Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Juba and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Juba: $236 a month against $1,351 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Juba

🇸🇸 South Sudan

$236

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $236 in Juba versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

Juba $236
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $366 in Juba versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

Juba $366
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $496 in Juba versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

Juba $496
Bucharest $2,715

Living in Juba costs roughly 83% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Juba is 82% below, Bucharest is 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.91 SSP 112.9K

$14.46 RON 68.4

37.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 273

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.55 SSP 54.2K

$7.50 RON 35.46

27.33%

Cappuccino

$3.44 SSP 19.5K

$3.43 RON 16.20

0.29%

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

$1.52 SSP 8,639

$2.46 RON 11.63

-38.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.01

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 RON 17.97

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.41

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.79

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.39

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.42

Eggs

$3.66 RON 17.33

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 RON 40.54

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RON 32.17

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 RON 55.4

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.11

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.37

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.28

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 RON 11.75

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.92

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.77

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 3.98

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 RON 4.39

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 RON 30.45

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 RON 29.91

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.94

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 RON 7.59

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.85

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.13 RON 99.9

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.91

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.19

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.27

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

$28.1K RON 133.1K

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

$26.3K RON 124.3K

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

$197 RON 931

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

$8.34 RON 39.44

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.19 RON 43.47

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.87 RON 236

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 118

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 RON 40.01

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

$639 RON 3,023

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 RON 429

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 RON 180

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 RON 377

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 RON 441

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 RON 3,184

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 RON 2,123

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 RON 5,195

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 RON 3,448

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,740 RON 17.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 RON 10.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,796 SSP 10.2M

$1,323 RON 6,259

35.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

78.04%

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

Last update for Juba: October 3, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Juba

–

Bucharest

$449 33.5%

Eating Out

Juba

–

Bucharest

$226 16.8%

Groceries & Markets

Juba

–

Bucharest

$222 16.5%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Juba

–

Bucharest

$214 16%

Clothing & Footwear

Juba

–

Bucharest

$136 10.1%

Sport & Entertainment

Juba

–

Bucharest

$67 5%

Getting Around

Juba

–

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Cost Breakdown

Juba pays 36% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Good to know

🇸🇸 Juba

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

07:22 7:22 AM

08:22 8:22 AM

1 h ahead of Juba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

372,410 Capital

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

South Sudanese Pound SSP £

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 SSP = 1.76 USD

10,000 SSP = 1.57 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to SSP – South Sudanese Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇸 South Sudanese Pound (£)

South Sudanese Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 5,670 SSP (10,000 SSP = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 6,360 SSP (10,000 SSP = 1.57 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

USD to SSP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Juba Bucharest 4,430 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Juba
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

Juba vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Juba and Bucharest differ by about 473% in total monthly costs ($236 vs $1,351 including rent). Juba is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 36% higher in Juba, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

At $236 in Juba versus $1,351 in Bucharest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Juba but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Juba 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 Juba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 473% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.