumqi

$34 5.6% 48.7% $33

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Urumqi

$22 3.6% 21.5% $6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $673 in Bucharest and $257 in Urumqi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 17% 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 $18.00 in Urumqi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $158 per month, with Urumqi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇨🇳 Urumqi

🕒 Local time

08:03 8:03 AM

11:03 11:03 AM

3 h ahead of Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

4,054,369

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 CNY = 0.149 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, 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).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Urumqi 4,790 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Urumqi

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 Urumqi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Urumqi differ by about 126% in total monthly costs ($1,351 vs $597 including rent). Urumqi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 17% 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 $257 in Urumqi. 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 $597 in Urumqi – a 126% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Urumqi runs roughly 18% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $597 in Urumqi versus $1,351 in Bucharest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Urumqi but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Urumqi 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 Urumqi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 126% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.