Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Zalaegerszeg

For one person, living is cheaper in Zalaegerszeg: $1,079 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Zalaegerszeg
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Zalaegerszeg Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Zalaegerszeg

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,079

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Zalaegerszeg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,079 in Zalaegerszeg.

Bucharest $1,340
Zalaegerszeg $1,079

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $1,632 in Zalaegerszeg.

Bucharest $2,037
Zalaegerszeg $1,632

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $2,185 in Zalaegerszeg.

Bucharest $2,734
Zalaegerszeg $2,185

Living in Bucharest is roughly 24% more expensive than in Zalaegerszeg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Zalaegerszeg 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.9

$13.95 Ft 4,522

3.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 276

$61.5 Ft 19.9K

-5.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.60

$9.40 Ft 3,046

-20.43%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.38

$2.99 Ft 968

15.05%

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

$2.37 RON 11.28

$2.05 Ft 663

15.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.94

$1.29 Ft 418

78.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.60

$1.97 Ft 639

87.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.80

$2.03 Ft 659

104.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.94

$1.19 Ft 384

40.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.53

$1.49 Ft 481

-8.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.18

$2.50 Ft 810

-31.20%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.31

$3.46 Ft 1,120

5.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 43.21

$11.38 Ft 3,688

-20.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.52

$5.85 Ft 1,895

16.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 57.1

$12.48 Ft 4,045

-3.85%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.83

$1.84 Ft 597

-33.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.77

$2.05 Ft 663

-20.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.49

$2.03 Ft 657

-22.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.08

$4.01 Ft 1,298

-36.66%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.77

$1.04 Ft 339

-24.04%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.68

$1.00 Ft 323

-23.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.15

$1.33 Ft 432

-34.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.73

$0.55 Ft 177

80.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 30.02

$7.83 Ft 2,538

-19.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.51

$6.17 Ft 2,001

0.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.66

$1.12 Ft 364

6.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.49

$2.09 Ft 677

-24.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.10

$1.14 Ft 370

-24.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 100

$18.30 Ft 5,930

15.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.06

$3.41 Ft 1,104

-81.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.87

$1.25 Ft 404

-52.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.60

$20.06 Ft 6,502

-67.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.31

$1.80 Ft 583

8.89%

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

$29.0K RON 138.0K

$28.6K Ft 9.3M

1.49%

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

$26.6K RON 126.7K

$33.8K Ft 11.0M

-21.20%

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

$196 RON 932

$144 Ft 46.6K

36.19%

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

$8.04 RON 38.25

$23.83 Ft 7,724

-66.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.46

$23.45 Ft 7,599

-60.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 239

$38.51 Ft 12.5K

30.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 121

$36.86 Ft 11.9K

-31.28%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.76

$7.45 Ft 2,416

9.40%

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

$628 RON 2,988

$216 Ft 70.1K

190.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 67.0K

$17.0K Ft 5.5M

-17.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 426

$29.98 Ft 9,718

198.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 182

$24.66 Ft 7,994

55.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 377

$51.0 Ft 16.5K

55.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 430

$55.7 Ft 18.1K

62.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,227

$332 Ft 107.5K

104.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,133

$286 Ft 92.8K

56.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,153

$454 Ft 147.0K

138.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,449

$311 Ft 100.9K

132.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.8K

$1,818 Ft 589.3K

106.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$1,519 Ft 492.2K

44.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,324

$762 Ft 247.0K

74.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

6.45

4.65%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Zalaegerszeg: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Zalaegerszeg

$286 26.6% 36.1% $162

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Zalaegerszeg

$203 18.8% 9.9% $22

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Zalaegerszeg

$240 22.3% 6.7% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Zalaegerszeg

$191 17.7% 10.4% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Zalaegerszeg

$73 6.7% 45.8% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Zalaegerszeg

$53 5% 19.7% $13

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Zalaegerszeg

$33 3% 15.2% $4.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $332 in Zalaegerszeg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 74% 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 $61.0 in Zalaegerszeg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $240 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇭🇺 Zalaegerszeg

🕒 Local time

19:14 7:14 PM

18:14 6:14 PM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

55,152

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 4.76 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 324 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 364 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Zalaegerszeg 770 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Zalaegerszeg

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 Zalaegerszeg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Zalaegerszeg differ by about 24% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $1,079 including rent). Zalaegerszeg is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 74% higher in Bucharest, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $678 in Bucharest versus $332 in Zalaegerszeg. 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 $1,079 in Zalaegerszeg – a 24% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Zalaegerszeg runs roughly 15% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,079 in Zalaegerszeg versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zalaegerszeg but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Zalaegerszeg 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 Zalaegerszeg 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 Zalaegerszeg gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.