Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubendorf and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $3,678 in Dubendorf, rent and utilities included – about $28,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

180

Cost of Living Index in Dubendorf
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Dubendorf Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Dubendorf

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,678

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,678 in Dubendorf versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Dubendorf $3,678
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,457 in Dubendorf versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Dubendorf $5,457
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,236 in Dubendorf versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Dubendorf $7,236
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Dubendorf is roughly 174% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubendorf is 172% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.44 CHF 24.24

$14.49 RON 68.6

103.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$118 CHF 97.4

$58.1 RON 275

103.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.26 CHF 13.39

$7.48 RON 35.40

117.38%

Cappuccino

$5.92 CHF 4.88

$3.44 RON 16.29

72.09%

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

$5.47 CHF 4.50

$2.37 RON 11.22

130.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.88 CHF 4.02

$2.30 RON 10.88

112.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.23 CHF 6.78

$3.70 RON 17.51

122.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.44 CHF 5.30

$4.16 RON 19.69

54.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 CHF 1.73

$1.67 RON 7.90

25.75%

White Bread (500g)

$3.92 CHF 3.23

$1.37 RON 6.50

186.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.62 CHF 3.81

$1.72 RON 8.14

168.60%

Eggs

$7.33 CHF 6.04

$3.64 RON 17.22

101.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$32.45 CHF 26.72

$9.08 RON 42.98

257.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$26.18 CHF 21.56

$6.84 RON 32.35

282.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.54 CHF 35.03

$12.00 RON 56.8

254.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.57 CHF 2.94

$1.23 RON 5.80

190.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.10 CHF 1.73

$1.63 RON 7.73

28.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.11 CHF 2.56

$1.57 RON 7.45

98.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.00 CHF 5.76

$2.54 RON 12.01

175.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.49 CHF 2.05

$0.79 RON 3.75

215.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 CHF 1.78

$0.77 RON 3.66

180.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.52 CHF 2.07

$0.87 RON 4.13

189.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 CHF 1.15

$0.99 RON 4.70

41.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.91 CHF 8.98

$6.31 RON 29.86

72.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.34 CHF 10.98

$6.20 RON 29.34

115.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 CHF 1.93

$1.19 RON 5.63

96.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 CHF 2.83

$1.57 RON 7.45

119.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.34 CHF 1.93

$0.86 RON 4.08

172.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.20 CHF 39.69

$21.10 RON 99.8

128.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.37 CHF 4.42

$0.64 RON 3.05

739.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 CHF 2.82

$0.60 RON 2.86

471.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.6 CHF 49.90

$6.43 RON 30.43

842.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 CHF 1.86

$1.96 RON 9.25

14.80%

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

$41.8K CHF 34.5K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

44.28%

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

$39.0K CHF 32.1K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

46.53%

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

$235 CHF 194

$196 RON 927

20.04%

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

$31.38 CHF 25.84

$8.04 RON 38.04

290.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.2 CHF 53.7

$9.35 RON 44.21

596.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$121 CHF 99.5

$50.2 RON 238

140.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$78.7 CHF 64.8

$25.33 RON 120

210.74%

Cinema Ticket

$24.26 CHF 19.98

$8.15 RON 38.55

197.67%

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

$1,777 CHF 1,463

$628 RON 2,971

182.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.4K CHF 26.7K

$14.1K RON 66.6K

130.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$140 CHF 115

$89.6 RON 424

56.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$87.0 CHF 71.6

$38.32 RON 181

126.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$146 CHF 120

$79.3 RON 375

83.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$173 CHF 142

$90.4 RON 428

91.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,805 CHF 1,486

$678 RON 3,209

166.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,775 CHF 1,462

$448 RON 2,121

296.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 CHF 2,316

$1,083 RON 5,125

159.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,763 CHF 2,275

$725 RON 3,430

281.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.0K CHF 9,902

$3,751 RON 17.7K

220.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,098 CHF 5,846

$2,195 RON 10.4K

223.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,844 CHF 3,166

$1,329 RON 6,290

189.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.48

6.75

-63.26%

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

Last update for Dubendorf: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubendorf

$1.8K 48.3%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 74.7% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Dubendorf

$626 17%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 64% $401

Eating Out

Dubendorf

$451 12.3%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 50% $226

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubendorf

$332 9%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 35.7% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Dubendorf

$245 6.7%

Bucharest

$134 10% 45.4% $111

Sport & Entertainment

Dubendorf

$169 4.6%

Bucharest

$67 5% 60.7% $103

Getting Around

Dubendorf

$80 2.2%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 64.8% $52

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,805 in Dubendorf and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubendorf pays 189% 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: $118 in Dubendorf vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $626 vs $225 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Dubendorf

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

07:36 7:36 AM

08:36 8:36 AM

1 h ahead of Dubendorf

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,759

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

Dubendorf Bucharest 1,390 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Dubendorf
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

Dubendorf vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dubendorf and Bucharest differ by about 174% in total monthly costs ($3,678 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 189% higher in Dubendorf, 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: $1,805 in Dubendorf versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $3,678 per month in Dubendorf versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 174% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 128% less than in Dubendorf. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $3,678 in Dubendorf, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Dubendorf. 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, Dubendorf 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 174% less than in Dubendorf. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.