Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Welwyn Garden City

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $2,222 in Welwyn Garden City, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 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
108

Cost of Living Index in Welwyn Garden City
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Welwyn Garden City Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Welwyn Garden City

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Welwyn Garden City

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 Welwyn Garden City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $2,222 in Welwyn Garden City.

Bucharest $1,340
Welwyn Garden City $2,222

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $4,264 in Welwyn Garden City.

Bucharest $2,037
Welwyn Garden City $4,264

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $6,307 in Welwyn Garden City.

Bucharest $2,734
Welwyn Garden City $6,307

Living in Bucharest costs roughly 40% less than in Welwyn Garden City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% below, Welwyn Garden City is 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$20.80 £15.60

-30.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$84.9 £63.7

-31.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$11.46 £8.60

-34.73%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$4.82 £3.62

-28.63%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$2.00 £1.50

18.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$1.68 £1.26

36.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$6.50 £4.87

-43.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$5.85 £4.39

-28.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$1.70 £1.27

-1.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$1.60 £1.20

-14.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$2.40 £1.80

-28.33%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$4.08 £3.06

-10.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$8.65 £6.49

4.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$8.58 £6.44

-20.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$16.39 £12.29

-26.78%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$3.03 £2.28

-59.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$1.47 £1.10

10.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$2.50 £1.87

-37.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$2.77 £2.08

-8.30%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$1.55 £1.17

-49.03%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$1.55 £1.16

-50.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$1.19 £0.89

-26.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$1.38 £1.04

-28.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$23.10 £17.33

-72.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$10.73 £8.05

-42.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$2.69 £2.02

-55.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$2.42 £1.82

-35.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$3.32 £2.49

-74.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$4.83 £3.62

-86.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$1.41 £1.06

-57.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$24.19 £18.15

-73.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$1.98 £1.49

-1.01%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$38.1K £28.6K

-23.86%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$39.8K £29.8K

-32.99%

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

$196 RON 927

$288 £216

-31.91%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$14.52 £10.89

-44.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$34.93 £26.20

-73.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$53.6 £40.23

-6.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$23.48 £17.61

-65.29%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$1,858 £1,394

-66.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$22.6K £16.9K

-37.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$113 £85.1

-21.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$40.26 £30.20

-4.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$88.8 £66.6

-10.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$93.0 £69.7

-2.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$1,451 £1,089

-53.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$997 £748

-55.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$3,798 £2,850

-71.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$3,614 £2,711

-79.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$7,445 £5,585

-49.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$4,290 £3,219

-48.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$3,831 £2,874

-65.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

5.05

33.66%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Welwyn Garden City: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Welwyn Garden City

$997 44.9% 122% $549

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Welwyn Garden City

$318 14.3% 41% $92

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Welwyn Garden City

$294 13.2% 30.5% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Welwyn Garden City

$337 15.2% 58.1% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Welwyn Garden City

$151 6.8% 12.7% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Welwyn Garden City

$101 4.5% 51.2% $34

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Welwyn Garden City

$25 * 1.1% 10.8% $3.1

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 $1,451 in Welwyn Garden City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Welwyn Garden City pays 188% 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 $85.0 in Welwyn Garden City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $294 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇬🇧 Welwyn Garden City

🕒 Local time

06:01 6:01 AM

04:01 4:01 AM

2 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

48,380

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, 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).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bucharest Welwyn Garden City 2,100 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Welwyn Garden City

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 Welwyn Garden City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Welwyn Garden City differ by about 66% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $2,222 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 188% lower in Welwyn Garden City. 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 $1,451 in Welwyn Garden City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 30% higher in Welwyn Garden City. 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 $2,222 in Welwyn Garden City – a 66% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $2,222 in Welwyn Garden City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Welwyn Garden City. The gap between the two cities makes Bucharest 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 Welwyn Garden City 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 Bucharest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Welwyn Garden City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.