Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fontainebleau and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Fontainebleau: $1,127 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bucharest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

55

Cost of Living Index in Fontainebleau
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Fontainebleau Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Fontainebleau

🇫🇷 France

$1,127

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,127 in Fontainebleau versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Fontainebleau $1,127
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,529 in Fontainebleau versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Fontainebleau $2,529
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Fontainebleau versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Fontainebleau $3,931
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Fontainebleau costs roughly 16% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Fontainebleau 17% lower, Bucharest 1% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.58 €15.64

$14.49 RON 68.6

21.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.3 €59.0

$58.1 RON 275

14.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.29 €11.82

$7.48 RON 35.40

77.67%

Cappuccino

$3.85 €3.42

$3.44 RON 16.29

11.92%

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

$3.13 €2.79

$2.37 RON 11.22

32.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 €1.47

$2.30 RON 10.88

-28.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.04 €7.15

$3.70 RON 17.51

117.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.64 €5.01

$4.16 RON 19.69

35.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.67 RON 7.90

-20.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.37 RON 6.50

43.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.72 RON 8.14

62.79%

Eggs

$4.03 €3.58

$3.64 RON 17.22

10.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.50 €19.12

$9.08 RON 42.98

136.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.19 €10.84

$6.84 RON 32.35

78.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.50 €20.90

$12.00 RON 56.8

95.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.33 €2.96

$1.23 RON 5.80

170.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.63 RON 7.73

29.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 €2.11

$1.57 RON 7.45

51.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.17 €2.82

$2.54 RON 12.01

24.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$0.79 RON 3.75

143.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$0.77 RON 3.66

167.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 €1.36

$0.87 RON 4.13

74.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 €0.61

$0.99 RON 4.70

-31.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.91 €12.37

$6.31 RON 29.86

120.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.74 €6.89

$6.20 RON 29.34

24.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 €2.13

$1.19 RON 5.63

101.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 €3.80

$1.57 RON 7.45

171.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.27 €2.02

$0.64 RON 3.05

254.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.09 €1.85

$0.60 RON 2.86

248.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.36 €21.67

$6.43 RON 30.43

278.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.96 RON 9.25

12.76%

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

$33.9K €30.2K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

17.02%

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

$34.2K €30.4K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

28.48%

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

$206 €184

$196 RON 927

5.39%

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

$15.25 €13.57

$8.04 RON 38.04

89.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.23 €27.78

$9.35 RON 44.21

234.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.61 €20.11

$50.2 RON 238

-54.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.32 €11.85

$25.33 RON 120

-47.41%

Cinema Ticket

$10.52 €9.36

$8.15 RON 38.55

29.08%

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

$633 €563

$628 RON 2,971

0.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,147 €7,247

$14.1K RON 66.6K

-42.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 €78.1

$89.6 RON 424

-1.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.29 €35.83

$38.32 RON 181

5.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €89.7

$79.3 RON 375

27.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 €92.4

$90.4 RON 428

14.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$936 €833

$678 RON 3,209

38.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,670 €1,485

$1,083 RON 5,125

54.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,405 €1,250

$725 RON 3,430

93.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,045 €2,709

$1,329 RON 6,290

129.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

6.75

-48.15%

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

Last update for Fontainebleau: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Fontainebleau

$371 32.9%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 39.3% $146

Eating Out

Fontainebleau

$297 26.4%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 24.2% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fontainebleau

$253 22.4%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 15.7% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Fontainebleau

$150 13.3%

Bucharest

$134 10% 10.6% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Fontainebleau

$44 3.9%

Bucharest

$67 5% 52.4% $23

Getting Around

Fontainebleau

$13 * 1.1%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 122% $16

Accommodation & Living

Fontainebleau

- * 0%

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $936 in Fontainebleau and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fontainebleau pays 129% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Fontainebleau vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $371 vs $225 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Fontainebleau

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

18:32 6:32 PM

19:32 7:32 PM

1 h ahead of Fontainebleau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,945

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Fontainebleau Bucharest 1,840 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Fontainebleau
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

Fontainebleau vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fontainebleau and Bucharest differ by about 19% in total monthly costs ($1,127 vs $1,340 including rent). Fontainebleau is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 129% higher in Fontainebleau, 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: $936 in Fontainebleau versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Bucharest pay roughly 65% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,127 per month in Fontainebleau versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 19% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,127 in Fontainebleau versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Fontainebleau but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Fontainebleau 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, Fontainebleau 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 Fontainebleau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.