Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Craiova and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Craiova: $1,217 a month against $1,354 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Craiova
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Craiova Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Craiova

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,217

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,354

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,217 in Craiova versus $1,354 in Bucharest.

Craiova $1,217
Bucharest $1,354

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,869 in Craiova versus $2,043 in Bucharest.

Craiova $1,869
Bucharest $2,043

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,520 in Craiova versus $2,733 in Bucharest.

Craiova $2,520
Bucharest $2,733

Living in Craiova costs roughly 10% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.14 RON 34.11

$14.66 RON 70.1

-51.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.37 RON 198

$57.7 RON 276

-28.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.45 RON 35.60

$7.52 RON 35.92

-0.93%

Cappuccino

$2.71 RON 12.96

$3.56 RON 16.99

-23.88%

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

$2.23 RON 10.63

$2.47 RON 11.81

-9.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 RON 8.45

$2.18 RON 10.44

-18.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.24 RON 10.70

$3.69 RON 17.62

-39.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 RON 16.78

$4.28 RON 20.45

-17.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 RON 6.08

$1.67 RON 7.99

-23.95%

White Bread (500g)

$0.82 RON 3.92

$1.35 RON 6.45

-39.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 RON 6.76

$1.78 RON 8.48

-20.22%

Eggs

$3.26 RON 15.56

$3.56 RON 17.02

-8.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.21 RON 34.47

$9.12 RON 43.60

-20.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.47 RON 30.92

$6.82 RON 32.58

-5.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.49 RON 54.9

$12.13 RON 58.0

-5.28%

Apples (1kg)

$0.95 RON 4.53

$1.26 RON 6.04

-24.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 RON 7.15

$1.62 RON 7.76

-7.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 RON 6.93

$1.56 RON 7.45

-7.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 RON 8.61

$2.54 RON 12.14

-29.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 RON 3.65

$0.78 RON 3.74

-2.56%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 RON 4.27

$0.77 RON 3.70

15.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 RON 3.50

$0.89 RON 4.24

-17.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$0.90 RON 4.30

-14.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.59 RON 31.47

$6.55 RON 31.30

0.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.34 RON 30.29

$6.37 RON 30.42

-0.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 RON 5.75

$1.24 RON 5.94

-3.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 RON 6.99

$1.62 RON 7.75

-9.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 RON 4.19

$0.85 RON 4.08

3.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.16 RON 120

$20.71 RON 99.0

21.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 RON 2.93

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 RON 3.09

$0.61 RON 2.93

6.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.37 RON 30.46

$6.16 RON 29.45

3.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 RON 9.10

$2.00 RON 9.55

-5.00%

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

$28.9K RON 138.0K

$27.9K RON 133.5K

3.32%

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

$25.8K RON 123.5K

$25.3K RON 121.0K

2.01%

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

$216 RON 1,034

$192 RON 918

12.70%

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

$9.24 RON 44.18

$7.92 RON 37.83

16.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.57 RON 55.3

$8.96 RON 42.81

29.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.59 RON 184

$49.99 RON 239

-22.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.52 RON 103

$24.81 RON 119

-13.26%

Cinema Ticket

$7.28 RON 34.77

$8.51 RON 40.65

-14.45%

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

$411 RON 1,962

$686 RON 3,278

-40.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,047 RON 38.5K

$14.4K RON 68.9K

-44.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 RON 301

$90.2 RON 431

-30.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 RON 242

$38.74 RON 185

30.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 RON 396

$78.9 RON 377

4.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 RON 494

$92.1 RON 440

12.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$532 RON 2,541

$711 RON 3,398

-25.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$418 RON 2,000

$462 RON 2,207

-9.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$910 RON 4,346

$1,053 RON 5,034

-13.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$829 RON 3,961

$723 RON 3,453

14.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,703 RON 12.9K

$3,634 RON 17.4K

-25.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,988 RON 9,498

$2,173 RON 10.4K

-8.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$914 RON 4,368

$1,354 RON 6,470

-32.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.84

6.75

1.33%

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

Last update for Craiova: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Craiova

$418 34.4%

Bucharest

$462 34.1% 10.4% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Craiova

$237 19.5%

Bucharest

$209 15.4% 11.9% $28

Groceries & Markets

Craiova

$194 16%

Bucharest

$225 16.6% 15.6% $30

Eating Out

Craiova

$146 12%

Bucharest

$228 16.9% 56% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Craiova

$135 11.1%

Bucharest

$135 10% 0.1% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

Craiova

$53 4.4%

Bucharest

$67 5% 26.1% $14

Getting Around

Craiova

$33 2.7%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 14.5% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $532 in Craiova and $711 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 48% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $41 in Craiova vs $58 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $194 vs $225 per month, with Craiova cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Craiova

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

16:09 4:09 PM

Same time as Craiova

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

269,506

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Craiova vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,217 in Craiova and $1,354 in Bucharest, so Craiova is about 10% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 32% lower in Craiova. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $532 in Craiova versus $711 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,217 per month in Craiova versus $1,354 in Bucharest – Craiova is about 10% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 18% less than in Craiova. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Craiova is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Craiova wins on affordability, Bucharest on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.