Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gradac and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $1,553 in Gradac, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Gradac
Learn more

Gradac Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index

Jump to prices

Gradac

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,553

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,553 in Gradac versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

Gradac $1,553
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,381 in Gradac versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

Gradac $2,381
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,209 in Gradac versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

Gradac $3,209
Bucharest $2,715

Living in Gradac is roughly 15% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gradac 16% above, Bucharest 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.71 €12.23

$14.46 RON 68.4

-5.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.6 €54.9

$57.7 RON 273

6.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.51 €16.52

$7.50 RON 35.46

146.80%

Cappuccino

$2.57 €2.29

$3.43 RON 16.20

-25.07%

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

$2.98 €2.66

$2.46 RON 11.63

21.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.33 RON 11.01

-5.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.73 €3.33

$3.80 RON 17.97

-1.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.14 €7.26

$4.10 RON 19.41

98.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.11

$1.65 RON 7.79

-24.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.35 RON 6.39

21.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.94 €2.63

$1.78 RON 8.42

65.17%

Eggs

$3.97 €3.55

$3.66 RON 17.33

8.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.57 €10.32

$8.57 RON 40.54

35.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.60 €8.57

$6.80 RON 32.17

41.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.30 €10.97

$11.72 RON 55.4

4.95%

Apples (1kg)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.29 RON 6.11

51.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.56 RON 7.37

-11.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.54 RON 7.28

20.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.39

$2.48 RON 11.75

8.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.83 RON 3.92

62.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 €1.04

$0.80 RON 3.77

46.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.99

$0.84 RON 3.98

30.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 €1.09

$0.93 RON 4.39

32.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.88 €9.71

$6.44 RON 30.45

68.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.92 €7.07

$6.32 RON 29.91

25.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.26 RON 5.94

29.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 €2.02

$1.60 RON 7.59

41.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 €1.53

$0.81 RON 3.85

111.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.71 €38.12

$21.13 RON 99.9

102.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 €3.11

$0.60 RON 2.86

480.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 €1.26

$0.61 RON 2.91

132.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.05 €13.43

$6.17 RON 29.19

143.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.96 RON 9.27

-5.61%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$28.1K RON 133.1K

-5.52%

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

$24.9K €22.3K

$26.3K RON 124.3K

-5.12%

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

$182 €162

$197 RON 931

-7.72%

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

$22.64 €20.21

$8.34 RON 39.44

171.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.97 €35.67

$9.19 RON 43.47

334.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 €47.05

$49.87 RON 236

5.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.04 €12.53

$24.99 RON 118

-43.82%

Cinema Ticket

$8.85 €7.90

$8.46 RON 40.01

4.61%

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

$427 €381

$639 RON 3,023

-33.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,649 €7,718

$14.4K RON 68.1K

-39.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.0 €87.5

$90.6 RON 429

8.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.72 €35.45

$38.05 RON 180

4.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €95.0

$79.7 RON 377

33.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.3 €87.7

$93.2 RON 441

5.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$674 €602

$673 RON 3,184

0.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 €472

$449 RON 2,123

17.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,207 €1,077

$1,098 RON 5,195

9.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$860 €768

$729 RON 3,448

18.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,753 €3,349

$3,740 RON 17.7K

0.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,690 €2,400

$2,189 RON 10.4K

22.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 €1,460

$1,323 RON 6,259

23.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.65

6.74

-45.85%

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

Last update for Gradac: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gradac

$529 33.5%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 15.1% $80

Groceries & Markets

Gradac

$269 17.1%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 17.6% $47

Eating Out

Gradac

$252 16%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 10.3% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gradac

$244 15.5%

Bucharest

$214 16% 12.2% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Gradac

$154 9.8%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 12% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Gradac

$70 4.5%

Bucharest

$67 5% 5.2% $3.6

Getting Around

Gradac

$60 3.8%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 53.3% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $674 in Gradac and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gradac pays 24% 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: $62.0 in Gradac vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $222 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Gradac

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

05:45 5:45 AM

06:45 6:45 AM

1 h ahead of Gradac

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,300

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Gradac Bucharest 720 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Gradac
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

Gradac vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gradac and Bucharest differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($1,553 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 24% higher in Gradac, 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: $674 in Gradac versus $673 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,553 per month in Gradac versus $1,351 in Bucharest – a 15% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 102% less than in Gradac. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $1,553 in Gradac, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Gradac. 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, Gradac 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 15% less than in Gradac. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.