Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cesena and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $1,646 in Cesena, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Cesena
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Cesena Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Cesena

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,646

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,646 in Cesena versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Cesena $1,646
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,537 in Cesena versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Cesena $2,537
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,428 in Cesena versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Cesena $3,428
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Cesena is roughly 23% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cesena is 22% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.97

$14.49 RON 68.6

16.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.5 €79.6

$58.1 RON 275

54.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.22 €10.87

$7.48 RON 35.40

63.37%

Cappuccino

$2.21 €1.96

$3.44 RON 16.29

-35.76%

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

$2.72 €2.42

$2.37 RON 11.22

14.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$2.30 RON 10.88

-52.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.04 €5.37

$3.70 RON 17.51

63.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.10 €4.53

$4.16 RON 19.69

22.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.67 RON 7.90

-19.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.37 RON 6.50

-0.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.72 RON 8.14

14.53%

Eggs

$2.77 €2.47

$3.64 RON 17.22

-23.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.63 €15.68

$9.08 RON 42.98

94.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.91 €10.60

$6.84 RON 32.35

74.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.03 €15.15

$12.00 RON 56.8

41.92%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 €1.72

$1.23 RON 5.80

56.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.47 €2.20

$1.63 RON 7.73

51.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.39 €2.12

$1.57 RON 7.45

52.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 €3.55

$2.54 RON 12.01

57.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 €1.43

$0.79 RON 3.75

102.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 €1.47

$0.77 RON 3.66

114.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 €1.67

$0.87 RON 4.13

114.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.34 €0.30

$0.99 RON 4.70

-65.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.52 €5.80

$6.31 RON 29.86

3.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.79 €6.04

$6.20 RON 29.34

9.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.19 RON 5.63

2.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.57 RON 7.45

9.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 €1.93

$0.86 RON 4.08

152.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.55 €34.29

$21.10 RON 99.8

82.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 €7.30

$0.64 RON 3.05

1181.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 €1.76

$0.60 RON 2.86

230.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.88 €30.13

$6.43 RON 30.43

426.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.96 RON 9.25

3.57%

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

$36.5K €32.5K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

25.83%

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

$34.9K €31.0K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

30.96%

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

$189 €168

$196 RON 927

-3.60%

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

$9.75 €8.67

$8.04 RON 38.04

21.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 €27.34

$9.35 RON 44.21

228.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 €45.16

$50.2 RON 238

1.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.22 €12.65

$25.33 RON 120

-43.86%

Cinema Ticket

$9.99 €8.89

$8.15 RON 38.55

22.58%

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

$537 €478

$628 RON 2,971

-14.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,900 €8,806

$14.1K RON 66.6K

-29.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

$89.6 RON 424

1.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.93 €32.85

$38.32 RON 181

-3.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.4 €73.3

$79.3 RON 375

4.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.7 €70.0

$90.4 RON 428

-12.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$660 €587

$678 RON 3,209

-2.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$591 €525

$448 RON 2,121

31.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,174 €1,045

$1,083 RON 5,125

8.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$925 €823

$725 RON 3,430

27.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,953 €2,627

$3,751 RON 17.7K

-21.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,583 €2,298

$2,195 RON 10.4K

17.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,750 €1,557

$1,329 RON 6,290

31.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

6.75

-51.11%

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

Last update for Cesena: October 10, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cesena

$591 35.9%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 24.1% $142

Groceries & Markets

Cesena

$306 18.6%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 26.6% $81

Eating Out

Cesena

$253 15.4%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 11.1% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cesena

$229 13.9%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 7% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Cesena

$130 7.9%

Bucharest

$134 10% 3.1% $4

Sport & Entertainment

Cesena

$71 4.3%

Bucharest

$67 5% 6% $4.2

Getting Around

Cesena

$65 4%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 56.8% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $660 in Cesena and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cesena pays 32% 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: $89.0 in Cesena vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $306 vs $225 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Cesena

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

22:26 10:26 PM

23:26 11:26 PM

1 h ahead of Cesena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

96,758

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Cesena Bucharest 1,100 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Cesena
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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

Cesena vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cesena and Bucharest differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($1,646 vs $1,340 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 32% higher in Cesena, 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: $660 in Cesena versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,646 per month in Cesena versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 83% less than in Cesena. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,646 in Cesena, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Cesena. 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, Cesena 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 23% less than in Cesena. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.