Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Imperia and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,337 a month against $1,701 in Imperia, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

82

Cost of Living Index in Imperia
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Imperia Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Imperia

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,701

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,337

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,701 in Imperia versus $1,337 in Bucharest.

Imperia $1,701
Bucharest $1,337

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,550 in Imperia versus $2,029 in Bucharest.

Imperia $2,550
Bucharest $2,029

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,400 in Imperia versus $2,721 in Bucharest.

Imperia $3,400
Bucharest $2,721

Living in Imperia is roughly 27% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Imperia is 26% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.58 €12.08

$14.45 RON 68.4

-6.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.6 €55.7

$58.1 RON 275

7.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.08 €9.85

$7.53 RON 35.65

47.14%

Cappuccino

$1.67 €1.49

$3.45 RON 16.33

-51.59%

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

$3.66 €3.26

$2.46 RON 11.65

48.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.23 RON 10.54

-35.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.78 €5.14

$3.76 RON 17.78

53.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.39 €4.79

$4.19 RON 19.84

28.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.62 RON 7.67

8.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.30 RON 6.13

63.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.52 €3.13

$1.70 RON 8.05

107.06%

Eggs

$4.14 €3.68

$3.79 RON 17.93

9.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.50 €11.12

$8.86 RON 41.90

41.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.12 €10.78

$6.90 RON 32.67

75.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.74 €20.23

$12.14 RON 57.4

87.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.30 RON 6.17

83.08%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 €2.05

$1.60 RON 7.55

44.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 €2.94

$1.57 RON 7.42

110.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.17 €3.71

$2.68 RON 12.67

55.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.40 €2.13

$0.81 RON 3.82

196.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$0.79 RON 3.73

117.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 €1.11

$0.91 RON 4.30

37.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 €0.47

$0.97 RON 4.58

-45.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.38 €6.56

$6.41 RON 30.34

15.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.65 €4.14

$6.18 RON 29.24

-24.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.23 RON 5.83

-7.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 €2.24

$1.67 RON 7.91

50.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.89 €1.68

$0.87 RON 4.10

117.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.8 €49.60

$20.98 RON 99.3

165.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.80 €6.94

$0.66 RON 3.10

1081.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.18 €1.94

$0.60 RON 2.85

263.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$64.9 €57.7

$6.19 RON 29.28

948.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.93 RON 9.15

13.99%

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

$37.0K €32.9K

$28.7K RON 135.9K

28.80%

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

$37.0K €32.9K

$26.3K RON 124.6K

40.53%

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

$136 €121

$196 RON 926

-30.73%

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

$10.10 €8.98

$8.49 RON 40.19

18.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.96 €26.65

$9.05 RON 42.84

231.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.5 €62.7

$49.54 RON 234

42.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.55 €22.73

$25.03 RON 118

2.08%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$8.24 RON 39.01

36.29%

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

$836 €744

$636 RON 3,007

31.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.5K €16.5K

$14.6K RON 69.0K

26.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.1 €81.1

$88.5 RON 419

2.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.73 €35.34

$38.77 RON 183

2.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.0

$78.8 RON 373

32.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €114

$90.6 RON 428

40.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$790 €702

$695 RON 3,288

13.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 €558

$446 RON 2,109

40.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,690 €1,503

$1,084 RON 5,130

55.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$910 €809

$712 RON 3,368

27.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,799 €2,490

$3,797 RON 18.0K

-26.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,030 €1,806

$2,202 RON 10.4K

-7.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,753 €1,559

$1,354 RON 6,406

29.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.18

6.75

-52.89%

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

Last update for Imperia: October 19, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Imperia

$627 36.9%

Bucharest

$446 33.3% 29% $182

Groceries & Markets

Imperia

$337 19.8%

Bucharest

$225 16.9% 33.2% $112

Eating Out

Imperia

$222 13.1%

Bucharest

$226 16.9% 1.6% $3.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Imperia

$176 10.3%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 21.4% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Imperia

$163 9.6%

Bucharest

$133 10% 18.3% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Imperia

$93 5.5%

Bucharest

$66 4.9% 28.9% $27

Getting Around

Imperia

$82 4.8%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 65.7% $54

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $790 in Imperia and $695 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Imperia pays 29% 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: $63.0 in Imperia vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $337 vs $225 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Imperia

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

14:23 2:23 PM

15:23 3:23 PM

1 h ahead of Imperia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,999

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

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Imperia Bucharest 1,440 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Imperia
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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

Imperia vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Imperia and Bucharest differ by about 27% in total monthly costs ($1,701 vs $1,337 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 29% higher in Imperia, 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: $790 in Imperia versus $695 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,701 per month in Imperia versus $1,337 in Bucharest – a 27% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 166% less than in Imperia. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,337 in Bucharest versus $1,701 in Imperia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Imperia. 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, Imperia 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 27% less than in Imperia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.