Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gdansk and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $1,752 in Gdansk, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Gdansk
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Gdansk Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index

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Gdansk

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,752

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,752 in Gdansk versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

Gdansk $1,752
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,523 in Gdansk versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

Gdansk $2,523
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,294 in Gdansk versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

Gdansk $3,294
Bucharest $2,715

Living in Gdansk is roughly 30% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gdansk 31% above, Bucharest 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.44 zł 44.63

$14.46 RON 68.9

-20.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.9 zł 226

$57.7 RON 275

0.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.79 zł 34.31

$7.50 RON 35.72

17.20%

Cappuccino

$4.10 zł 16.00

$3.43 RON 16.32

19.53%

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

$2.33 zł 9.11

$2.46 RON 11.72

-5.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 zł 6.44

$2.33 RON 11.09

-29.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.77 zł 14.70

$3.80 RON 18.10

-0.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.81 zł 14.88

$4.10 RON 19.56

-7.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 zł 3.92

$1.65 RON 7.85

-39.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 zł 5.03

$1.35 RON 6.44

-4.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 zł 6.73

$1.78 RON 8.48

-3.37%

Eggs

$3.89 zł 15.19

$3.66 RON 17.46

6.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.47 zł 33.06

$8.57 RON 40.84

-1.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.77 zł 26.43

$6.80 RON 32.41

-0.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.76 zł 53.7

$11.72 RON 55.8

17.41%

Apples (1kg)

$1.25 zł 4.89

$1.29 RON 6.16

-3.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 zł 7.08

$1.56 RON 7.43

16.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 zł 8.19

$1.54 RON 7.34

36.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.12 zł 12.18

$2.48 RON 11.84

25.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 zł 3.09

$0.83 RON 3.95

-4.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 zł 4.14

$0.80 RON 3.80

32.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 zł 5.13

$0.84 RON 4.01

55.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 zł 2.70

$0.93 RON 4.42

-25.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.92 zł 23.09

$6.44 RON 30.68

-8.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.62 zł 25.85

$6.32 RON 30.13

4.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 zł 4.82

$1.26 RON 5.99

-2.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 zł 7.02

$1.60 RON 7.65

12.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.20 zł 4.70

$0.81 RON 3.88

48.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 zł 121

$21.13 RON 101

46.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.03 zł 7.91

$0.60 RON 2.88

238.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 zł 4.04

$0.61 RON 2.93

68.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.55 zł 48.98

$6.17 RON 29.41

103.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 zł 6.31

$1.96 RON 9.34

-17.35%

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

$30.2K zł 117.9K

$28.1K RON 134.2K

7.33%

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

$28.6K zł 111.8K

$26.3K RON 125.3K

8.93%

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

$296 zł 1,155

$197 RON 938

50.32%

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

$11.78 zł 45.98

$8.34 RON 39.74

41.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.47 zł 79.9

$9.19 RON 43.80

122.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.71 zł 174

$49.87 RON 238

-10.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.31 zł 114

$24.99 RON 119

17.29%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 zł 30.58

$8.46 RON 40.31

-7.33%

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

$537 zł 2,095

$639 RON 3,046

-16.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,897 zł 30.8K

$14.4K RON 68.6K

-45.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.3 zł 349

$90.6 RON 432

-1.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.46 zł 189

$38.05 RON 181

27.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.7 zł 366

$79.7 RON 380

17.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 zł 414

$93.2 RON 444

13.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$999 zł 3,900

$673 RON 3,209

48.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$742 zł 2,896

$449 RON 2,139

65.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,670 zł 6,516

$1,098 RON 5,234

52.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,099 zł 4,288

$729 RON 3,474

50.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,429 zł 21.2K

$3,740 RON 17.8K

45.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,001 zł 11.7K

$2,189 RON 10.4K

37.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,991 zł 7,769

$1,323 RON 6,306

50.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

6.74

-1.04%

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

Last update for Gdansk: 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

Gdansk

$742 42.1%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 39.5% $293

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gdansk

$328 18.6%

Bucharest

$214 16% 34.7% $114

Groceries & Markets

Gdansk

$228 12.9%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 2.8% $6.4

Eating Out

Gdansk

$209 11.9%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 7.7% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Gdansk

$152 8.6%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 10.6% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Gdansk

$60 3.4%

Bucharest

$67 5% 10.6% $6.4

Getting Around

Gdansk

$43 2.4%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 34.7% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $999 in Gdansk and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gdansk pays 50% 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: $58.0 in Gdansk vs $58.0 in Bucharest. Groceries flip the comparison at $228 vs $222, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Gdansk

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

04:21 4:21 AM

05:21 5:21 AM

1 h ahead of Gdansk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

470,633

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.256 USD

1 PLN = 0.228 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.9 PLN (1 PLN = 0.256 USD). 1 EUR = 4.38 PLN (1 PLN = 0.228 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.77 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to PLN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Gdansk Bucharest 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Gdansk
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

Gdansk vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gdansk and Bucharest differ by about 30% in total monthly costs ($1,752 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 50% higher in Gdansk, 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: $999 in Gdansk versus $673 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,752 per month in Gdansk versus $1,351 in Bucharest – a 30% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 46% less than in Gdansk. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $1,752 in Gdansk, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Gdansk. 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, Gdansk 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 30% less than in Gdansk. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.