Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Zabrze

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $1,493 in Zabrze, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Zabrze outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Zabrze
Learn more

Zabrze Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Zabrze

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,493

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Zabrze

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,493 in Zabrze.

Bucharest $1,340
Zabrze $1,493

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $2,098 in Zabrze.

Bucharest $2,037
Zabrze $2,098

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $2,703 in Zabrze.

Bucharest $2,734
Zabrze $2,703

Living in Bucharest costs roughly 10% less than in Zabrze, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% below, Zabrze is 11% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$10.13 zł 39.36

43.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$34.13 zł 133

70.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$8.65 zł 33.60

-13.53%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$3.76 zł 14.62

-8.51%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$2.14 zł 8.33

10.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$1.89 zł 7.36

21.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$3.48 zł 13.51

6.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$4.64 zł 18.02

-10.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$0.97 zł 3.77

72.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$1.19 zł 4.61

15.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$1.46 zł 5.66

17.81%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$3.23 zł 12.56

12.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$7.98 zł 30.99

13.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$5.59 zł 21.71

22.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$11.95 zł 46.43

0.42%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$1.03 zł 4.01

19.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$1.40 zł 5.42

16.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.46 zł 5.66

7.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$2.61 zł 10.12

-2.68%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$0.98 zł 3.81

-19.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$0.84 zł 3.27

-8.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$1.24 zł 4.80

-29.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$0.60 zł 2.33

65.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$5.77 zł 22.40

9.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$6.23 zł 24.21

-0.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.04 zł 4.05

14.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.71 zł 6.62

-8.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$1.06 zł 4.11

-18.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$30.40 zł 118

-30.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$1.75 zł 6.79

-63.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.74 zł 2.86

-18.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$10.06 zł 39.07

-36.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$1.69 zł 6.56

15.98%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$30.1K zł 116.8K

-3.51%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$25.9K zł 100.7K

2.80%

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

$196 RON 927

$338 zł 1,312

-42.00%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$9.91 zł 38.52

-18.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$17.31 zł 67.3

-45.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$37.82 zł 147

32.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$24.08 zł 93.6

5.19%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$7.70 zł 29.91

5.84%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$477 zł 1,853

31.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$12.1K zł 47.0K

16.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$70.2 zł 273

27.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$31.68 zł 123

20.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$90.1 zł 350

-11.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$92.5 zł 359

-2.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$670 zł 2,601

1.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$513 zł 1,995

-12.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$975 zł 3,787

11.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$808 zł 3,139

-10.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$2,950 zł 11.5K

27.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$2,240 zł 8,702

-1.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

7.19

-6.12%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Zabrze: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Zabrze

$513 34.4% 14.5% $65

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Zabrze

$195 13.1% 13.4% $30

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Zabrze

$198 13.3% 11.9% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Zabrze

$365 24.5% 71.1% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Zabrze

$128 8.6% 4.4% $5.9

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Zabrze

$53 3.6% 20% $13

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Zabrze

$40 2.7% 42% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $670 in Zabrze. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $58.0 in Bucharest vs $34.00 in Zabrze for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $198 per month, with Zabrze cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇵🇱 Zabrze

🕒 Local time

11:42 11:42 AM

10:42 10:42 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

169,831

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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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Bucharest Zabrze 850 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Zabrze

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 Zabrze: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Zabrze differ by about 11% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $1,493 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 $2,239 in Zabrze 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 $670 in Zabrze. 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 $1,493 in Zabrze – a 11% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 44% less than in Zabrze. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,493 in Zabrze, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Zabrze. 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 Zabrze 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 11% less than in Zabrze. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.