Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Celje and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,337 a month against $1,574 in Celje, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Celje
🇸🇮 Slovenia
$1,574
/mo nomad
Bucharest
🇷🇴 Romania
$1,337
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,574 in Celje versus $1,337 in Bucharest.

  • Celje $1,574
  • Bucharest $1,337

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,290 in Celje versus $2,029 in Bucharest.

  • Celje $2,290
  • Bucharest $2,029

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,006 in Celje versus $2,721 in Bucharest.

  • Celje $3,006
  • Bucharest $2,721

Living in Celje is roughly 18% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Celje is 16% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Celje
Bucharest
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.57 €12.07
$14.45 RON 68.4
-6.09%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$51.1 €45.41
$58.1 RON 275
-12.09%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.94 €7.96
$7.53 RON 35.65
18.73%
Cappuccino
$2.14 €1.90
$3.45 RON 16.33
-37.97%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.22 €1.98
$2.46 RON 11.65
-9.76%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.95 €1.73
$2.23 RON 10.54
-12.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.61 €2.32
$3.76 RON 17.78
-30.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.30 €2.94
$4.19 RON 19.84
-21.24%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Celje
Bucharest
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.31 €1.16
$1.62 RON 7.67
-19.14%
White Bread (500g)
$2.04 €1.81
$1.30 RON 6.13
56.92%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.28 €2.03
$1.70 RON 8.05
34.12%
Eggs
$3.06 €2.72
$3.79 RON 17.93
-19.26%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.03 €13.37
$8.86 RON 41.90
69.64%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.95 €8.85
$6.90 RON 32.67
44.20%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.85 €7.87
$12.14 RON 57.4
-27.10%
Apples (1kg)
$1.97 €1.75
$1.30 RON 6.17
51.54%
Banana (1kg)
$1.75 €1.55
$1.60 RON 7.55
9.37%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.33 €2.07
$1.57 RON 7.42
48.41%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.21 €2.86
$2.68 RON 12.67
19.78%
Potato (1kg)
$1.15 €1.02
$0.81 RON 3.82
41.98%
Onion (1kg)
$1.56 €1.39
$0.79 RON 3.73
97.47%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.64 €1.46
$0.91 RON 4.30
80.22%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.75 €0.67
$0.97 RON 4.58
-22.68%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.68 €5.05
$6.41 RON 30.34
-11.39%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.05 €5.38
$6.18 RON 29.24
-2.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.39 €1.23
$1.23 RON 5.83
13.01%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.08 €1.85
$1.67 RON 7.91
24.55%
🚌 Getting Around
Celje
Bucharest
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.37 €1.22
$0.87 RON 4.10
57.47%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.26 €25.13
$20.98 RON 99.3
34.70%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.21 €1.96
$0.66 RON 3.10
234.85%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.14 €1.01
$0.60 RON 2.85
90.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.28 €17.15
$6.19 RON 29.28
211.47%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.67 €1.49
$1.93 RON 9.15
-13.47%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.5K €26.3K
$28.7K RON 135.9K
2.79%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.8K €22.1K
$26.3K RON 124.6K
-5.84%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Celje
Bucharest
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$240 €214
$196 RON 926
22.91%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.75 €7.78
$8.49 RON 40.19
3.06%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$21.02 €18.70
$9.05 RON 42.84
132.27%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Celje
Bucharest
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$33.03 €29.38
$49.54 RON 234
-33.33%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.08 €9.85
$25.03 RON 118
-55.73%
Cinema Ticket
$9.33 €8.30
$8.24 RON 39.01
13.23%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Celje
Bucharest
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$650 €579
$636 RON 3,007
2.34%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.0K €12.4K
$14.6K RON 69.0K
-4.01%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Celje
Bucharest
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$115 €103
$88.5 RON 419
30.40%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.87 €39.02
$38.77 RON 183
13.15%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$111 €98.3
$78.8 RON 373
40.36%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$142 €126
$90.6 RON 428
56.98%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Celje
Bucharest
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$725 €645
$695 RON 3,288
4.27%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$561 €499
$446 RON 2,109
25.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,139 €1,013
$1,084 RON 5,130
5.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$837 €745
$712 RON 3,368
17.57%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,313 €2,947
$3,797 RON 18.0K
-12.72%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,570 €2,286
$2,202 RON 10.4K
16.69%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Celje
Bucharest
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,513 €1,346
$1,354 RON 6,406
11.74%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.52
6.75
-47.85%

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

Last update for Celje: 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
Celje
$561
Bucharest
$446 20.5% $115
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Celje
$270
Bucharest
$213 21.1% $57
Groceries & Markets
Celje
$267
Bucharest
$225 15.6% $42
Eating Out
Celje
$197
Bucharest
$226 14.2% $28
Clothing & Footwear
Celje
$185
Bucharest
$133 28% $52
Sport & Entertainment
Celje
$52
Bucharest
$66 27.8% $14
Getting Around
Celje
$42
Bucharest
$28 32.5% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $725 in Celje and $695 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Celje pays 12% 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: $51.0 in Celje vs $58.0 in Bucharest. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $225, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇸🇮 Celje
🇷🇴 Bucharest
🕒 Local time
17:10 5:10 PM
18:10 6:10 PM
1 h ahead of Celje
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
37,872
1,883,425 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Celje Bucharest 870 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Celje
  • 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
Celje vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Celje and in Bucharest?
Celje and Bucharest differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($1,574 vs $1,337 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Celje or Bucharest?
Average pay runs 12% higher in Celje, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Celje and in Bucharest?
Rent for a central apartment: $725 in Celje versus $695 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city is more expensive overall: Celje or Bucharest?
All in, you'll spend $1,574 per month in Celje versus $1,337 in Bucharest – a 18% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
How do commuting costs compare in Celje and in Bucharest?
A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 35% less than in Celje. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,337 in Bucharest versus $1,574 in Celje, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Celje. The gap between the two cities makes Bucharest the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Celje and Bucharest?
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.
Where should expats move: Celje or Bucharest?
Expats usually find Bucharest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Celje. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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