Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kairouan and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Kairouan: $634 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Kairouan
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Kairouan Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Kairouan

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$634

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $634 in Kairouan versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Kairouan $634
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $975 in Kairouan versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Kairouan $975
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,316 in Kairouan versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Kairouan $1,316
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Kairouan costs roughly 53% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kairouan 53% lower, Bucharest 1% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.66 TND 7.96

$14.49 RON 68.6

-81.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.64 TND 46.83

$58.1 RON 275

-73.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.17 TND 18.49

$7.48 RON 35.40

-17.51%

Cappuccino

$0.96 TND 2.87

$3.44 RON 16.29

-72.09%

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

$0.80 TND 2.39

$2.37 RON 11.22

-66.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 TND 1.20

$2.30 RON 10.88

-82.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.71 TND 5.11

$3.70 RON 17.51

-53.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 TND 7.92

$4.16 RON 19.69

-36.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.45 TND 1.36

$1.67 RON 7.90

-73.05%

White Bread (500g)

$0.07 TND 0.22

$1.37 RON 6.50

-94.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 TND 5.25

$1.72 RON 8.14

1.74%

Eggs

$1.49 TND 4.45

$3.64 RON 17.22

-59.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.01 TND 29.97

$9.08 RON 42.98

10.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.42 TND 16.22

$6.84 RON 32.35

-20.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.92 TND 35.70

$12.00 RON 56.8

-0.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 TND 6.57

$1.23 RON 5.80

78.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 TND 6.82

$1.63 RON 7.73

39.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.13 TND 3.38

$1.57 RON 7.45

-28.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.77 TND 2.30

$2.54 RON 12.01

-69.69%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 TND 1.94

$0.79 RON 3.75

-17.72%

Onion (1kg)

$0.62 TND 1.86

$0.77 RON 3.66

-19.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 TND 1.57

$0.87 RON 4.13

-39.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.26 TND 0.78

$0.99 RON 4.70

-73.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.34 TND 10.00

$6.31 RON 29.86

-47.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.85 TND 20.52

$6.20 RON 29.34

10.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 TND 3.84

$1.19 RON 5.63

7.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 TND 4.63

$1.57 RON 7.45

-1.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 TND 0.95

$0.86 RON 4.08

-62.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.94 TND 29.77

$21.10 RON 99.8

-52.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 TND 0.86

$0.64 RON 3.05

-54.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 TND 1.00

$0.60 RON 2.86

-43.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.76 TND 5.27

$6.43 RON 30.43

-72.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 TND 2.39

$1.96 RON 9.25

-59.18%

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

$39.1K TND 117.1K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

34.83%

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

$36.1K TND 108.3K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

35.69%

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

$60.0 TND 180

$196 RON 927

-69.39%

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

$9.27 TND 27.77

$8.04 RON 38.04

15.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.01 TND 59.9

$9.35 RON 44.21

114.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.03 TND 69.0

$50.2 RON 238

-54.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.53 TND 37.53

$25.33 RON 120

-50.53%

Cinema Ticket

$4.59 TND 13.75

$8.15 RON 38.55

-43.68%

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

$106 TND 317

$628 RON 2,971

-83.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,221 TND 9,647

$14.1K RON 66.6K

-77.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.58 TND 70.6

$89.6 RON 424

-73.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.1 TND 183

$38.32 RON 181

59.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.83 TND 140

$79.3 RON 375

-40.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.5 TND 262

$90.4 RON 428

-3.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$116 TND 347

$678 RON 3,209

-82.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$155 TND 463

$448 RON 2,121

-65.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$372 TND 1,115

$1,083 RON 5,125

-65.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$271 TND 812

$725 RON 3,430

-62.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$953 TND 2,855

$3,751 RON 17.7K

-74.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$609 TND 1,825

$2,195 RON 10.4K

-72.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$320 TND 959

$1,329 RON 6,290

-75.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.28

6.75

52.30%

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

Last update for Kairouan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kairouan

$176 27.7%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 28.1% $49

Accommodation & Living

Kairouan

$155 24.4%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 190% $294

Clothing & Footwear

Kairouan

$99 15.6%

Bucharest

$134 10% 35.9% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kairouan

$89 14.1%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 139% $124

Eating Out

Kairouan

$70 11%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 222% $155

Sport & Entertainment

Kairouan

$32 5.1%

Bucharest

$67 5% 107% $34

Getting Around

Kairouan

$13 2.1%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 114% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $116 in Kairouan and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 315% 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: $16.00 in Kairouan vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $176 vs $225 per month, with Kairouan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇳 Kairouan

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

02:34 2:34 AM

04:34 4:34 AM

2 h ahead of Kairouan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

139,070

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 TND = 0.334 USD

1 TND = 0.297 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to TND – Tunisian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇳 Tunisian Dinar (د.ت)

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 2.99 TND (1 TND = 0.334 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 TND (1 TND = 0.297 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to TND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kairouan Bucharest 1,670 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Kairouan
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

Kairouan vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kairouan and Bucharest differ by about 112% in total monthly costs ($634 vs $1,340 including rent). Kairouan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 315% lower in Bucharest. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $116 in Kairouan versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $634 per month in Kairouan versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 112% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kairouan runs roughly 112% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $634 in Kairouan versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kairouan but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Kairouan 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, Kairouan 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 Kairouan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 112% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.