Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elmina and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Elmina: $678 a month against $1,371 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Elmina
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Elmina Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Elmina

🇬🇭 Ghana

$678

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,371

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $678 in Elmina versus $1,371 in Bucharest.

Elmina $678
Bucharest $1,371

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,146 in Elmina versus $2,067 in Bucharest.

Elmina $1,146
Bucharest $2,067

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,613 in Elmina versus $2,764 in Bucharest.

Elmina $1,613
Bucharest $2,764

Living in Elmina costs roughly 51% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.38 GHS 97.7

$14.51 RON 69.0

-42.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.4 GHS 610

$61.2 RON 291

-14.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.44 GHS 122

$7.46 RON 35.50

39.95%

Cappuccino

$4.45 GHS 51.9

$3.64 RON 17.33

22.25%

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

$1.54 GHS 17.99

$2.62 RON 12.44

-41.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 GHS 5.60

$2.36 RON 11.24

-79.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.84 GHS 21.41

$3.78 RON 18.00

-51.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 GHS 26.59

$4.11 RON 19.54

-44.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.57 GHS 41.56

$1.66 RON 7.90

115.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 GHS 18.94

$1.40 RON 6.64

16.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.09 GHS 36.05

$1.79 RON 8.54

72.63%

Eggs

$2.62 GHS 30.50

$3.63 RON 17.27

-27.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 GHS 142

$8.92 RON 42.43

37.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.39 GHS 86.1

$6.86 RON 32.65

7.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.05 GHS 117

$11.99 RON 57.0

-16.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.74 GHS 43.56

$1.30 RON 6.17

187.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 GHS 17.04

$1.63 RON 7.77

-10.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 GHS 21.40

$1.49 RON 7.10

23.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.54 GHS 41.22

$2.54 RON 12.09

39.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.64 GHS 30.74

$0.81 RON 3.86

225.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.77 GHS 32.27

$0.80 RON 3.79

246.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 GHS 8.28

$0.86 RON 4.07

-17.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 GHS 7.04

$0.94 RON 4.46

-36.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.52 GHS 29.39

$6.60 RON 31.42

-61.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.34 GHS 85.5

$6.33 RON 30.11

15.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 GHS 14.49

$1.19 RON 5.64

4.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 GHS 26.87

$1.58 RON 7.54

46.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 RON 4.64

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.91 RON 99.5

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 GHS 19.47

$0.60 RON 2.86

178.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.32 GHS 15.37

$0.62 RON 2.93

112.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.27 GHS 49.74

$6.37 RON 30.28

-32.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 GHS 15.72

$2.02 RON 9.63

-33.17%

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

$7,995 GHS 93.1K

$28.2K RON 134.1K

-71.65%

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

$20.3K GHS 236.7K

$26.3K RON 125.0K

-22.66%

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

$72.8 GHS 849

$196 RON 933

-62.87%

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

$19.52 GHS 227

$8.60 RON 40.89

126.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.70 GHS 497

$9.20 RON 43.74

364.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 RON 243

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.04 RON 119

Cinema Ticket

$12.85 GHS 150

$8.26 RON 39.31

55.57%

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

$460 GHS 5,363

$681 RON 3,237

-32.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K GHS 218.6K

$18.7K RON 89.1K

0.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.44 GHS 168

$93.3 RON 444

-84.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.91 GHS 220

$39.87 RON 190

-52.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.51 GHS 425

$80.1 RON 381

-54.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.7 GHS 614

$90.6 RON 431

-41.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$731 RON 3,477

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 RON 2,234

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,110 RON 5,282

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 RON 3,435

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 RON 17.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,233 RON 10.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,365 RON 6,494

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

26.75

6.75

296.30%

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

Last update for Elmina: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Elmina

$280 41.3%

Bucharest

$225 16.4% 19.8% $55

Eating Out

Elmina

$174 25.6%

Bucharest

$229 16.7% 32% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Elmina

$135 19.9%

Bucharest

$214 15.6% 58.4% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Elmina

$55 8.1%

Bucharest

$137 10% 148% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Elmina

$26 * 3.8%

Bucharest

$68 4.9% 163% $42

Getting Around

Elmina

$8.3 * 1.2%

Bucharest

$29 2.1% 245% $20

Accommodation & Living

Elmina

- * 0%

Bucharest

$470 34.3%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $52 in Elmina vs $61 in Bucharest. Groceries flip the comparison at $280 vs $225, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇭 Elmina

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

17:54 5:54 PM

19:54 7:54 PM

2 h ahead of Elmina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,403

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 GHS = 8.58 USD

100 GHS = 7.64 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to GHS – Ghanaian Cedi Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇭 Ghanaian Cedi (₵)

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 11.65 GHS (100 GHS = 8.58 USD). 1 EUR = 13.09 GHS (100 GHS = 7.64 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 4.76 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to GHS in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Elmina Bucharest 5,130 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Elmina
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

Elmina vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $678 in Elmina and $1,371 in Bucharest, so Elmina is about 51% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,017 in Elmina and $2,056 in Bucharest to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Shoppers in Bucharest pay roughly 20% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $678 per month in Elmina versus $1,371 in Bucharest – Elmina is about 51% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $678 in Elmina versus $1,371 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Elmina but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Elmina 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.