Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamm and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $1,481 in Hamm, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. The total is higher in Hamm despite lower rent and utilities.

71

Cost of Living Index in Hamm
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Hamm Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Hamm

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,481

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,481 in Hamm versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Hamm $1,481
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,219 in Hamm versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Hamm $2,219
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,957 in Hamm versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Hamm $2,957
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Hamm is roughly 11% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Hamm is 10% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.40 €11.92

$14.49 RON 68.6

-7.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.7

$58.1 RON 275

13.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.02 €16.03

$7.48 RON 35.40

140.91%

Cappuccino

$4.49 €4.00

$3.44 RON 16.29

30.52%

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

$2.83 €2.51

$2.37 RON 11.22

19.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.11

$2.30 RON 10.88

3.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.77 €2.46

$3.70 RON 17.51

-25.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.84 €3.41

$4.16 RON 19.69

-7.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.10

$1.67 RON 7.90

-25.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.37 RON 6.50

53.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.92 €3.48

$1.72 RON 8.14

127.91%

Eggs

$3.41 €3.03

$3.64 RON 17.22

-6.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.30 €12.72

$9.08 RON 42.98

57.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.69 €9.50

$6.84 RON 32.35

56.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.33 €22.53

$12.00 RON 56.8

111.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.43 €3.05

$1.23 RON 5.80

178.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.24 €1.99

$1.63 RON 7.73

37.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.57 RON 7.45

51.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.26 €3.79

$2.54 RON 12.01

67.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.48 €1.32

$0.79 RON 3.75

87.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 €1.03

$0.77 RON 3.66

50.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.73 €1.54

$0.87 RON 4.13

98.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 €0.89

$0.99 RON 4.70

1.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.17 €8.16

$6.31 RON 29.86

45.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.82 €6.07

$6.20 RON 29.34

10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 €0.98

$1.19 RON 5.63

-6.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.57 RON 7.45

-15.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.05 €2.72

$0.86 RON 4.08

254.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 €54.1

$21.10 RON 99.8

187.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 €4.55

$0.64 RON 3.05

698.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.29 €2.04

$0.60 RON 2.86

281.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.12 €29.46

$6.43 RON 30.43

415.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.96 RON 9.25

6.12%

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

$32.4K €28.8K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

11.74%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

44.69%

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

$468 €416

$196 RON 927

138.76%

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

$25.27 €22.48

$8.04 RON 38.04

214.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.90 €36.38

$9.35 RON 44.21

337.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.40 €24.38

$50.2 RON 238

-45.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

Cinema Ticket

$13.51 €12.02

$8.15 RON 38.55

65.77%

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

$164 €146

$628 RON 2,971

-73.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.3K €22.5K

$14.1K RON 66.6K

79.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.2 €84.7

$89.6 RON 424

6.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.25 €43.81

$38.32 RON 181

28.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €97.4

$79.3 RON 375

38.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$195 €174

$90.4 RON 428

115.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,045 €1,819

$1,329 RON 6,290

53.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

6.75

-41.33%

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

Last update for Hamm: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hamm

$534 36%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 60.1% $321

Groceries & Markets

Hamm

$344 23.2%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 34.6% $119

Eating Out

Hamm

$258 17.4%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 12.6% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Hamm

$202 13.6%

Bucharest

$134 10% 33.7% $68

Getting Around

Hamm

$90 6.1%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 68.5% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Hamm

$54 3.7%

Bucharest

$67 5% 22.2% $12

Accommodation & Living

Hamm

- * 0%

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Hamm pays 54% 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: $66.0 in Hamm vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $344 vs $225 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Hamm

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

11:51 11:51 AM

12:51 12:51 PM

1 h ahead of Hamm

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

180,000

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 = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Hamm Bucharest 1,570 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Hamm
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

Hamm vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hamm and Bucharest differ by about 11% in total monthly costs ($1,481 vs $1,340 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 54% higher in Hamm, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

All in, you'll spend $1,481 per month in Hamm versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 11% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 188% less than in Hamm. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,481 in Hamm, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Hamm. 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, Hamm 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 11% less than in Hamm. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.