Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dublin and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $3,734 in Dublin, rent and utilities included – about $28,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

180

Cost of Living Index in Dublin
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Dublin Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Dublin

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,734

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,734 in Dublin versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

Dublin $3,734
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,273 in Dublin versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

Dublin $5,273
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,811 in Dublin versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

Dublin $6,811
Bucharest $2,715

Living in Dublin is roughly 176% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dublin 179% above, Bucharest 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.89 €21.30

$14.46 RON 68.9

65.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 €90.5

$57.7 RON 275

76.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.62 €12.15

$7.50 RON 35.72

81.60%

Cappuccino

$4.90 €4.37

$3.43 RON 16.32

42.86%

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

$2.88 €2.57

$2.46 RON 11.72

17.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.33 RON 11.09

-7.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.64 €6.82

$3.80 RON 18.10

101.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.47 €6.66

$4.10 RON 19.56

82.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.65 RON 7.85

1.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 €2.17

$1.35 RON 6.44

80.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$1.78 RON 8.48

15.17%

Eggs

$4.86 €4.34

$3.66 RON 17.46

32.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.03 €8.94

$8.57 RON 40.84

17.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.98 €11.58

$6.80 RON 32.41

90.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.31 €14.54

$11.72 RON 55.8

39.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 €2.54

$1.29 RON 6.16

120.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.56 RON 7.43

39.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 €2.39

$1.54 RON 7.34

74.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.39 €4.81

$2.48 RON 11.84

117.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$0.83 RON 3.95

124.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 €1.33

$0.80 RON 3.80

87.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 €1.16

$0.84 RON 4.01

54.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 €1.81

$0.93 RON 4.42

118.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.45 €19.13

$6.44 RON 30.68

233.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.70 €12.22

$6.32 RON 30.13

116.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.34 €2.98

$1.26 RON 5.99

165.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 €3.19

$1.60 RON 7.65

123.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.29 €2.04

$0.81 RON 3.88

182.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 €94.8

$21.13 RON 101

403.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 €4.72

$0.60 RON 2.88

783.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 €1.38

$0.61 RON 2.93

154.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.18 €33.15

$6.17 RON 29.41

502.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.96 RON 9.34

10.20%

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

$39.0K €34.8K

$28.1K RON 134.2K

38.56%

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

$39.6K €35.3K

$26.3K RON 125.3K

50.68%

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

$276 €246

$197 RON 938

39.98%

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

$18.01 €16.06

$8.34 RON 39.74

115.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 €46.38

$9.19 RON 43.80

466.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 €61.4

$49.87 RON 238

38.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.99 €18.71

$24.99 RON 119

-16.01%

Cinema Ticket

$16.00 €14.27

$8.46 RON 40.31

89.13%

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

$1,296 €1,155

$639 RON 3,046

102.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.3K €12.7K

$14.4K RON 68.6K

-0.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 €95.5

$90.6 RON 432

18.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.2 €44.73

$38.05 RON 181

31.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 €100

$79.7 RON 380

41.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €118

$93.2 RON 444

42.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,465 €2,197

$673 RON 3,209

266.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,179 €1,943

$449 RON 2,139

385.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,492 €4,005

$1,098 RON 5,234

309.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,520 €3,139

$729 RON 3,474

382.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,511 €8,480

$3,740 RON 17.8K

154.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,656 €5,043

$2,189 RON 10.4K

158.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,795 €3,384

$1,323 RON 6,306

186.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

6.74

-43.32%

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

Last update for Dublin: October 3, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dublin

$2.2K 59.4%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 79.4% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Dublin

$367 10%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 39.6% $145

Eating Out

Dublin

$364 9.9%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 38% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dublin

$346 9.4%

Bucharest

$214 16% 38% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Dublin

$181 4.9%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 25% $45

Getting Around

Dublin

$129 3.5%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 78.2% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Dublin

$101 2.8%

Bucharest

$67 5% 33.8% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,465 in Dublin and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dublin pays 187% 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: $102 in Dublin vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $367 vs $222 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Dublin

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

02:52 2:52 AM

04:52 4:52 AM

2 h ahead of Dublin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

588,233 Capital

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Dublin Bucharest 2,540 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dublin
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

Dublin vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dublin and Bucharest differ by about 176% in total monthly costs ($3,734 vs $1,351 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 187% higher in Dublin, 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: $2,465 in Dublin versus $673 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $3,734 per month in Dublin versus $1,351 in Bucharest – a 176% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 403% less than in Dublin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $3,734 in Dublin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Dublin. 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, Dublin 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 176% less than in Dublin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.