Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Varazdin

For one person, living is cheaper in Varazdin: $1,270 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $840 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bucharest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Varazdin
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Varazdin Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Varazdin

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,270

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Varazdin

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,270 in Varazdin.

Bucharest $1,340
Varazdin $1,270

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $1,842 in Varazdin.

Bucharest $2,037
Varazdin $1,842

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $2,414 in Varazdin.

Bucharest $2,734
Varazdin $2,414

Living in Bucharest is roughly 6% more expensive than in Varazdin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Varazdin 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$11.43 €10.17

26.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$61.8 €55.0

-6.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$10.15 €9.03

-26.31%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$2.26 €2.01

52.21%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$2.55 €2.27

-7.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$1.96 €1.74

17.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$3.94 €3.50

-6.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$3.43 €3.05

21.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$1.18 €1.05

41.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$1.64 €1.45

-16.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$2.58 €2.29

-33.33%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$3.40 €3.02

7.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$5.49 €4.88

65.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$8.31 €7.39

-17.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$14.36 €12.77

-16.43%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$1.67 €1.49

-26.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$1.70 €1.51

-4.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.77 €1.57

-11.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$2.38 €2.11

6.72%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$1.25 €1.11

-36.80%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$1.14 €1.02

-32.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$1.10 €0.97

-20.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$1.15 €1.02

-13.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$5.64 €5.01

11.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$7.96 €7.08

-22.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$0.76 €0.67

56.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$2.12 €1.89

-25.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$1.38 €1.23

-37.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$44.38 €39.47

-52.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$3.41 €3.03

-81.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$1.42 €1.26

-57.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$13.15 €11.69

-51.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$1.64 €1.46

19.51%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$26.3K €23.4K

10.39%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$23.5K €20.9K

13.20%

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

$196 RON 927

$146 €130

34.30%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$13.93 €12.39

-42.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$30.69 €27.30

-69.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$43.23 €38.45

16.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$12.78 €11.37

98.20%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$6.86 €6.10

18.80%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$154 €137

308.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$12.9K €11.5K

9.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$73.5 €65.3

21.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$33.37 €29.68

14.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$61.4 €54.6

29.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$71.9 €64.0

25.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$560 €498

21.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$422 €375

6.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$876 €779

23.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$467 €416

55.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$3,127 €2,781

19.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$2,478 €2,204

-11.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$1,379 €1,227

-3.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

3.73

80.97%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Varazdin: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Varazdin

$422 33.2% 5.9% $26

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Varazdin

$194 15.3% 14% $32

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Varazdin

$239 18.8% 6.1% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Varazdin

$190 15% 10.7% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Varazdin

$108 8.5% 19.3% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Varazdin

$57 4.5% 14.4% $9.6

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Varazdin

$60 4.8% 114% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $560 in Varazdin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Varazdin pays 4% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $58.0 in Bucharest vs $62.0 in Varazdin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $239 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇭🇷 Varazdin

🕒 Local time

19:58 7:58 PM

18:58 6:58 PM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

43,782

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Varazdin 790 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Varazdin

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 Varazdin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Varazdin differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $1,270 including rent). Varazdin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 4% lower in Varazdin. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $678 in Bucharest versus $560 in Varazdin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,340 per month in Bucharest versus $1,270 in Varazdin – a 6% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Varazdin runs roughly 110% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,270 in Varazdin versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Varazdin but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Varazdin 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 Varazdin 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 Varazdin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.