Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Walbrzych

For one person, living is cheaper in Walbrzych: $1,194 a month against $1,337 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Walbrzych
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Walbrzych Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,337

/mo nomad

Walbrzych

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,194

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Walbrzych

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,337 in Bucharest versus $1,194 in Walbrzych.

Bucharest $1,337
Walbrzych $1,194

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,029 in Bucharest versus $1,932 in Walbrzych.

Bucharest $2,029
Walbrzych $1,932

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,721 in Bucharest versus $2,669 in Walbrzych.

Bucharest $2,721
Walbrzych $2,669

Living in Bucharest is roughly 12% more expensive than in Walbrzych, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Walbrzych 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.45 RON 68.4

$9.61 zł 37.35

50.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$46.21 zł 180

25.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.53 RON 35.65

$9.03 zł 35.09

-16.61%

Cappuccino

$3.45 RON 16.33

$3.48 zł 13.54

-0.86%

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

$2.46 RON 11.65

$2.67 zł 10.38

-7.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 RON 10.54

$2.63 zł 10.24

-15.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.76 RON 17.78

$4.61 zł 17.93

-18.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 RON 19.84

$5.00 zł 19.43

-16.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 RON 7.67

$1.00 zł 3.90

62.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 RON 6.13

$1.10 zł 4.26

18.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 RON 8.05

$1.38 zł 5.36

23.19%

Eggs

$3.79 RON 17.93

$3.27 zł 12.70

15.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.86 RON 41.90

$9.04 zł 35.14

-1.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.90 RON 32.67

$6.18 zł 24.02

11.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.14 RON 57.4

$11.73 zł 45.56

3.50%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.17

$0.92 zł 3.56

41.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 RON 7.55

$1.37 zł 5.34

16.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.42

$1.63 zł 6.32

-3.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 RON 12.67

$2.06 zł 8.00

30.10%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 RON 3.82

$0.79 zł 3.07

2.53%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.73

$0.93 zł 3.60

-15.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 RON 4.30

$1.40 zł 5.43

-35.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 RON 4.58

$0.63 zł 2.47

53.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.41 RON 30.34

$5.25 zł 20.39

22.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 RON 29.24

$6.66 zł 25.87

-7.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 RON 5.83

$1.10 zł 4.27

11.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 RON 7.91

$1.68 zł 6.52

-0.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 RON 4.10

$1.10 zł 4.27

-20.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.98 RON 99.3

$30.87 zł 120

-32.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.66 RON 3.10

$1.52 zł 5.91

-56.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.85

$0.54 zł 2.09

11.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.19 RON 29.28

$9.05 zł 35.15

-31.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 RON 9.15

$1.65 zł 6.42

16.97%

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

$28.7K RON 135.9K

$30.5K zł 118.5K

-5.83%

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

$26.3K RON 124.6K

$27.3K zł 106.0K

-3.47%

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

$196 RON 926

$214 zł 831

-8.50%

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

$8.49 RON 40.19

$7.66 zł 29.77

10.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.05 RON 42.84

$17.36 zł 67.5

-47.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.54 RON 234

$38.54 zł 150

28.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.03 RON 118

$22.20 zł 86.3

12.75%

Cinema Ticket

$8.24 RON 39.01

$4.71 zł 18.30

74.95%

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

$636 RON 3,007

$509 zł 1,979

24.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K RON 69.0K

$10.3K zł 40.1K

41.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.5 RON 419

$74.2 zł 288

19.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 RON 183

$39.45 zł 153

-1.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 RON 373

$88.7 zł 345

-11.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 RON 428

$94.5 zł 367

-4.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 RON 3,288

$598 zł 2,322

16.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 RON 2,109

$332 zł 1,291

34.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,084 RON 5,130

$999 zł 3,883

8.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$712 RON 3,368

$832 zł 3,231

-14.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,797 RON 18.0K

$2,939 zł 11.4K

29.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,202 RON 10.4K

$2,244 zł 8,720

-1.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,354 RON 6,406

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

6.87

-1.75%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Walbrzych: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$446 33.3%

Walbrzych

$332 27.8% 25.5% $113

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.9%

Walbrzych

$200 16.8% 11.3% $25

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.9%

Walbrzych

$202 16.9% 10.4% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Walbrzych

$239 20% 12% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$133 10%

Walbrzych

$134 11.2% 0.1% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$66 4.9%

Walbrzych

$48 4% 27.4% $18

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Walbrzych

$39 3.3% 40.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Bucharest and $598 in Walbrzych. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $58.0 in Bucharest vs $46.00 in Walbrzych for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $202 per month, with Walbrzych cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇵🇱 Walbrzych

🕒 Local time

03:44 3:44 AM

02:44 2:44 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

108,944

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1 PLN = 0.257 USD

1 PLN = 0.229 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PLN, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 3.89 PLN (1 PLN = 0.257 USD). 1 EUR = 4.37 PLN (1 PLN = 0.229 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Walbrzych 1,020 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Walbrzych

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 Walbrzych: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Walbrzych differ by about 12% in total monthly costs ($1,337 vs $1,194 including rent). Walbrzych is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,006 in Bucharest and $1,791 in Walbrzych to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $695 in Bucharest versus $598 in Walbrzych. 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 $1,194 in Walbrzych – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Walbrzych runs roughly 47% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,194 in Walbrzych versus $1,337 in Bucharest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Walbrzych but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Walbrzych 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 Walbrzych 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 Walbrzych gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.