Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chur and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $3,235 in Chur, rent and utilities included – about $22,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

158

Cost of Living Index in Chur
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Chur Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Chur

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,235

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,235 in Chur versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Chur $3,235
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,037 in Chur versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Chur $5,037
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,840 in Chur versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Chur $6,840
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Chur is roughly 141% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chur is 140% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.57 CHF 23.53

$14.49 RON 68.6

97.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 CHF 87.7

$58.1 RON 275

83.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.08 CHF 13.24

$7.48 RON 35.40

114.97%

Cappuccino

$5.56 CHF 4.58

$3.44 RON 16.29

61.63%

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

$5.73 CHF 4.72

$2.37 RON 11.22

141.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 CHF 4.26

$2.30 RON 10.88

125.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.23 CHF 6.78

$3.70 RON 17.51

122.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.28 CHF 6.82

$4.16 RON 19.69

99.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.20 CHF 1.81

$1.67 RON 7.90

31.74%

White Bread (500g)

$3.42 CHF 2.81

$1.37 RON 6.50

149.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 CHF 3.47

$1.72 RON 8.14

144.77%

Eggs

$7.49 CHF 6.17

$3.64 RON 17.22

105.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.47 CHF 21.80

$9.08 RON 42.98

191.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$25.86 CHF 21.30

$6.84 RON 32.35

278.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$38.41 CHF 31.64

$12.00 RON 56.8

220.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.58 CHF 2.95

$1.23 RON 5.80

191.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 CHF 1.68

$1.63 RON 7.73

25.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 CHF 2.14

$1.57 RON 7.45

65.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.74 CHF 3.90

$2.54 RON 12.01

86.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 CHF 1.57

$0.79 RON 3.75

141.77%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 CHF 1.84

$0.77 RON 3.66

190.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.42 CHF 1.99

$0.87 RON 4.13

178.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 CHF 1.16

$0.99 RON 4.70

42.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.64 CHF 8.76

$6.31 RON 29.86

68.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.92 CHF 10.64

$6.20 RON 29.34

108.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 CHF 1.84

$1.19 RON 5.63

87.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 CHF 2.82

$1.57 RON 7.45

117.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.31 CHF 4.38

$0.86 RON 4.08

517.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$184 CHF 151

$21.10 RON 99.8

770.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.49 CHF 6.17

$0.64 RON 3.05

1070.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.89 CHF 4.03

$0.60 RON 2.86

715.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$87.1 CHF 71.8

$6.43 RON 30.43

1255.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 CHF 1.73

$1.96 RON 9.25

7.14%

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

$40.9K CHF 33.7K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

41.13%

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

$37.6K CHF 31.0K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

41.21%

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

$232 CHF 191

$196 RON 927

18.47%

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

$32.08 CHF 26.42

$8.04 RON 38.04

299.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.3 CHF 43.87

$9.35 RON 44.21

469.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.6 CHF 64.8

$50.2 RON 238

56.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.32 CHF 27.44

$25.33 RON 120

31.54%

Cinema Ticket

$21.55 CHF 17.75

$8.15 RON 38.55

164.42%

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

$2,424 CHF 1,997

$628 RON 2,971

286.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$44.7K CHF 36.8K

$14.1K RON 66.6K

217.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.0 CHF 73.3

$89.6 RON 424

-0.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.89 CHF 40.27

$38.32 RON 181

27.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 CHF 98.4

$79.3 RON 375

50.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$172 CHF 142

$90.4 RON 428

90.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 CHF 1,407

$678 RON 3,209

151.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,349 CHF 1,111

$448 RON 2,121

200.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,988 CHF 2,461

$1,083 RON 5,125

175.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,517 CHF 2,073

$725 RON 3,430

247.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,198 CHF 5,929

$3,751 RON 17.7K

91.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,335 CHF 4,394

$2,195 RON 10.4K

143.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,475 CHF 6,980

$1,329 RON 6,290

537.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.72

6.75

-74.52%

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

Last update for Chur: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chur

$1.3K 41.7%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 66.8% $900

Groceries & Markets

Chur

$572 17.7%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 60.6% $347

Eating Out

Chur

$445 13.8%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 49.4% $220

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chur

$317 9.8%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 32.8% $104

Getting Around

Chur

$237 7.3%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 88.1% $209

Clothing & Footwear

Chur

$193 6%

Bucharest

$134 10% 30.8% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Chur

$122 3.8%

Bucharest

$67 5% 45.4% $55

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,709 in Chur and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chur pays 538% 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: $107 in Chur vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $572 vs $225 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Chur

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

06:55 6:55 AM

07:55 7:55 AM

1 h ahead of Chur

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,082

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chur Bucharest 1,310 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chur
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

Chur vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chur and Bucharest differ by about 141% in total monthly costs ($3,235 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 538% higher in Chur, 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: $1,709 in Chur versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $3,235 per month in Chur versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 141% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 771% less than in Chur. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $3,235 in Chur, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Chur. 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, Chur 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 141% less than in Chur. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.