Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Zawiercie

For one person, living costs are similar in Bucharest and in Zawiercie: $1,340 and $1,331 a month, rent and utilities included.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Zawiercie
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Zawiercie Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Zawiercie

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,331

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Zawiercie

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,331 in Zawiercie.

Bucharest $1,340
Zawiercie $1,331

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $1,889 in Zawiercie.

Bucharest $2,037
Zawiercie $1,889

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $2,448 in Zawiercie.

Bucharest $2,734
Zawiercie $2,448

Living in Bucharest is roughly 1% more expensive than in Zawiercie, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$6.43 zł 24.99

125.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$34.17 zł 133

70.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$7.99 zł 31.06

-6.38%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$2.06 zł 8.01

66.99%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$1.29 zł 5.03

83.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$0.62 zł 2.40

270.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$2.77 zł 10.75

33.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$3.41 zł 13.24

21.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$0.92 zł 3.59

81.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$1.01 zł 3.91

35.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$1.45 zł 5.63

18.62%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$2.69 zł 10.43

35.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$7.89 zł 30.64

15.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$5.34 zł 20.74

28.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$11.81 zł 45.90

1.61%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$0.92 zł 3.59

33.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$1.43 zł 5.55

13.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.42 zł 5.51

10.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$2.57 zł 9.99

-1.17%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$0.74 zł 2.87

6.76%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$0.77 zł 3.01

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$1.23 zł 4.79

-29.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$0.49 zł 1.91

102.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$4.85 zł 18.85

30.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$6.52 zł 25.34

-4.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.01 zł 3.91

17.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.69 zł 6.55

-7.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$1.09 zł 4.25

-21.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$30.67 zł 119

-31.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$1.73 zł 6.72

-63.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.73 zł 2.82

-17.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$10.88 zł 42.28

-40.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$1.72 zł 6.67

13.95%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$30.8K zł 119.8K

-5.92%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$26.3K zł 102.1K

1.35%

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

$196 RON 927

$268 zł 1,040

-26.79%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$7.82 zł 30.39

2.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$10.25 zł 39.83

-8.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$36.54 zł 142

37.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$24.15 zł 93.8

4.89%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$5.24 zł 20.34

55.53%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$556 zł 2,160

12.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$12.1K zł 47.0K

16.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$70.2 zł 273

27.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$31.49 zł 122

21.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$89.4 zł 347

-11.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$92.7 zł 360

-2.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$593 zł 2,306

14.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$512 zł 1,990

-12.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$984 zł 3,823

10.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$803 zł 3,118

-9.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$2,952 zł 11.5K

27.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$2,227 zł 8,652

-1.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$876 zł 3,402

51.82%

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 Zawiercie: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Zawiercie

$512 38.5% 14.2% $64

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Zawiercie

$128 9.7% 42.9% $97

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Zawiercie

$189 14.2% 15.8% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Zawiercie

$286 21.5% 33.9% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Zawiercie

$128 9.6% 4.6% $6.2

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Zawiercie

$47 3.5% 29.3% $20

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Zawiercie

$40 3% 43.2% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $593 in Zawiercie. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 52% 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 $34.00 in Zawiercie for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $189 per month, with Zawiercie cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇵🇱 Zawiercie

🕒 Local time

17:18 5:18 PM

16:18 4:18 PM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

48,412

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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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Between locations

Bucharest Zawiercie 840 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Zawiercie

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 Zawiercie: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Zawiercie differ by about 1% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $1,331 including rent). Zawiercie is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 52% 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 $593 in Zawiercie. 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 $1,331 in Zawiercie – a 1% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Zawiercie runs roughly 45% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,331 in Zawiercie versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zawiercie but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Zawiercie 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 Zawiercie 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 Zawiercie gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.