Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buzau and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Buzau: $979 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Buzau
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Buzau Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Buzau

🇷🇴 Romania

$979

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buzau 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 Buzau and in Bucharest actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $979 in Buzau versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Buzau $979
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,449 in Buzau versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Buzau $1,449
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,919 in Buzau versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Buzau $1,919
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Buzau costs roughly 27% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Buzau 27% lower, Bucharest 1% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.42 RON 49.30

$14.49 RON 68.6

-28.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.71 RON 117

$58.1 RON 275

-57.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.30 RON 29.79

$7.48 RON 35.40

-15.78%

Cappuccino

$2.02 RON 9.58

$3.44 RON 16.29

-41.28%

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

$1.93 RON 9.12

$2.37 RON 11.22

-18.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 RON 7.08

$2.30 RON 10.88

-34.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.66 RON 7.85

$3.70 RON 17.51

-55.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 RON 8.10

$4.16 RON 19.69

-58.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 RON 8.32

$1.67 RON 7.90

5.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 RON 6.21

$1.37 RON 6.50

-4.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 RON 6.84

$1.72 RON 8.14

-15.70%

Eggs

$3.10 RON 14.67

$3.64 RON 17.22

-14.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.50 RON 35.47

$9.08 RON 42.98

-17.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 RON 31.33

$6.84 RON 32.35

-3.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.10 RON 52.5

$12.00 RON 56.8

-7.50%

Apples (1kg)

$0.95 RON 4.50

$1.23 RON 5.80

-22.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.72

$1.63 RON 7.73

Oranges (1kg)

$1.11 RON 5.25

$1.57 RON 7.45

-29.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.83

$2.54 RON 12.01

-51.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 RON 3.18

$0.79 RON 3.75

-15.19%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 RON 3.68

$0.77 RON 3.66

1.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.48 RON 2.28

$0.87 RON 4.13

-44.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 RON 3.11

$0.99 RON 4.70

-33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.24 RON 29.54

$6.31 RON 29.86

-1.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.43 RON 30.42

$6.20 RON 29.34

3.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 RON 3.58

$1.19 RON 5.63

-36.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 RON 6.77

$1.57 RON 7.45

-8.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 RON 3.10

$0.86 RON 4.08

-23.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.60 RON 102

$21.10 RON 99.8

2.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.52 RON 2.47

$0.64 RON 3.05

-18.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.49 RON 2.32

$0.60 RON 2.86

-18.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.19 RON 29.27

$6.43 RON 30.43

-3.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.81

$1.96 RON 9.25

-15.82%

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

$19.4K RON 91.7K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

-33.14%

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

$21.1K RON 100.0K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

-20.65%

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

$119 RON 563

$196 RON 927

-39.30%

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

$7.87 RON 37.24

$8.04 RON 38.04

-2.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.72 RON 36.53

$9.35 RON 44.21

-17.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.03 RON 152

$50.2 RON 238

-36.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.85 RON 84.5

$25.33 RON 120

-29.53%

Cinema Ticket

$6.89 RON 32.60

$8.15 RON 38.55

-15.46%

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

$285 RON 1,348

$628 RON 2,971

-54.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,766 RON 32.0K

$14.1K RON 66.6K

-51.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.5 RON 258

$89.6 RON 424

-39.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.7 RON 273

$38.32 RON 181

50.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.5 RON 461

$79.3 RON 375

23.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.1 RON 398

$90.4 RON 428

-6.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$344 RON 1,629

$678 RON 3,209

-49.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$292 RON 1,379

$448 RON 2,121

-34.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$606 RON 2,867

$1,083 RON 5,125

-44.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$423 RON 2,002

$725 RON 3,430

-41.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,475 RON 6,976

$3,751 RON 17.7K

-60.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,194 RON 5,648

$2,195 RON 10.4K

-45.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$850 RON 4,021

$1,329 RON 6,290

-36.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.97

6.75

3.26%

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

Last update for Buzau: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buzau

$292 29.8%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 53.8% $157

Groceries & Markets

Buzau

$196 20%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 14.9% $29

Eating Out

Buzau

$152 15.5%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 48.2% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buzau

$134 13.7%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 58.6% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Buzau

$132 13.5%

Bucharest

$134 10% 1.3% $1.7

Sport & Entertainment

Buzau

$46 4.7%

Bucharest

$67 5% 45.2% $21

Getting Around

Buzau

$27 2.8%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 3.7% $1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $344 in Buzau and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 56% 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: $25.00 in Buzau vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $196 vs $225 per month, with Buzau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Buzau

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

03:14 3:14 AM

Same time as Buzau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

115,494

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Buzau Bucharest 98 km

From you

Buzau
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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

Buzau vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buzau and Bucharest differ by about 37% in total monthly costs ($979 vs $1,340 including rent). Buzau is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 56% lower in Bucharest. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $344 in Buzau versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $979 per month in Buzau versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 37% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Buzau runs roughly 2% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $979 in Buzau versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Buzau but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Buzau 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.

Expats usually find Buzau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.