Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cieszyn and Bucharest

For one person, living costs are similar in Cieszyn and in Bucharest: $1,372 and $1,337 a month, rent and utilities included.

67

Cost of Living Index in Cieszyn
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Cieszyn Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Cieszyn

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,372

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,337

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,372 in Cieszyn versus $1,337 in Bucharest.

Cieszyn $1,372
Bucharest $1,337

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,991 in Cieszyn versus $2,029 in Bucharest.

Cieszyn $1,991
Bucharest $2,029

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,609 in Cieszyn versus $2,721 in Bucharest.

Cieszyn $2,609
Bucharest $2,721

Living in Cieszyn is roughly 3% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.06 zł 27.44

$14.45 RON 68.4

-51.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.63 zł 146

$58.1 RON 275

-35.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.00 zł 34.96

$7.53 RON 35.65

19.52%

Cappuccino

$3.08 zł 11.99

$3.45 RON 16.33

-10.72%

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

$1.76 zł 6.85

$2.46 RON 11.65

-28.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 zł 4.86

$2.23 RON 10.54

-43.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.45 zł 17.30

$3.76 RON 17.78

18.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.79 zł 14.74

$4.19 RON 19.84

-9.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 zł 3.85

$1.62 RON 7.67

-38.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 zł 4.05

$1.30 RON 6.13

-20.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 zł 6.66

$1.70 RON 8.05

1.18%

Eggs

$2.00 zł 7.76

$3.79 RON 17.93

-47.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 zł 35.19

$8.86 RON 41.90

2.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.83 zł 30.43

$6.90 RON 32.67

13.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.03 zł 50.6

$12.14 RON 57.4

7.33%

Apples (1kg)

$0.99 zł 3.86

$1.30 RON 6.17

-23.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 zł 6.10

$1.60 RON 7.55

-1.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 zł 6.79

$1.57 RON 7.42

11.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.24 zł 4.81

$2.68 RON 12.67

-53.73%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 zł 2.85

$0.81 RON 3.82

-9.88%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 zł 3.08

$0.79 RON 3.73

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 zł 4.67

$0.91 RON 4.30

31.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 zł 2.83

$0.97 RON 4.58

-24.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.53 zł 21.49

$6.41 RON 30.34

-13.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 zł 24.11

$6.18 RON 29.24

0.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 zł 3.86

$1.23 RON 5.83

-19.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 zł 6.54

$1.67 RON 7.91

0.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 zł 4.25

$0.87 RON 4.10

25.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.34 zł 118

$20.98 RON 99.3

44.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 zł 8.80

$0.66 RON 3.10

242.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 zł 3.33

$0.60 RON 2.85

43.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.08 zł 46.92

$6.19 RON 29.28

95.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.63 zł 6.34

$1.93 RON 9.15

-15.54%

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

$30.3K zł 117.6K

$28.7K RON 135.9K

5.33%

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

$28.0K zł 108.8K

$26.3K RON 124.6K

6.40%

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

$251 zł 975

$196 RON 926

28.26%

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

$8.53 zł 33.16

$8.49 RON 40.19

0.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.24 zł 67.0

$9.05 RON 42.84

90.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.80 zł 151

$49.54 RON 234

-21.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.66 zł 84.2

$25.03 RON 118

-13.46%

Cinema Ticket

$7.64 zł 29.69

$8.24 RON 39.01

-7.28%

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

$151 zł 588

$636 RON 3,007

-76.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,833 zł 38.2K

$14.6K RON 69.0K

-32.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.08 zł 175

$88.5 RON 419

-49.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.18 zł 148

$38.77 RON 183

-1.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.5 zł 344

$78.8 RON 373

12.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 zł 473

$90.6 RON 428

34.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$613 zł 2,382

$695 RON 3,288

-11.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$499 zł 1,938

$446 RON 2,109

11.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$998 zł 3,877

$1,084 RON 5,130

-7.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$831 zł 3,227

$712 RON 3,368

16.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 zł 11.2K

$3,797 RON 18.0K

-23.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,183 zł 8,482

$2,202 RON 10.4K

-0.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,440 zł 5,595

$1,354 RON 6,406

6.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

6.75

-1.93%

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

Last update for Cieszyn: October 19, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cieszyn

$499 36.4%

Bucharest

$446 33.3% 10.7% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cieszyn

$277 20.2%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 23% $64

Groceries & Markets

Cieszyn

$206 15%

Bucharest

$225 16.9% 9.3% $19

Eating Out

Cieszyn

$162 11.8%

Bucharest

$226 16.9% 38.9% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Cieszyn

$132 9.6%

Bucharest

$133 10% 1% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Cieszyn

$54 3.9%

Bucharest

$66 4.9% 22.1% $12

Getting Around

Cieszyn

$41 3%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 31.9% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $613 in Cieszyn and $695 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cieszyn pays 6% 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: $38.00 in Cieszyn vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $225 per month, with Cieszyn cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Cieszyn

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

00:36 12:36 AM

01:36 1:36 AM

1 h ahead of Cieszyn

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,757

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.257 USD

1 PLN = 0.229 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to PLN – Polish Złoty Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇱 Polish Złoty (zł)

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3.89 PLN (1 PLN = 0.257 USD). 1 EUR = 4.37 PLN (1 PLN = 0.229 EUR).

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).

USD to PLN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cieszyn Bucharest 820 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cieszyn
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

Cieszyn vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cieszyn and Bucharest differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($1,372 vs $1,337 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 6% higher in Cieszyn, 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: $613 in Cieszyn versus $695 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,372 per month in Cieszyn versus $1,337 in Bucharest – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 45% less than in Cieszyn. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,337 in Bucharest versus $1,372 in Cieszyn, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Cieszyn. 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, Cieszyn 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 3% less than in Cieszyn. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.