Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Bucharest

For one person, living costs are similar in Johannesburg and in Bucharest: $1,406 and $1,351 a month, rent and utilities included.

69

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index

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Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,406

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,406 in Johannesburg versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

Johannesburg $1,406
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,192 in Johannesburg versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

Johannesburg $2,192
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,978 in Johannesburg versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

Johannesburg $2,978
Bucharest $2,715

Living in Johannesburg is roughly 4% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Johannesburg 5% above, Bucharest 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 R 198

$14.46 RON 68.9

-17.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.08 R 731

$57.7 RON 275

-23.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.41 R 123

$7.50 RON 35.72

-1.20%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.89

$3.43 RON 16.32

-27.99%

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

$1.17 R 19.46

$2.46 RON 11.72

-52.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 R 14.49

$2.33 RON 11.09

-62.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 R 37.50

$3.80 RON 18.10

-40.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 R 46.10

$4.10 RON 19.56

-32.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 R 22.23

$1.65 RON 7.85

-18.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 R 20.51

$1.35 RON 6.44

-8.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.49

$1.78 RON 8.48

Eggs

$2.64 R 43.82

$3.66 RON 17.46

-27.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.42 R 140

$8.57 RON 40.84

-1.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.36 R 88.9

$6.80 RON 32.41

-21.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.43 R 140

$11.72 RON 55.8

-28.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 R 33.94

$1.29 RON 6.16

58.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 R 29.81

$1.56 RON 7.43

15.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.48

$1.54 RON 7.34

19.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 R 33.64

$2.48 RON 11.84

-18.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 R 28.38

$0.83 RON 3.95

106.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.31

$0.80 RON 3.80

128.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 R 23.46

$0.84 RON 4.01

67.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 R 21.94

$0.93 RON 4.42

41.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 R 56.1

$6.44 RON 30.68

-47.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.99 R 99.3

$6.32 RON 30.13

-5.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 R 30.46

$1.26 RON 5.99

46.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 R 40.49

$1.60 RON 7.65

52.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 R 34.02

$0.81 RON 3.88

153.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.5 R 1,485

$21.13 RON 101

323.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 R 13.65

$0.60 RON 2.88

36.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 R 15.49

$0.61 RON 2.93

52.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.67 R 243

$6.17 RON 29.41

137.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 R 24.90

$1.96 RON 9.34

-23.47%

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

$36.0K R 597.7K

$28.1K RON 134.2K

28.02%

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

$32.7K R 542.6K

$26.3K RON 125.3K

24.44%

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

$227 R 3,770

$197 RON 938

15.48%

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

$37.98 R 630

$8.34 RON 39.74

355.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.49 R 605

$9.19 RON 43.80

297.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.84 R 611

$49.87 RON 238

-26.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.39 R 288

$24.99 RON 119

-30.41%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 R 130

$8.46 RON 40.31

-7.33%

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

$238 R 3,951

$639 RON 3,046

-62.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,563 R 92.3K

$14.4K RON 68.6K

-61.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.6 R 972

$90.6 RON 432

-35.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.52 R 772

$38.05 RON 181

22.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 R 1,805

$79.7 RON 380

36.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 R 1,747

$93.2 RON 444

12.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$496 R 8,220

$673 RON 3,209

-26.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$422 R 6,995

$449 RON 2,139

-6.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 R 16.2K

$1,098 RON 5,234

-10.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$892 R 14.8K

$729 RON 3,474

22.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$964 R 16.0K

$3,740 RON 17.8K

-74.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$757 R 12.5K

$2,189 RON 10.4K

-65.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,755 R 29.1K

$1,323 RON 6,306

32.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

6.74

61.87%

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

Last update for Johannesburg: October 4, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johannesburg

$422 29.9%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 6.4% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johannesburg

$302 21.4%

Bucharest

$214 16% 29% $87

Groceries & Markets

Johannesburg

$216 15.3%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 2.8% $6.1

Eating Out

Johannesburg

$173 12.2%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 30.8% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Johannesburg

$144 10.2%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 5.6% $8

Getting Around

Johannesburg

$103 7.3%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 72.8% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Johannesburg

$53 3.7%

Bucharest

$67 5% 27.2% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $496 in Johannesburg and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Johannesburg pays 33% 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: $44.00 in Johannesburg vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $216 vs $222 per month, with Johannesburg cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

12:15 12:15 PM

13:15 1:15 PM

1 h ahead of Johannesburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,434,827

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.03 USD). 1 EUR = 18.58 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.77 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

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Between locations

Johannesburg Bucharest 7,860 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Johannesburg
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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

Johannesburg vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johannesburg and Bucharest differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($1,406 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 33% higher in Johannesburg, 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: $496 in Johannesburg versus $673 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,406 per month in Johannesburg versus $1,351 in Bucharest – a 4% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 324% less than in Johannesburg. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $1,406 in Johannesburg, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Johannesburg. 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.

Expats usually find Bucharest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Johannesburg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.