Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Zalau Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Zalau

šŸ˜ Solo nomad: Bucharest is 41.1% more expensive than Zalau without rent, and 43.4% more expensive with rent.
šŸ˜ Family of 3: Bucharest is 71% more expensive than Zalau without rent, and 55.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
šŸ½ Eating Out
Bucharest
Zalau
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.71 RONĀ 60.1
$7.93 RONĀ 34.72
72.89%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$69.5 RONĀ 304
$34.85 RONĀ 153
99.37%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.20 RONĀ 35.93
$5.67 RONĀ 24.84
44.62%
Cappuccino
$3.35 RONĀ 14.67
$2.13 RONĀ 9.31
57.28%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.34 RONĀ 10.27
$2.02 RONĀ 8.83
15.84%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.40 RONĀ 10.51
$1.71 RONĀ 7.47
40.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.39 RONĀ 14.87
$2.80 RONĀ 12.26
21.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.02 RONĀ 17.60
$2.83 RONĀ 12.40
42.05%
šŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Bucharest
Zalau
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.73 RONĀ 7.56
$1.45 RONĀ 6.37
19.31%
White Bread (500g)
$1.41 RONĀ 6.20
$1.27 RONĀ 5.56
11.02%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.84 RONĀ 8.04
$1.40 RONĀ 6.12
31.43%
Eggs
$3.68 RONĀ 16.10
$2.19 RONĀ 9.57
68.04%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.55 RONĀ 41.85
$7.95 RONĀ 34.81
20.13%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.15 RONĀ 31.33
$6.15 RONĀ 26.92
16.26%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.32 RONĀ 54.0
$9.03 RONĀ 39.53
36.43%
Apples (1kg)
$1.41 RONĀ 6.17
$0.87 RONĀ 3.83
62.07%
Banana (1kg)
$1.74 RONĀ 7.62
$1.56 RONĀ 6.85
11.54%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.74 RONĀ 7.62
$1.64 RONĀ 7.20
6.10%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.42 RONĀ 10.60
$2.23 RONĀ 9.75
8.52%
Potato (1kg)
$1.00 RONĀ 4.36
$0.67 RONĀ 2.92
49.25%
Onion (1kg)
$0.95 RONĀ 4.16
$0.66 RONĀ 2.90
43.94%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.92 RONĀ 4.01
$0.70 RONĀ 3.08
31.43%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.91 RONĀ 3.98
$0.93 RONĀ 4.08
-2.15%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.40 RONĀ 28.01
$5.38 RONĀ 23.54
18.96%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.34 RONĀ 32.16
$5.80 RONĀ 25.40
26.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 RONĀ 5.42
$0.99 RONĀ 4.32
25.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.00 RONĀ 8.77
$1.24 RONĀ 5.41
61.29%
šŸšŒ Getting Around
Bucharest
Zalau
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.14 RONĀ 4.99
$0.90 RONĀ 3.94
26.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.76 RONĀ 86.6
$20.16 RONĀ 88.3
-1.98%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.66 RONĀ 2.91
$0.94 RONĀ 4.11
-29.79%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.62 RONĀ 2.71
$0.79 RONĀ 3.45
-21.52%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.88 RONĀ 30.13
$9.40 RONĀ 41.19
-26.81%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.70 RONĀ 7.44
$1.66 RONĀ 7.25
2.41%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.3K RONĀ 124.1K
$28.4K RONĀ 124.5K
-0.35%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.8K RONĀ 130.6K
$26.3K RONĀ 115.2K
13.37%
šŸ§¾ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bucharest
Zalau
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$178 RONĀ 780
$141 RONĀ 617
26.40%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.85 RONĀ 38.77
$4.51 RONĀ 19.75
96.23%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$11.39 RONĀ 49.91
$6.85 RONĀ 30.00
66.28%
šŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Bucharest
Zalau
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.3 RONĀ 238
$36.31 RONĀ 159
49.41%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$29.05 RONĀ 127
$19.33 RONĀ 84.7
50.28%
Cinema Ticket
$9.35 RONĀ 40.95
$5.74 RONĀ 25.12
62.89%
šŸ§ø Childcare & Education
Bucharest
Zalau
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$660 RONĀ 2,890
$434 RONĀ 1,903
51.89%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K RONĀ 64.7K
$6,946 RONĀ 30.4K
112.72%
šŸ‘•šŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Bucharest
Zalau
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$79.7 RONĀ 349
$56.6 RONĀ 248
40.78%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.83 RONĀ 196
$38.89 RONĀ 170
15.27%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$89.2 RONĀ 391
$63.6 RONĀ 279
40.19%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$111 RONĀ 487
$69.7 RONĀ 305
59.59%
šŸ  Accommodation & Living
Bucharest
Zalau
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$665 RONĀ 2,911
$385 RONĀ 1,685
72.76%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$435 RONĀ 1,906
$291 RONĀ 1,277
49.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,322 RONĀ 5,789
$581 RONĀ 2,544
127.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$833 RONĀ 3,649
$442 RONĀ 1,938
88.32%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,176 RONĀ 18.3K
$1,729 RONĀ 7,571
141.58%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,301 RONĀ 10.1K
$1,427 RONĀ 6,249
61.26%
šŸ’µ Salaries & Financials
Bucharest
Zalau
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,437 RONĀ 6,293
$685 RONĀ 3,002
109.63%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.1
6.5
9.23%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input ā€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Bucharest: February 28, 2026

Last update for Zalau: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)
The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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