Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ilford and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $2,414 in Ilford, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Ilford
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Ilford Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Ilford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,414

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,414 in Ilford versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Ilford $2,414
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,764 in Ilford versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Ilford $3,764
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,115 in Ilford versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Ilford $5,115
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Ilford is roughly 80% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ilford is 79% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.28 £15.97

$14.49 RON 68.6

46.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.9 £70.5

$58.1 RON 275

61.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.51 £7.89

$7.48 RON 35.40

40.51%

Cappuccino

$4.60 £3.45

$3.44 RON 16.29

33.72%

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

$2.81 £2.11

$2.37 RON 11.22

18.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 £1.38

$2.30 RON 10.88

-20.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.91 £5.93

$3.70 RON 17.51

113.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.43 £4.82

$4.16 RON 19.69

54.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 £1.23

$1.67 RON 7.90

-1.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 £1.29

$1.37 RON 6.50

25.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 £1.72

$1.72 RON 8.14

33.72%

Eggs

$4.60 £3.45

$3.64 RON 17.22

26.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.46 £7.09

$9.08 RON 42.98

4.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 £7.21

$6.84 RON 32.35

40.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.45 £11.59

$12.00 RON 56.8

28.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 £2.21

$1.23 RON 5.80

139.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 £1.06

$1.63 RON 7.73

-13.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 £2.22

$1.57 RON 7.45

88.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.28 £2.46

$2.54 RON 12.01

29.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.25

$0.79 RON 3.75

111.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 £1.33

$0.77 RON 3.66

129.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 £0.96

$0.87 RON 4.13

47.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 £1.33

$0.99 RON 4.70

78.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.20 £16.65

$6.31 RON 29.86

251.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 £8.16

$6.20 RON 29.34

75.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.04 £2.28

$1.19 RON 5.63

155.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 £2.94

$1.57 RON 7.45

149.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.43 £2.57

$0.86 RON 4.08

298.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.6 £73.2

$21.10 RON 99.8

362.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 £4.05

$0.64 RON 3.05

742.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.61 £1.96

$0.60 RON 2.86

335.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.45 £19.09

$6.43 RON 30.43

295.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 £1.58

$1.96 RON 9.25

7.65%

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

$38.9K £29.2K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

34.29%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

53.65%

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

$334 £250

$196 RON 927

70.26%

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

$18.31 £13.73

$8.04 RON 38.04

127.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.86 £30.65

$9.35 RON 44.21

337.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.93 £33.70

$50.2 RON 238

-10.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

Cinema Ticket

$17.09 £12.82

$8.15 RON 38.55

109.69%

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

$2,535 £1,902

$628 RON 2,971

303.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.1K £26.3K

$14.1K RON 66.6K

148.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.0 £66.0

$89.6 RON 424

-1.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.25 £34.69

$38.32 RON 181

20.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.0 £69.8

$79.3 RON 375

17.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.2 £72.1

$90.4 RON 428

6.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,350 £1,013

$678 RON 3,209

99.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 £768

$448 RON 2,121

128.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,960 £2,221

$1,083 RON 5,125

173.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,099 £1,575

$725 RON 3,430

189.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,983 £3,738

$3,751 RON 17.7K

32.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,831 £2,874

$2,195 RON 10.4K

74.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,485 £2,614

$1,329 RON 6,290

162.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.04

6.75

-25.33%

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

Last update for Ilford: October 10, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ilford

$1K 42.4%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 56.2% $575

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ilford

$393 16.3%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 45.7% $179

Eating Out

Ilford

$328 13.6%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 31.3% $103

Groceries & Markets

Ilford

$315 13.1%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 28.6% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Ilford

$146 6%

Bucharest

$134 10% 8% $12

Getting Around

Ilford

$130 5.4%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 78.3% $102

Sport & Entertainment

Ilford

$79 3.3%

Bucharest

$67 5% 15.9% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,350 in Ilford and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ilford pays 162% 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: $94.0 in Ilford vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $225 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Ilford

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

22:02 10:02 PM

00:02 12:02 AM

2 h ahead of Ilford

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

168,168

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

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Between locations

Ilford Bucharest 2,080 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Ilford
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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

Ilford vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ilford and Bucharest differ by about 80% in total monthly costs ($2,414 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 162% higher in Ilford, 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: $1,350 in Ilford versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,414 per month in Ilford versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 80% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 363% less than in Ilford. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $2,414 in Ilford, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Ilford. 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, Ilford 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 80% less than in Ilford. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.