Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buzau and Bukit Mertajam

For one person, living is cheaper in Bukit Mertajam: $623 a month against $979 in Buzau, 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Bukit Mertajam
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Bukit Mertajam Living Index

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Buzau

🇷🇴 Romania

$979

/mo nomad

Bukit Mertajam

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$623

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buzau and in Bukit Mertajam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $979 in Buzau versus $623 in Bukit Mertajam.

Buzau $979
Bukit Mertajam $623

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,449 in Buzau versus $979 in Bukit Mertajam.

Buzau $1,449
Bukit Mertajam $979

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,919 in Buzau versus $1,335 in Bukit Mertajam.

Buzau $1,919
Bukit Mertajam $1,335

Living in Buzau is roughly 57% more expensive than in Bukit Mertajam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Buzau 27% lower, Bukit Mertajam 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.42 RON 49.30

$1.93 MYR 7.87

439.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.71 RON 117

$20.63 MYR 84.2

19.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.30 RON 29.79

$3.93 MYR 16.03

60.31%

Cappuccino

$2.02 RON 9.58

$3.14 MYR 12.80

-35.67%

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

$1.93 RON 9.12

$0.72 MYR 2.93

168.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 RON 7.08

$0.47 MYR 1.93

219.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.66 RON 7.85

$4.30 MYR 17.52

-61.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 RON 8.10

$6.05 MYR 24.69

-71.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 RON 8.32

$1.74 MYR 7.10

1.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 RON 6.21

$1.12 MYR 4.58

16.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 RON 6.84

$1.94 MYR 7.91

-25.26%

Eggs

$3.10 RON 14.67

$2.52 MYR 10.26

23.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.50 RON 35.47

$14.07 MYR 57.4

-46.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 RON 31.33

$4.34 MYR 17.71

52.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.10 RON 52.5

$9.65 MYR 39.35

15.03%

Apples (1kg)

$0.95 RON 4.50

$3.49 MYR 14.24

-72.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.72

$1.79 MYR 7.32

-8.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.11 RON 5.25

$2.31 MYR 9.42

-51.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.83

$1.53 MYR 6.23

-19.61%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 RON 3.18

$1.33 MYR 5.42

-49.62%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 RON 3.68

$1.41 MYR 5.76

-44.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.48 RON 2.28

$1.12 MYR 4.57

-57.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 RON 3.11

$0.67 MYR 2.72

-1.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.24 RON 29.54

$4.32 MYR 17.64

44.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.43 RON 30.42

$19.48 MYR 79.5

-66.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 RON 3.58

$3.65 MYR 14.91

-79.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 RON 6.77

$5.05 MYR 20.60

-71.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 RON 3.10

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.60 RON 102

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.52 RON 2.47

$1.19 MYR 4.84

-56.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.49 RON 2.32

$1.25 MYR 5.11

-60.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.19 RON 29.27

$5.03 MYR 20.50

23.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.81

$0.87 MYR 3.54

89.66%

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

$19.4K RON 91.7K

$41.2K MYR 168.3K

-53.00%

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

$21.1K RON 100.0K

$34.4K MYR 140.4K

-38.58%

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

$119 RON 563

$62.4 MYR 255

90.42%

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

$7.87 RON 37.24

$8.54 MYR 34.85

-7.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.72 RON 36.53

$26.31 MYR 107

-70.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.03 RON 152

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.85 RON 84.5

Cinema Ticket

$6.89 RON 32.60

$5.06 MYR 20.65

36.17%

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

$285 RON 1,348

$242 MYR 989

17.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,766 RON 32.0K

$13.0K MYR 52.9K

-47.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.5 RON 258

$71.6 MYR 292

-23.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.7 RON 273

$41.95 MYR 171

37.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.5 RON 461

$87.5 MYR 357

11.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.1 RON 398

$97.3 MYR 397

-13.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$344 RON 1,629

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$292 RON 1,379

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$606 RON 2,867

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$423 RON 2,002

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,475 RON 6,976

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,194 RON 5,648

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$850 RON 4,021

$567 MYR 2,312

49.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.97

4.18

66.75%

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

Last update for Buzau: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bukit Mertajam: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buzau

$292 29.8%

Bukit Mertajam

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Buzau

$196 20%

Bukit Mertajam

$271 43.5% 38.4% $75

Eating Out

Buzau

$152 15.5%

Bukit Mertajam

$103 16.6% 32.1% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buzau

$134 13.7%

Bukit Mertajam

$97 15.6% 27.7% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Buzau

$132 13.5%

Bukit Mertajam

$134 21.5% 1.5% $2

Sport & Entertainment

Buzau

$46 4.7%

Bukit Mertajam

$10 * 1.6% 77.9% $36

Getting Around

Buzau

$27 2.8%

Bukit Mertajam

$7.5 * 1.2% 72.6% $20

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

Cost Breakdown

Buzau pays 50% 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 $21.00 in Bukit Mertajam. Groceries flip the comparison at $196 vs $271, with Buzau cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Buzau

🇲🇾 Bukit Mertajam

🕒 Local time

03:15 3:15 AM

08:15 8:15 AM

5 h ahead of Buzau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

115,494

212,329

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, 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).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Buzau Bukit Mertajam 8,300 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Buzau
Bukit Mertajam

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 Bukit Mertajam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buzau and Bukit Mertajam differ by about 57% in total monthly costs ($979 vs $623 including rent). Bukit Mertajam is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 50% higher in Buzau, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Shoppers in Buzau pay roughly 38% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $979 per month in Buzau versus $623 in Bukit Mertajam – a 57% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Bukit Mertajam gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Buzau and Bukit Mertajam 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 Bukit Mertajam gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Buzau. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.