Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bydgoszcz and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $1,425 in Bydgoszcz, rent and utilities included – about $890 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bydgoszcz outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

70

Cost of Living Index in Bydgoszcz
Learn more

Bydgoszcz Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index

Jump to prices

Bydgoszcz

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,425

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,425 in Bydgoszcz versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

Bydgoszcz $1,425
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,191 in Bydgoszcz versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

Bydgoszcz $2,191
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,957 in Bydgoszcz versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

Bydgoszcz $2,957
Bucharest $2,715

Living in Bydgoszcz is roughly 5% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bydgoszcz 6% above, Bucharest 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.08 zł 47.23

$14.46 RON 68.4

-16.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.6 zł 249

$57.7 RON 273

10.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.91 zł 30.90

$7.50 RON 35.46

5.47%

Cappuccino

$3.40 zł 13.28

$3.43 RON 16.20

-0.87%

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

$2.09 zł 8.17

$2.46 RON 11.63

-15.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 zł 6.63

$2.33 RON 11.01

-27.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.86 zł 15.09

$3.80 RON 17.97

1.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 zł 14.20

$4.10 RON 19.41

-11.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 zł 3.93

$1.65 RON 7.79

-38.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 zł 6.26

$1.35 RON 6.39

18.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 zł 3.80

$1.78 RON 8.42

-45.51%

Eggs

$3.86 zł 15.09

$3.66 RON 17.33

5.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.86 zł 34.64

$8.57 RON 40.54

3.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.91 zł 27.01

$6.80 RON 32.17

1.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.85 zł 46.31

$11.72 RON 55.4

1.11%

Apples (1kg)

$1.32 zł 5.16

$1.29 RON 6.11

2.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 zł 6.61

$1.56 RON 7.37

8.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 zł 6.34

$1.54 RON 7.28

5.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 zł 12.14

$2.48 RON 11.75

25.40%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 zł 3.69

$0.83 RON 3.92

13.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 zł 5.16

$0.80 RON 3.77

65.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 zł 4.34

$0.84 RON 3.98

32.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 zł 2.55

$0.93 RON 4.39

-30.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.50 zł 21.49

$6.44 RON 30.45

-14.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.50 zł 33.23

$6.32 RON 29.91

34.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 zł 3.99

$1.26 RON 5.94

-19.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 zł 5.36

$1.60 RON 7.59

-14.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 zł 3.63

$0.81 RON 3.85

14.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.65 zł 108

$21.13 RON 99.9

30.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 zł 8.47

$0.60 RON 2.86

261.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 zł 3.09

$0.61 RON 2.91

29.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.86 zł 38.56

$6.17 RON 29.19

59.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.63 zł 6.37

$1.96 RON 9.27

-16.84%

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

$30.7K zł 120.1K

$28.1K RON 133.1K

9.19%

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

$27.6K zł 107.7K

$26.3K RON 124.3K

4.80%

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

$256 zł 1,000

$197 RON 931

30.01%

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

$8.04 zł 31.43

$8.34 RON 39.44

-3.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.28 zł 71.4

$9.19 RON 43.47

98.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.62 zł 151

$49.87 RON 236

-22.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.71 zł 65.3

$24.99 RON 118

-33.13%

Cinema Ticket

$7.53 zł 29.45

$8.46 RON 40.01

-10.99%

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

$321 zł 1,253

$639 RON 3,023

-49.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,166 zł 20.2K

$14.4K RON 68.1K

-64.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.2 zł 325

$90.6 RON 429

-8.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.10 zł 145

$38.05 RON 180

-2.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.6 zł 342

$79.7 RON 377

9.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.8 zł 390

$93.2 RON 441

7.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$680 zł 2,659

$673 RON 3,184

1.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$503 zł 1,967

$449 RON 2,123

12.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,110 zł 4,340

$1,098 RON 5,195

1.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$882 zł 3,448

$729 RON 3,448

21.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,908 zł 11.4K

$3,740 RON 17.7K

-22.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,134 zł 8,341

$2,189 RON 10.4K

-2.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,523 zł 5,951

$1,323 RON 6,259

15.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.89

6.74

2.23%

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

Last update for Bydgoszcz: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bydgoszcz

$503 34.9%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 10.8% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bydgoszcz

$282 19.6%

Bucharest

$214 16% 24% $68

Groceries & Markets

Bydgoszcz

$223 15.5%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 0.8% $1.7

Eating Out

Bydgoszcz

$203 14.1%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 11.2% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Bydgoszcz

$138 9.6%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 2% $2.8

Sport & Entertainment

Bydgoszcz

$54 3.7%

Bucharest

$67 5% 24.4% $13

Getting Around

Bydgoszcz

$37 2.6%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 25.1% $9.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $680 in Bydgoszcz and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bydgoszcz pays 15% 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: $64.0 in Bydgoszcz vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $223 vs $222 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Bydgoszcz

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

12:09 12:09 PM

13:09 1:09 PM

1 h ahead of Bydgoszcz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

359,428

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.256 USD

1 PLN = 0.228 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to PLN – Polish Złoty Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇱 Polish Złoty (zł)

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.91 PLN (1 PLN = 0.256 USD). 1 EUR = 4.38 PLN (1 PLN = 0.228 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

USD to PLN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bydgoszcz Bucharest 1,130 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Bydgoszcz
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

Bydgoszcz vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bydgoszcz and Bucharest differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($1,425 vs $1,351 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 15% higher in Bydgoszcz, 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: $680 in Bydgoszcz versus $673 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,425 per month in Bydgoszcz versus $1,351 in Bucharest – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 31% less than in Bydgoszcz. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $1,425 in Bydgoszcz, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Bydgoszcz. 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, Bydgoszcz 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 5% less than in Bydgoszcz. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.