Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Welkom

For one person, living is cheaper in Welkom: $1,057 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Welkom
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Welkom Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Welkom

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,057

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Welkom

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,057 in Welkom.

Bucharest $1,340
Welkom $1,057

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $1,595 in Welkom.

Bucharest $2,037
Welkom $1,595

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $2,132 in Welkom.

Bucharest $2,734
Welkom $2,132

Living in Bucharest is roughly 27% more expensive than in Welkom, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Welkom 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$9.03 R 149

60.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$20.75 R 342

179.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$5.50 R 90.6

36.00%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$2.30 R 37.92

49.57%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$0.50 R 8.20

374.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$0.63 R 10.32

265.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$1.19 R 19.67

210.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$1.52 R 25.05

173.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$1.05 R 17.35

59.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$1.06 R 17.42

29.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$1.42 R 23.35

21.13%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$1.80 R 29.60

102.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$6.71 R 111

35.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$4.52 R 74.4

51.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$4.82 R 79.5

148.96%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$1.52 R 25.12

-19.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$1.68 R 27.69

-2.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.72 R 28.42

-8.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$1.20 R 19.72

111.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$1.13 R 18.54

-30.09%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$1.22 R 20.09

-36.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$0.95 R 15.69

-8.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$1.34 R 22.12

-26.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$2.48 R 40.92

154.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$2.44 R 40.23

154.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.53 R 25.18

-22.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.83 R 30.12

-14.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$1.44 R 23.72

-40.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$0.31 R 5.11

106.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.81 R 13.35

-25.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$14.49 R 239

-55.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$1.52 R 25.04

28.95%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$35.3K R 581.8K

-17.88%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$34.5K R 568.2K

-22.76%

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

$196 RON 927

$151 R 2,491

29.55%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$37.35 R 615

-78.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$36.39 R 600

-74.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$32.34 R 533

55.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$9.53 R 157

165.79%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$7.32 R 121

11.34%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$265 R 4,368

136.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$5,448 R 89.8K

158.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$54.2 R 893

65.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$31.69 R 522

20.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$92.2 R 1,519

-14.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$82.6 R 1,361

9.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$394 R 6,490

72.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$364 R 5,997

23.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$729 R 12.0K

48.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$736 R 12.1K

-1.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$950 R 15.6K

295.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$754 R 12.4K

191.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

11.34

-40.48%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Welkom: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Welkom

$364 34.4% 18.8% $84

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Welkom

$130 12.3% 42.4% $95

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Welkom

$164 15.5% 27.3% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Welkom

$225 21.3% 5.5% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Welkom

$117 11.1% 12.4% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Welkom

$47 4.5% 29.4% $20

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Welkom

$10 * 1% 64.1% $18

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $394 in Welkom. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $58.0 in Bucharest vs $21.00 in Welkom for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $164 per month, with Welkom cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇿🇦 Welkom

🕒 Local time

16:58 4:58 PM

15:58 3:58 PM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

64,130

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Welkom 8,050 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Welkom

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 Welkom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Welkom differ by about 27% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $1,057 including rent). Welkom is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,011 in Bucharest and $1,585 in Welkom 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: $678 in Bucharest versus $394 in Welkom. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 38% higher in Bucharest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,340 per month in Bucharest versus $1,057 in Welkom – a 27% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,057 in Welkom versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Welkom but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Welkom 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 Welkom gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.