Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cheltenham and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $2,327 in Cheltenham, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Cheltenham
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Cheltenham Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Cheltenham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,327

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,327 in Cheltenham versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Cheltenham $2,327
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,528 in Cheltenham versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Cheltenham $3,528
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,729 in Cheltenham versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Cheltenham $4,729
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Cheltenham is roughly 74% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cheltenham is 72% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.67 £17.75

$14.49 RON 68.6

63.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$105 £79.1

$58.1 RON 275

81.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.03 £8.28

$7.48 RON 35.40

47.46%

Cappuccino

$4.89 £3.67

$3.44 RON 16.29

42.15%

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

$2.56 £1.92

$2.37 RON 11.22

8.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 £1.31

$2.30 RON 10.88

-24.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.76 £5.82

$3.70 RON 17.51

109.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.54 £4.91

$4.16 RON 19.69

57.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 £1.30

$1.67 RON 7.90

3.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 £1.29

$1.37 RON 6.50

24.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.99 £1.49

$1.72 RON 8.14

15.70%

Eggs

$4.43 £3.33

$3.64 RON 17.22

21.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.19 £6.15

$9.08 RON 42.98

-9.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.59 £7.19

$6.84 RON 32.35

40.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.09 £9.82

$12.00 RON 56.8

9.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 £2.32

$1.23 RON 5.80

152.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 £1.07

$1.63 RON 7.73

-12.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 £1.45

$1.57 RON 7.45

22.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.49 £2.62

$2.54 RON 12.01

37.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 £1.14

$0.79 RON 3.75

92.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 £1.13

$0.77 RON 3.66

96.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 £0.91

$0.87 RON 4.13

39.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 £1.07

$0.99 RON 4.70

43.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.12 £17.35

$6.31 RON 29.86

266.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 £7.98

$6.20 RON 29.34

71.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 £2.15

$1.19 RON 5.63

140.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 £2.20

$1.57 RON 7.45

86.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.44 £2.58

$0.86 RON 4.08

300.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$92.5 £69.4

$21.10 RON 99.8

338.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.53 £2.65

$0.64 RON 3.05

451.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 £1.23

$0.60 RON 2.86

173.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.85 £20.14

$6.43 RON 30.43

317.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 £1.40

$1.96 RON 9.25

-4.59%

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

$37.1K £27.8K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

27.88%

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

$41.2K £30.9K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

54.59%

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

$341 £256

$196 RON 927

73.93%

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

$17.10 £12.83

$8.04 RON 38.04

112.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.0 £38.24

$9.35 RON 44.21

445.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.28 £33.22

$50.2 RON 238

-11.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.01 £29.27

$25.33 RON 120

54.01%

Cinema Ticket

$14.00 £10.50

$8.15 RON 38.55

71.78%

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

$2,020 £1,516

$628 RON 2,971

221.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.2K £18.9K

$14.1K RON 66.6K

78.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.2 £73.7

$89.6 RON 424

9.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.22 £36.18

$38.32 RON 181

25.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 £79.4

$79.3 RON 375

33.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.9 £72.7

$90.4 RON 428

7.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,161 £871

$678 RON 3,209

71.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$929 £697

$448 RON 2,121

107.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,149 £1,613

$1,083 RON 5,125

98.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,617 £1,213

$725 RON 3,430

122.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,704 £4,279

$3,751 RON 17.7K

52.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,676 £4,258

$2,195 RON 10.4K

158.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,753 £3,566

$1,329 RON 6,290

257.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

6.75

-17.93%

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

Last update for Cheltenham: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cheltenham

$929 39.9%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 51.7% $480

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cheltenham

$409 17.6%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 47.8% $195

Eating Out

Cheltenham

$350 15.1%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 35.7% $125

Groceries & Markets

Cheltenham

$292 12.6%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 23% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Cheltenham

$157 6.8%

Bucharest

$134 10% 14.8% $23

Getting Around

Cheltenham

$118 5.1%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 76.1% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Cheltenham

$72 3.1%

Bucharest

$67 5% 8% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,161 in Cheltenham and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cheltenham pays 258% 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: $105 in Cheltenham vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $225 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Cheltenham

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

22:04 10:04 PM

00:04 12:04 AM

2 h ahead of Cheltenham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

115,300

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cheltenham Bucharest 2,230 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cheltenham
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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

Cheltenham vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cheltenham and Bucharest differ by about 74% in total monthly costs ($2,327 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 258% higher in Cheltenham, 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: $1,161 in Cheltenham versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,327 per month in Cheltenham versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 74% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 338% less than in Cheltenham. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $2,327 in Cheltenham, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Cheltenham. 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, Cheltenham 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 74% less than in Cheltenham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.