Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kalisz and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Kalisz: $1,136 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Kalisz
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Kalisz Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Kalisz

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,136

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,136 in Kalisz versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Kalisz $1,136
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,596 in Kalisz versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Kalisz $1,596
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,056 in Kalisz versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Kalisz $2,056
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Kalisz costs roughly 15% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kalisz 16% lower, Bucharest 1% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.73 zł 33.92

$14.49 RON 68.6

-39.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.31 zł 118

$58.1 RON 275

-47.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.87 zł 34.47

$7.48 RON 35.40

18.58%

Cappuccino

$3.08 zł 11.96

$3.44 RON 16.29

-10.47%

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

$2.00 zł 7.76

$2.37 RON 11.22

-15.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 zł 6.33

$2.30 RON 10.88

-29.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.49 zł 9.68

$3.70 RON 17.51

-32.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 zł 10.07

$4.16 RON 19.69

-37.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 zł 3.59

$1.67 RON 7.90

-44.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 zł 4.71

$1.37 RON 6.50

-11.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 zł 6.29

$1.72 RON 8.14

-5.81%

Eggs

$2.95 zł 11.44

$3.64 RON 17.22

-18.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.96 zł 30.91

$9.08 RON 42.98

-12.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.34 zł 16.87

$6.84 RON 32.35

-36.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.22 zł 35.82

$12.00 RON 56.8

-23.17%

Apples (1kg)

$1.07 zł 4.15

$1.23 RON 5.80

-13.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 zł 6.22

$1.63 RON 7.73

-1.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 zł 6.12

$1.57 RON 7.45

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 zł 12.03

$2.54 RON 12.01

22.05%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 zł 3.06

$0.79 RON 3.75

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 zł 3.92

$0.77 RON 3.66

31.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 zł 5.05

$0.87 RON 4.13

49.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 zł 2.16

$0.99 RON 4.70

-44.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.68 zł 18.18

$6.31 RON 29.86

-25.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.98 zł 27.14

$6.20 RON 29.34

12.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 zł 3.39

$1.19 RON 5.63

-26.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 zł 5.40

$1.57 RON 7.45

-11.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 zł 4.04

$0.86 RON 4.08

20.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.99 zł 136

$21.10 RON 99.8

65.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 zł 7.75

$0.64 RON 3.05

212.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 zł 4.08

$0.60 RON 2.86

75.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.51 zł 25.30

$6.43 RON 30.43

1.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 zł 6.11

$1.96 RON 9.25

-19.90%

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

$30.5K zł 118.5K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

5.16%

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

$27.4K zł 106.5K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

2.90%

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

$186 zł 724

$196 RON 927

-4.82%

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

$10.06 zł 39.08

$8.04 RON 38.04

25.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.83 zł 65.4

$9.35 RON 44.21

80.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.87 zł 124

$50.2 RON 238

-36.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

Cinema Ticket

$6.46 zł 25.11

$8.15 RON 38.55

-20.74%

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

$248 zł 964

$628 RON 2,971

-60.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,003 zł 19.4K

$14.1K RON 66.6K

-64.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.4 zł 324

$89.6 RON 424

-6.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.41 zł 98.7

$38.32 RON 181

-33.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.2 zł 308

$79.3 RON 375

-0.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 zł 344

$90.4 RON 428

-2.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$445 zł 1,730

$678 RON 3,209

-34.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$354 zł 1,376

$448 RON 2,121

-20.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$538 zł 2,092

$1,083 RON 5,125

-50.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$457 zł 1,774

$725 RON 3,430

-37.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,968 zł 7,648

$3,751 RON 17.7K

-47.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,462 zł 5,679

$2,195 RON 10.4K

-33.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,190 zł 4,622

$1,329 RON 6,290

-10.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.21

6.75

-8.00%

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

Last update for Kalisz: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kalisz

$354 31.2%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 26.6% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kalisz

$213 18.8%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 0% $0.1

Groceries & Markets

Kalisz

$187 16.5%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 20.4% $38

Eating Out

Kalisz

$166 14.6%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 36% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Kalisz

$124 11%

Bucharest

$134 10% 7.6% $9.5

Getting Around

Kalisz

$46 4.1%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 39.2% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Kalisz

$45 3.9%

Bucharest

$67 5% 48.5% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $445 in Kalisz and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 12% 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: $30.00 in Kalisz vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $187 vs $225 per month, with Kalisz cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Kalisz

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

04:22 4:22 AM

05:22 5:22 AM

1 h ahead of Kalisz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

103,997

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.257 USD

1 PLN = 0.229 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to PLN – Polish Złoty Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇱 Polish Złoty (zł)

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.89 PLN (1 PLN = 0.257 USD). 1 EUR = 4.37 PLN (1 PLN = 0.229 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 PLN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kalisz Bucharest 1,010 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Kalisz
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

Kalisz vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kalisz and Bucharest differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($1,136 vs $1,340 including rent). Kalisz is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 12% 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: $445 in Kalisz versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,136 per month in Kalisz versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 18% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kalisz runs roughly 66% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,136 in Kalisz versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Kalisz but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Kalisz 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, Kalisz 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 Kalisz gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.