Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Germany and Romania

Name: Romania
Address: RO

For one person, living is cheaper in Romania: $1,133 a month against $2,080 in Germany, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Germany
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Germany Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Romania
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Romania Living Index

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🇩🇪 Germany

$2,080

/mo nomad

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,133

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Germany and in Romania

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Germany and in Romania actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,080 in Germany versus $1,133 in Romania.

Germany $2,080
Romania $1,133

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,130 in Germany versus $1,691 in Romania.

Germany $3,130
Romania $1,691

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,180 in Germany versus $2,250 in Romania.

Germany $4,180
Romania $2,250

Internal cost variation is higher in Germany: monthly costs span $1,337 to $2,681, compared to $742–$1,423 in Romania. City choice carries more weight in Germany.

Living in Germany is roughly 84% more expensive than in Romania on average.

Germany (53% above) and Romania (17% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.60 €14.88

$10.41 RON 49.80

59.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.8 €64.4

$41.28 RON 198

73.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.12 €10.86

$7.27 RON 34.77

66.71%

Cappuccino

$3.96 €3.55

$2.72 RON 13.01

45.59%

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

$3.36 €3.01

$2.02 RON 9.65

66.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 €2.59

$1.67 RON 7.98

73.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.07 €4.54

$2.25 RON 10.76

125.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.50 €4.03

$3.21 RON 15.35

40.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.13

$1.53 RON 7.30

-17.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.15 RON 5.50

91.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.54 €3.17

$1.59 RON 7.59

122.64%

Eggs

$3.88 €3.48

$3.23 RON 15.47

20.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.24 €12.76

$8.03 RON 38.43

77.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.90 €10.66

$6.39 RON 30.56

86.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.68 €18.53

$10.22 RON 48.91

102.35%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 €2.94

$1.21 RON 5.81

171.07%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 €1.83

$1.54 RON 7.35

33.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.54 RON 7.39

50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 €3.84

$2.10 RON 10.06

104.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 €1.37

$0.78 RON 3.75

96.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$0.86 RON 4.13

74.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.64 €1.47

$0.84 RON 4.03

95.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 €0.91

$0.84 RON 4.02

21.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.69 €8.68

$6.05 RON 28.94

60.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 €5.38

$6.11 RON 29.25

-1.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €1.01

$1.10 RON 5.24

1.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 €1.40

$1.57 RON 7.51

-0.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.85 €3.45

$0.72 RON 3.43

434.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.7 €62.5

$23.15 RON 111

201.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 €4.78

$0.80 RON 3.82

567.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.81 €2.52

$0.72 RON 3.47

290.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.83 €34.80

$7.00 RON 33.50

454.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.91

$1.78 RON 8.53

19.66%

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

$32.6K €29.2K

$28.7K RON 137.5K

13.31%

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

$37.7K €33.8K

$25.3K RON 121.3K

48.87%

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

$342 €307

$160 RON 763

114.43%

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

$24.87 €22.29

$7.98 RON 38.17

211.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.49 €43.45

$8.83 RON 42.27

449.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.42 €35.32

$40.42 RON 193

-2.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.47 €24.62

$18.47 RON 88.4

48.73%

Cinema Ticket

$14.65 €13.13

$7.35 RON 35.17

99.32%

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

$611 €547

$473 RON 2,265

28.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.3K €15.5K

$8,477 RON 40.6K

103.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.1 €79.8

$69.5 RON 333

28.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.07 €37.70

$37.71 RON 180

11.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.3 €88.1

$79.6 RON 381

23.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 €117

$84.3 RON 403

54.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$934 €837

$503 RON 2,408

85.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$718 €644

$375 RON 1,796

91.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,704 €1,527

$776 RON 3,712

119.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,159

$579 RON 2,768

123.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,944 €5,326

$2,539 RON 12.1K

134.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,958 €3,547

$1,819 RON 8,701

117.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,290 €2,948

$1,001 RON 4,787

228.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

6.98

-43.27%

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

Last update for Germany: October 25, 2026

Last update for Romania: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Germany

$718 34.6%

Romania

$375 33.2% 47.7% $343

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Germany

$415 20%

Romania

$176 15.6% 57.6% $239

Groceries & Markets

Germany

$335 16.1%

Romania

$203 17.9% 39.4% $132

Eating Out

Germany

$276 13.3%

Romania

$170 15% 38.4% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Germany

$162 7.8%

Romania

$122 10.8% 24.7% $40

Getting Around

Germany

$104 5%

Romania

$30 2.7% 70.9% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Germany

$69 3.3%

Romania

$55 4.9% 19.8% $14

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $812 in Germany, $387 in Romania. Capital cities: $1,407 in Berlin vs $711 in Bucharest.

National salary averages: $3,107 in Germany, $857 in Romania. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 110% higher in Germany.

Dining out costs 73% more in Germany.

Public transport is 209% more expensive in Germany.

Salaries are about 3.6 times higher in Germany, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Germany.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Germany

🇷🇴 Romania

🕒 Local time

02:35 2:35 AM

03:35 3:35 AM

1 h ahead of Germany

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

84,358,845

19,053,815

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Germany Romania 1,290 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Germany
Romania

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

Germany vs Romania: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $2,080 per month in Germany and $1,133 in Romania, Romania comes out about 46% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Romania: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $812 in Germany and $387 in Romania. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Romania, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in Germany it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you’re after: Romania wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.