Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buchs and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,337 a month against $3,009 in Buchs, rent and utilities included – about $20,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

146

Cost of Living Index in Buchs
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Buchs Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Buchs

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,009

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,337

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buchs and in Bucharest

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Buchs and in Bucharest actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,009 in Buchs versus $1,337 in Bucharest.

Buchs $3,009
Bucharest $1,337

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,535 in Buchs versus $2,029 in Bucharest.

Buchs $4,535
Bucharest $2,029

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,062 in Buchs versus $2,721 in Bucharest.

Buchs $6,062
Bucharest $2,721

Living in Buchs is roughly 125% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buchs is 122% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.43 CHF 19.30

$14.45 RON 68.4

62.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 CHF 69.4

$58.1 RON 275

45.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.36 CHF 12.65

$7.53 RON 35.65

103.98%

Cappuccino

$4.71 CHF 3.88

$3.45 RON 16.33

36.52%

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

$3.77 CHF 3.10

$2.46 RON 11.65

53.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 CHF 2.63

$2.23 RON 10.54

43.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.13 CHF 5.04

$3.76 RON 17.78

63.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.39 CHF 4.44

$4.19 RON 19.84

28.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 CHF 1.66

$1.62 RON 7.67

24.07%

White Bread (500g)

$3.94 CHF 3.24

$1.30 RON 6.13

203.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.64 CHF 3.82

$1.70 RON 8.05

172.94%

Eggs

$7.32 CHF 6.03

$3.79 RON 17.93

93.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$32.21 CHF 26.53

$8.86 RON 41.90

263.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.51 CHF 15.24

$6.90 RON 32.67

168.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$32.47 CHF 26.74

$12.14 RON 57.4

167.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.53 CHF 2.91

$1.30 RON 6.17

171.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 CHF 1.76

$1.60 RON 7.55

33.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.14 CHF 2.59

$1.57 RON 7.42

100.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.70 CHF 5.52

$2.68 RON 12.67

150.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 CHF 1.46

$0.81 RON 3.82

119.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 CHF 2.10

$0.79 RON 3.73

221.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 CHF 2.01

$0.91 RON 4.30

168.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 CHF 1.00

$0.97 RON 4.58

24.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.84 CHF 8.92

$6.41 RON 30.34

69.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 CHF 10.46

$6.18 RON 29.24

105.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.28 CHF 2.70

$1.23 RON 5.83

166.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 CHF 3.22

$1.67 RON 7.91

134.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.17 CHF 4.25

$0.87 RON 4.10

494.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.98 RON 99.3

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 CHF 4.42

$0.66 RON 3.10

712.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.46 CHF 2.85

$0.60 RON 2.85

476.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$61.2 CHF 50.4

$6.19 RON 29.28

888.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 CHF 1.83

$1.93 RON 9.15

15.54%

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

$42.5K CHF 35.0K

$28.7K RON 135.9K

48.08%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

$26.3K RON 124.6K

50.28%

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

$184 CHF 152

$196 RON 926

-5.74%

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

$31.24 CHF 25.73

$8.49 RON 40.19

267.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.2 CHF 55.4

$9.05 RON 42.84

642.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.54 RON 234

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.03 RON 118

Cinema Ticket

$15.20 CHF 12.52

$8.24 RON 39.01

84.47%

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

$611 CHF 503

$636 RON 3,007

-3.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.7K CHF 17.0K

$14.6K RON 69.0K

41.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 CHF 88.0

$88.5 RON 419

20.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.70 CHF 19.52

$38.77 RON 183

-38.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.2 CHF 78.4

$78.8 RON 373

20.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$170 CHF 140

$90.6 RON 428

87.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,828 CHF 1,505

$695 RON 3,288

163.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,561 CHF 1,285

$446 RON 2,109

250.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,690 CHF 2,216

$1,084 RON 5,130

148.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,746 CHF 2,261

$712 RON 3,368

285.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,797 RON 18.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,202 RON 10.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,480 CHF 6,984

$1,354 RON 6,406

526.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.93

6.75

-71.41%

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

Last update for Buchs: October 18, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buchs

$1.6K 51.9%

Bucharest

$446 33.3% 71.4% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Buchs

$555 18.4%

Bucharest

$225 16.9% 59.4% $329

Eating Out

Buchs

$359 11.9%

Bucharest

$226 16.9% 37.2% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buchs

$283 9.4%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 24.6% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Buchs

$178 5.9%

Bucharest

$133 10% 25% $44

Getting Around

Buchs

$43 * 1.4%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 35.1% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Buchs

$30 * 1%

Bucharest

$66 4.9% 117% $36

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,828 in Buchs and $695 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buchs pays 526% 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: $84.0 in Buchs vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $555 vs $225 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Buchs

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

21:48 9:48 PM

22:48 10:48 PM

1 h ahead of Buchs

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,187

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buchs Bucharest 1,320 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Buchs
Bucharest

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

Buchs vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buchs and Bucharest differ by about 125% in total monthly costs ($3,009 vs $1,337 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 526% higher in Buchs, 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: $1,828 in Buchs versus $695 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 146% higher in Buchs. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $3,009 per month in Buchs versus $1,337 in Bucharest – a 125% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,337 in Bucharest versus $3,009 in Buchs, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Buchs. 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, Buchs and Bucharest 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 125% less than in Buchs. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.