Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Yens

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $3,329 in Yens, rent and utilities included – about $23,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index
162

Cost of Living Index in Yens
Learn more

Yens Living Index

Jump to prices

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Yens

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,329

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Yens

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $3,329 in Yens.

Bucharest $1,340
Yens $3,329

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $5,100 in Yens.

Bucharest $2,037
Yens $5,100

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $6,872 in Yens.

Bucharest $2,734
Yens $6,872

Living in Bucharest costs roughly 60% less than in Yens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% below, Yens is 147% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$29.34 CHF 24.16

-50.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$119 CHF 98.0

-51.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$15.95 CHF 13.14

-53.10%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$6.00 CHF 4.94

-42.67%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$4.95 CHF 4.08

-52.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$4.27 CHF 3.51

-46.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$9.07 CHF 7.47

-59.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$7.69 CHF 6.34

-45.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$2.13 CHF 1.76

-21.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$2.99 CHF 2.46

-54.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$3.18 CHF 2.62

-45.91%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$7.17 CHF 5.91

-49.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$23.95 CHF 19.73

-62.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$28.06 CHF 23.11

-75.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$39.38 CHF 32.44

-69.53%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$3.63 CHF 2.99

-66.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$1.95 CHF 1.61

-16.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$2.52 CHF 2.08

-37.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$4.43 CHF 3.65

-42.66%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$1.62 CHF 1.34

-51.23%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$1.94 CHF 1.60

-60.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$1.98 CHF 1.63

-56.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$1.27 CHF 1.05

-22.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$10.70 CHF 8.81

-41.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$11.98 CHF 9.87

-48.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$2.24 CHF 1.85

-46.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$2.86 CHF 2.36

-45.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$4.58 CHF 3.77

-81.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$98.4 CHF 81.0

-78.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$7.70 CHF 6.34

-91.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$4.56 CHF 3.75

-86.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$84.2 CHF 69.3

-92.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$2.36 CHF 1.94

-16.95%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$41.9K CHF 34.5K

-30.77%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$39.7K CHF 32.7K

-32.90%

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

$196 RON 927

$274 CHF 225

-28.42%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$27.35 CHF 22.52

-70.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$51.4 CHF 42.31

-81.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$89.6 CHF 73.8

-43.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$45.51 CHF 37.48

-44.34%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$24.00 CHF 19.76

-66.04%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$2,954 CHF 2,433

-78.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$30.3K CHF 25.0K

-53.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$141 CHF 116

-36.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$61.4 CHF 50.6

-37.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$138 CHF 114

-42.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$197 CHF 162

-54.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$1,679 CHF 1,383

-59.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$1,440 CHF 1,186

-68.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$2,839 CHF 2,338

-61.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$2,494 CHF 2,054

-70.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$16.2K CHF 13.3K

-76.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$12.0K CHF 9,900

-81.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

1.95

246.15%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Yens: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Yens

$1.4K 43.3% 221% $991

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Yens

$452 13.6% 101% $227

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Yens

$558 16.8% 148% $333

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Yens

$352 10.6% 65.2% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Yens

$242 7.3% 80.6% $108

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Yens

$138 4.1% 107% $71

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Yens

$147 4.4% 422% $119

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $1,679 in Yens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $58.0 in Bucharest vs $119 in Yens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $558 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇨🇭 Yens

🕒 Local time

09:25 9:25 AM

08:25 8:25 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

2,200

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bucharest Yens 1,550 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Yens

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 Yens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Yens differ by about 148% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $3,329 including rent). Bucharest 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 $4,993 in Yens 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 $1,679 in Yens. 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 $3,329 in Yens – a 148% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 366% less than in Yens. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $3,329 in Yens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Yens. 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 Yens 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 148% less than in Yens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.