Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elblag and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,354 a month against $1,457 in Elblag, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Elblag outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

70

Cost of Living Index in Elblag
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Elblag Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Elblag

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,457

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,354

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,457 in Elblag versus $1,354 in Bucharest.

Elblag $1,457
Bucharest $1,354

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,110 in Elblag versus $2,043 in Bucharest.

Elblag $2,110
Bucharest $2,043

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,762 in Elblag versus $2,733 in Bucharest.

Elblag $2,762
Bucharest $2,733

Living in Elblag is roughly 8% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.10 zł 47.70

$14.66 RON 70.1

-17.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.08 zł 107

$57.7 RON 276

-53.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.47 zł 29.45

$7.52 RON 35.92

-0.66%

Cappuccino

$3.53 zł 13.91

$3.56 RON 16.99

-0.84%

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

$2.17 zł 8.56

$2.47 RON 11.81

-12.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 zł 6.48

$2.18 RON 10.44

-24.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 zł 12.35

$3.69 RON 17.62

-15.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 zł 14.81

$4.28 RON 20.45

-12.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 zł 3.92

$1.67 RON 7.99

-40.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 zł 6.38

$1.35 RON 6.45

20.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.91 zł 3.59

$1.78 RON 8.48

-48.88%

Eggs

$3.70 zł 14.60

$3.56 RON 17.02

3.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.91 zł 35.14

$9.12 RON 43.60

-2.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.94 zł 27.37

$6.82 RON 32.58

1.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.75 zł 46.35

$12.13 RON 58.0

-3.13%

Apples (1kg)

$1.36 zł 5.35

$1.26 RON 6.04

7.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 zł 6.82

$1.62 RON 7.76

6.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 zł 6.32

$1.56 RON 7.45

2.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 zł 12.60

$2.54 RON 12.14

25.98%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 zł 2.95

$0.78 RON 3.74

-3.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 zł 5.19

$0.77 RON 3.70

71.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 zł 4.55

$0.89 RON 4.24

29.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 zł 2.11

$0.90 RON 4.30

-41.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 zł 16.59

$6.55 RON 31.30

-35.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.50 zł 25.63

$6.37 RON 30.42

2.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 zł 2.07

$1.24 RON 5.94

-57.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 zł 5.33

$1.62 RON 7.75

-16.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 zł 3.97

$0.85 RON 4.08

18.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.69 zł 97.4

$20.71 RON 99.0

19.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.10 zł 8.28

$0.61 RON 2.93

244.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 zł 3.09

$0.61 RON 2.93

27.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.19 zł 40.19

$6.16 RON 29.45

65.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 zł 6.05

$2.00 RON 9.55

-23.50%

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

$30.8K zł 121.6K

$27.9K RON 133.5K

10.30%

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

$25.3K zł 99.9K

$25.3K RON 121.0K

0.03%

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

$283 zł 1,117

$192 RON 918

47.48%

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

$8.14 zł 32.11

$7.92 RON 37.83

2.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.81 zł 54.4

$8.96 RON 42.81

54.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.10 zł 166

$49.99 RON 239

-15.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.62 zł 85.3

$24.81 RON 119

-12.86%

Cinema Ticket

$5.47 zł 21.55

$8.51 RON 40.65

-35.72%

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

$323 zł 1,275

$686 RON 3,278

-52.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,952 zł 7,696

$14.4K RON 68.9K

-86.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.7 zł 318

$90.2 RON 431

-10.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.60 zł 144

$38.74 RON 185

-5.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.3 zł 344

$78.9 RON 377

10.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.4 zł 388

$92.1 RON 440

6.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$604 zł 2,382

$711 RON 3,398

-15.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$513 zł 2,023

$462 RON 2,207

11.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$992 zł 3,913

$1,053 RON 5,034

-5.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$896 zł 3,531

$723 RON 3,453

23.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,130 zł 8,399

$3,634 RON 17.4K

-41.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,224 zł 8,769

$2,173 RON 10.4K

2.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,295 zł 5,105

$1,354 RON 6,470

-4.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.89

6.75

2.07%

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

Last update for Elblag: 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

Elblag

$513 35.2%

Bucharest

$462 34.1% 10% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Elblag

$305 20.9%

Bucharest

$209 15.4% 31.5% $96

Groceries & Markets

Elblag

$215 14.8%

Bucharest

$225 16.6% 4.6% $9.8

Eating Out

Elblag

$200 13.7%

Bucharest

$228 16.9% 14.1% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Elblag

$136 9.4%

Bucharest

$135 10% 1% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Elblag

$53 3.6%

Bucharest

$67 5% 26.4% $14

Getting Around

Elblag

$35 2.4%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 19.9% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $604 in Elblag and $711 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 5% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $27 in Elblag vs $58 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $225 per month, with Elblag cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Elblag

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

19:30 7:30 PM

20:30 8:30 PM

1 h ahead of Elblag

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

122,899

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.254 USD

1 PLN = 0.227 EUR

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3.94 PLN (1 PLN = 0.254 USD). 1 EUR = 4.4 PLN (1 PLN = 0.227 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 4.78 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to PLN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Elblag Bucharest 1,180 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Elblag
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

Elblag vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,457 in Elblag and $1,354 in Bucharest, so Bucharest is about 7% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 4% lower in Elblag. 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: $604 in Elblag versus $711 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,457 per month in Elblag versus $1,354 in Bucharest – Bucharest is about 7% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 16% less than in Elblag. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Bucharest gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.