Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Galati and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Galati: $1,031 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Galati
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Galati Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Galati

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,031

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,031 in Galati versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Galati $1,031
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,605 in Galati versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Galati $1,605
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,180 in Galati versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Galati $2,180
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Galati costs roughly 23% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Galati 24% lower, Bucharest 1% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.57 RON 50.0

$14.49 RON 68.6

-27.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.33 RON 200

$58.1 RON 275

-27.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.18 RON 33.98

$7.48 RON 35.40

-4.01%

Cappuccino

$2.41 RON 11.42

$3.44 RON 16.29

-29.94%

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

$2.07 RON 9.79

$2.37 RON 11.22

-12.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 RON 8.63

$2.30 RON 10.88

-20.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 RON 9.59

$3.70 RON 17.51

-45.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 RON 15.11

$4.16 RON 19.69

-23.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 RON 5.73

$1.67 RON 7.90

-27.54%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 RON 3.16

$1.37 RON 6.50

-51.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 RON 8.38

$1.72 RON 8.14

2.91%

Eggs

$3.47 RON 16.43

$3.64 RON 17.22

-4.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.88 RON 37.30

$9.08 RON 42.98

-13.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.74 RON 27.17

$6.84 RON 32.35

-16.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.48 RON 40.11

$12.00 RON 56.8

-29.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.12

$1.23 RON 5.80

4.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 RON 7.79

$1.63 RON 7.73

1.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.39

$1.57 RON 7.45

-0.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 RON 8.61

$2.54 RON 12.01

-28.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 RON 4.25

$0.79 RON 3.75

13.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 RON 4.75

$0.77 RON 3.66

29.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 RON 4.05

$0.87 RON 4.13

-1.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 RON 3.39

$0.99 RON 4.70

-27.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.56 RON 26.28

$6.31 RON 29.86

-11.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.15 RON 24.35

$6.20 RON 29.34

-16.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 RON 4.53

$1.19 RON 5.63

-19.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 RON 5.73

$1.57 RON 7.45

-22.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 RON 3.36

$0.86 RON 4.08

-17.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.58 RON 116

$21.10 RON 99.8

16.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.04

$0.64 RON 3.05

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 RON 3.07

$0.60 RON 2.86

8.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.85 RON 32.42

$6.43 RON 30.43

6.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 RON 8.23

$1.96 RON 9.25

-11.22%

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

$28.3K RON 133.7K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

-2.56%

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

$24.6K RON 116.4K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

-7.66%

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

$150 RON 708

$196 RON 927

-23.64%

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

$7.47 RON 35.35

$8.04 RON 38.04

-7.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.64 RON 36.16

$9.35 RON 44.21

-18.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.51 RON 177

$50.2 RON 238

-25.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.01 RON 166

$25.33 RON 120

38.22%

Cinema Ticket

$6.43 RON 30.43

$8.15 RON 38.55

-21.10%

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

$604 RON 2,856

$628 RON 2,971

-3.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,954 RON 23.4K

$14.1K RON 66.6K

-64.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.6 RON 443

$89.6 RON 424

4.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.20 RON 148

$38.32 RON 181

-18.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.6 RON 292

$79.3 RON 375

-22.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.1 RON 389

$90.4 RON 428

-9.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$385 RON 1,823

$678 RON 3,209

-43.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$313 RON 1,480

$448 RON 2,121

-30.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$775 RON 3,668

$1,083 RON 5,125

-28.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$559 RON 2,643

$725 RON 3,430

-22.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,586 RON 7,505

$3,751 RON 17.7K

-57.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,235 RON 5,845

$2,195 RON 10.4K

-43.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$914 RON 4,325

$1,329 RON 6,290

-31.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

6.75

6.67%

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

Last update for Galati: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Galati

$313 30.3%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 43.3% $135

Groceries & Markets

Galati

$184 17.8%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 22.6% $42

Eating Out

Galati

$167 16.2%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 34.7% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Galati

$165 16%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 29.5% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Galati

$121 11.7%

Bucharest

$134 10% 10.8% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Galati

$50 4.9%

Bucharest

$67 5% 32.1% $16

Getting Around

Galati

$31 3%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 9.9% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $385 in Galati and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 45% 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: $42.00 in Galati vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $184 vs $225 per month, with Galati cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Galati

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

16:31 4:31 PM

Same time as Galati

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

249,432

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Galati Bucharest 190 km

From you

Galati
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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

Galati vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Galati and Bucharest differ by about 30% in total monthly costs ($1,031 vs $1,340 including rent). Galati is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 45% lower in Bucharest. 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: $385 in Galati versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,031 per month in Galati versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 30% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Galati runs roughly 16% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,031 in Galati versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Galati but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Galati 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, Galati 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 Galati gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.