Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calarasi and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Calarasi: $882 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Calarasi
Learn more

Calarasi Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index

Jump to prices

Calarasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$882

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $882 in Calarasi versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Calarasi $882
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,363 in Calarasi versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Calarasi $1,363
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,844 in Calarasi versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Calarasi $1,844
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Calarasi costs roughly 34% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Calarasi 35% lower, Bucharest 1% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.90 RON 42.12

$14.49 RON 68.6

-38.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.15 RON 157

$58.1 RON 275

-42.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.57 RON 35.83

$7.48 RON 35.40

1.20%

Cappuccino

$2.07 RON 9.81

$3.44 RON 16.29

-39.83%

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

$1.78 RON 8.42

$2.37 RON 11.22

-24.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 RON 7.70

$2.30 RON 10.88

-29.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.59 RON 7.52

$3.70 RON 17.51

-57.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 RON 6.79

$4.16 RON 19.69

-65.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 RON 6.85

$1.67 RON 7.90

-13.17%

White Bread (500g)

$0.90 RON 4.24

$1.37 RON 6.50

-34.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.06

$1.72 RON 8.14

-13.37%

Eggs

$2.80 RON 13.26

$3.64 RON 17.22

-23.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.71 RON 36.46

$9.08 RON 42.98

-15.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.17 RON 19.71

$6.84 RON 32.35

-39.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.28 RON 39.16

$12.00 RON 56.8

-31.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.07 RON 5.06

$1.23 RON 5.80

-13.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 RON 6.55

$1.63 RON 7.73

-15.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 RON 5.80

$1.57 RON 7.45

-22.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.45 RON 6.84

$2.54 RON 12.01

-42.91%

Potato (1kg)

$0.40 RON 1.89

$0.79 RON 3.75

-49.37%

Onion (1kg)

$0.65 RON 3.06

$0.77 RON 3.66

-15.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 RON 2.05

$0.87 RON 4.13

-50.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 RON 3.55

$0.99 RON 4.70

-24.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.87

$6.31 RON 29.86

Wine (Bottle)

$4.11 RON 19.43

$6.20 RON 29.34

-33.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 RON 4.64

$1.19 RON 5.63

-17.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 RON 6.73

$1.57 RON 7.45

-9.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 RON 1.92

$0.86 RON 4.08

-52.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.57 RON 59.5

$21.10 RON 99.8

-40.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.66 RON 3.13

$0.64 RON 3.05

3.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 RON 2.93

$0.60 RON 2.86

3.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.09 RON 28.82

$6.43 RON 30.43

-5.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 RON 7.68

$1.96 RON 9.25

-17.35%

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

$28.2K RON 133.6K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

-2.64%

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

$24.8K RON 117.5K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

-6.77%

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

$164 RON 778

$196 RON 927

-16.07%

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

$6.30 RON 29.82

$8.04 RON 38.04

-21.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.51 RON 30.81

$9.35 RON 44.21

-30.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.84 RON 222

$50.2 RON 238

-6.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$51.8 RON 245

$25.33 RON 120

104.50%

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 RON 38.94

$8.15 RON 38.55

0.98%

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

$404 RON 1,913

$628 RON 2,971

-35.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,678 RON 26.9K

$14.1K RON 66.6K

-59.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.6 RON 339

$89.6 RON 424

-20.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.03 RON 99.5

$38.32 RON 181

-45.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.2 RON 432

$79.3 RON 375

15.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.0 RON 459

$90.4 RON 428

7.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$312 RON 1,476

$678 RON 3,209

-53.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$190 RON 898

$448 RON 2,121

-57.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$419 RON 1,981

$1,083 RON 5,125

-61.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$325 RON 1,539

$725 RON 3,430

-55.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,206 RON 5,706

$3,751 RON 17.7K

-67.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$949 RON 4,490

$2,195 RON 10.4K

-56.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$729 RON 3,449

$1,329 RON 6,290

-45.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.85

6.75

16.30%

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

Last update for Calarasi: 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

Calarasi

$190 21.5%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 136% $258

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calarasi

$177 20.1%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 20.3% $36

Groceries & Markets

Calarasi

$164 18.6%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 36.9% $61

Eating Out

Calarasi

$143 16.2%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 57.2% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Calarasi

$126 14.3%

Bucharest

$134 10% 6% $7.5

Sport & Entertainment

Calarasi

$63 7.2%

Bucharest

$67 5% 5.1% $3.2

Getting Around

Calarasi

$18 2%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 57.2% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $312 in Calarasi and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 82% 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: $33.00 in Calarasi vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $164 vs $225 per month, with Calarasi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Calarasi

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

08:17 8:17 AM

Same time as Calarasi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

65,181

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Calarasi Bucharest 100 km

From you

Calarasi
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

Calarasi vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calarasi and Bucharest differ by about 52% in total monthly costs ($882 vs $1,340 including rent). Calarasi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 82% 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: $312 in Calarasi versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $882 per month in Calarasi versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 52% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Calarasi runs roughly 68% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $882 in Calarasi versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Calarasi but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Calarasi 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, Calarasi 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 Calarasi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.