Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Genoa and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $1,833 in Genoa, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Genoa
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Genoa Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Genoa

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,833

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,833 in Genoa versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

Genoa $1,833
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,715 in Genoa versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

Genoa $2,715
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,596 in Genoa versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

Genoa $3,596
Bucharest $2,715

Living in Genoa is roughly 36% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Genoa 37% above, Bucharest 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.94 €15.12

$14.46 RON 68.4

17.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.5 €70.0

$57.7 RON 273

36.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 €11.94

$7.50 RON 35.46

78.40%

Cappuccino

$1.98 €1.77

$3.43 RON 16.20

-42.27%

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

$2.93 €2.61

$2.46 RON 11.63

19.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 €1.43

$2.33 RON 11.01

-31.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.78 €6.05

$3.80 RON 17.97

78.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.57 €4.97

$4.10 RON 19.41

35.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.65 RON 7.79

12.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 €2.18

$1.35 RON 6.39

80.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 €2.91

$1.78 RON 8.42

83.15%

Eggs

$4.75 €4.24

$3.66 RON 17.33

29.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.17 €16.22

$8.57 RON 40.54

112.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.73 €11.36

$6.80 RON 32.17

87.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.35 €18.16

$11.72 RON 55.4

73.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 €2.39

$1.29 RON 6.11

107.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.56 RON 7.37

33.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 €2.60

$1.54 RON 7.28

88.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.35 €2.99

$2.48 RON 11.75

35.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.93

$0.83 RON 3.92

160.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$0.80 RON 3.77

130.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.84 RON 3.98

107.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 €0.48

$0.93 RON 4.39

-43.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.02 €6.26

$6.44 RON 30.45

9.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.82 €6.98

$6.32 RON 29.91

23.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.26 RON 5.94

84.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 €2.67

$1.60 RON 7.59

86.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

$0.81 RON 3.85

183.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.8 €48.93

$21.13 RON 99.9

159.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.78 €6.05

$0.60 RON 2.86

1030.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.61 RON 2.91

126.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 €30.64

$6.17 RON 29.19

456.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.96 RON 9.27

11.22%

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

$36.1K €32.2K

$28.1K RON 133.1K

28.20%

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

$34.8K €31.0K

$26.3K RON 124.3K

32.23%

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

$237 €211

$197 RON 931

20.26%

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

$10.05 €8.97

$8.34 RON 39.44

20.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.28 €27.91

$9.19 RON 43.47

240.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.92 €44.55

$49.87 RON 236

0.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.78 €14.08

$24.99 RON 118

-36.85%

Cinema Ticket

$8.87 €7.92

$8.46 RON 40.01

4.85%

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

$358 €319

$639 RON 3,023

-44.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K €10.9K

$14.4K RON 68.1K

-15.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.0 €65.1

$90.6 RON 429

-19.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.07 €33.97

$38.05 RON 180

0.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.2 €81.4

$79.7 RON 377

14.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €110

$93.2 RON 441

31.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$875 €781

$673 RON 3,184

29.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$588 €524

$449 RON 2,123

30.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,430 €1,277

$1,098 RON 5,195

30.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$933 €833

$729 RON 3,448

27.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,635 €3,244

$3,740 RON 17.7K

-2.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,163 €1,038

$2,189 RON 10.4K

-46.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,066 €1,844

$1,323 RON 6,259

56.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.38

6.74

-49.85%

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

Last update for Genoa: October 4, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Genoa

$588 32.9%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 23.6% $139

Groceries & Markets

Genoa

$365 20.5%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 39.3% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Genoa

$278 15.6%

Bucharest

$214 16% 22.9% $64

Eating Out

Genoa

$263 14.7%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 14% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Genoa

$146 8.2%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 7.3% $11

Getting Around

Genoa

$78 4.4%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 63.9% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Genoa

$68 3.8%

Bucharest

$67 5% 1.3% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $875 in Genoa and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Genoa pays 56% 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: $78.0 in Genoa vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $365 vs $222 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Genoa

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

05:48 5:48 AM

06:48 6:48 AM

1 h ahead of Genoa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

586,655

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 = 0.189 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Genoa Bucharest 1,360 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Genoa
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

Genoa vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Genoa and Bucharest differ by about 36% in total monthly costs ($1,833 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 56% higher in Genoa, 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: $875 in Genoa versus $673 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,833 per month in Genoa versus $1,351 in Bucharest – a 36% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 159% less than in Genoa. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $1,833 in Genoa, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Genoa. 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.

Expats usually find Bucharest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Genoa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.