Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gdynia and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $1,731 in Gdynia, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

82

Cost of Living Index in Gdynia
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Gdynia Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Gdynia

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,731

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,731 in Gdynia versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

Gdynia $1,731
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,437 in Gdynia versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

Gdynia $2,437
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,143 in Gdynia versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

Gdynia $3,143
Bucharest $2,715

Living in Gdynia is roughly 28% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gdynia 29% above, Bucharest 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.19 zł 39.84

$14.46 RON 68.4

-29.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.3 zł 200

$57.7 RON 273

-11.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.57 zł 37.41

$7.50 RON 35.46

27.60%

Cappuccino

$4.27 zł 16.69

$3.43 RON 16.20

24.49%

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

$2.76 zł 10.79

$2.46 RON 11.63

12.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 zł 8.33

$2.33 RON 11.01

-8.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.86 zł 15.09

$3.80 RON 17.97

1.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.09 zł 15.97

$4.10 RON 19.41

-0.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 zł 4.06

$1.65 RON 7.79

-36.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 zł 5.12

$1.35 RON 6.39

-2.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.90 zł 7.44

$1.78 RON 8.42

6.74%

Eggs

$3.87 zł 15.11

$3.66 RON 17.33

5.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.65 zł 49.45

$8.57 RON 40.54

47.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.64 zł 29.85

$6.80 RON 32.17

12.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 zł 54.4

$11.72 RON 55.4

18.77%

Apples (1kg)

$1.35 zł 5.26

$1.29 RON 6.11

4.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 zł 7.01

$1.56 RON 7.37

14.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 zł 7.13

$1.54 RON 7.28

18.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.16 zł 12.33

$2.48 RON 11.75

27.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 zł 4.55

$0.83 RON 3.92

39.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 zł 4.56

$0.80 RON 3.77

46.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.69 zł 6.61

$0.84 RON 3.98

101.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 zł 2.42

$0.93 RON 4.39

-33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.14 zł 24.02

$6.44 RON 30.45

-4.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.15 zł 31.84

$6.32 RON 29.91

28.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 zł 4.29

$1.26 RON 5.94

-12.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 zł 6.37

$1.60 RON 7.59

1.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 zł 4.73

$0.81 RON 3.85

49.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.57 zł 139

$21.13 RON 99.9

68.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 zł 8.82

$0.60 RON 2.86

276.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 zł 3.93

$0.61 RON 2.91

65.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.85 zł 50.2

$6.17 RON 29.19

108.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.63 zł 6.38

$1.96 RON 9.27

-16.84%

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

$30.4K zł 119.0K

$28.1K RON 133.1K

8.16%

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

$27.8K zł 108.5K

$26.3K RON 124.3K

5.63%

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

$302 zł 1,179

$197 RON 931

53.27%

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

$10.33 zł 40.37

$8.34 RON 39.44

23.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.99 zł 74.2

$9.19 RON 43.47

106.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.35 zł 173

$49.87 RON 236

-11.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.16 zł 122

$24.99 RON 118

24.69%

Cinema Ticket

$9.42 zł 36.82

$8.46 RON 40.01

11.35%

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

$404 zł 1,580

$639 RON 3,023

-36.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,655 zł 22.1K

$14.4K RON 68.1K

-60.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.5 zł 369

$90.6 RON 429

4.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.63 zł 159

$38.05 RON 180

6.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 zł 403

$79.7 RON 377

29.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 zł 411

$93.2 RON 441

12.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$812 zł 3,174

$673 RON 3,184

20.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$640 zł 2,500

$449 RON 2,123

42.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 zł 4,484

$1,098 RON 5,195

4.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$935 zł 3,654

$729 RON 3,448

28.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,159 zł 16.3K

$3,740 RON 17.7K

11.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,500 zł 9,773

$2,189 RON 10.4K

14.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,927 zł 7,532

$1,323 RON 6,259

45.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.6

6.74

-2.08%

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

Last update for Gdynia: 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

Gdynia

$640 37.8%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 29.8% $191

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gdynia

$331 19.5%

Bucharest

$214 16% 35.2% $117

Groceries & Markets

Gdynia

$250 14.8%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 11.4% $28

Eating Out

Gdynia

$209 12.3%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 8.2% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Gdynia

$154 9.1%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 12.2% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Gdynia

$63 3.7%

Bucharest

$67 5% 5.7% $3.6

Getting Around

Gdynia

$48 2.8%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 41.2% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $812 in Gdynia and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gdynia pays 46% 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: $51.0 in Gdynia vs $58.0 in Bucharest. Groceries flip the comparison at $250 vs $222, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Gdynia

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

05:07 5:07 AM

06:07 6:07 AM

1 h ahead of Gdynia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

257,000

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 = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 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 = 3.91 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 = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

USD to PLN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Gdynia Bucharest 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Gdynia
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

Gdynia vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gdynia and Bucharest differ by about 28% in total monthly costs ($1,731 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 46% higher in Gdynia, 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: $812 in Gdynia versus $673 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,731 per month in Gdynia versus $1,351 in Bucharest – a 28% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 68% less than in Gdynia. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $1,731 in Gdynia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Gdynia. 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, Gdynia 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 28% less than in Gdynia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.