Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kecskemet and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Kecskemet: $1,171 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Kecskemet
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Kecskemet Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Kecskemet

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,171

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,171 in Kecskemet versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Kecskemet $1,171
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,730 in Kecskemet versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Kecskemet $1,730
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,289 in Kecskemet versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Kecskemet $2,289
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Kecskemet costs roughly 13% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kecskemet 13% lower, Bucharest 1% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.16 Ft 2,959

$14.49 RON 68.6

-36.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.07 Ft 9,715

$58.1 RON 275

-48.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.81 Ft 2,524

$7.48 RON 35.40

4.41%

Cappuccino

$1.57 Ft 507

$3.44 RON 16.29

-54.36%

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

$1.56 Ft 505

$2.37 RON 11.22

-34.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 Ft 389

$2.30 RON 10.88

-47.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.22 Ft 718

$3.70 RON 17.51

-40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 Ft 733

$4.16 RON 19.69

-45.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 Ft 396

$1.67 RON 7.90

-26.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.28 Ft 414

$1.37 RON 6.50

-6.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 Ft 777

$1.72 RON 8.14

40.12%

Eggs

$3.69 Ft 1,192

$3.64 RON 17.22

1.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.38 Ft 3,354

$9.08 RON 42.98

14.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 Ft 2,166

$6.84 RON 32.35

-1.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.61 Ft 4,398

$12.00 RON 56.8

13.42%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.23 RON 5.80

48.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 Ft 539

$1.63 RON 7.73

2.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 Ft 588

$1.57 RON 7.45

15.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.14 Ft 1,015

$2.54 RON 12.01

23.62%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 318

$0.79 RON 3.75

25.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 Ft 340

$0.77 RON 3.66

36.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 Ft 391

$0.87 RON 4.13

39.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Ft 166

$0.99 RON 4.70

-48.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 Ft 2,220

$6.31 RON 29.86

8.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.73 Ft 1,207

$6.20 RON 29.34

-39.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 Ft 394

$1.19 RON 5.63

2.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 Ft 636

$1.57 RON 7.45

25.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 Ft 361

$0.86 RON 4.08

30.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.54 Ft 5,991

$21.10 RON 99.8

-12.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 Ft 398

$0.64 RON 3.05

92.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 Ft 528

$0.60 RON 2.86

171.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.17 Ft 5,870

$6.43 RON 30.43

182.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 584

$1.96 RON 9.25

-7.65%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$29.0K RON 137.2K

2.88%

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

$32.5K Ft 10.5M

$26.6K RON 126.0K

22.03%

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

$130 Ft 42.1K

$196 RON 927

-33.50%

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

$32.28 Ft 10.4K

$8.04 RON 38.04

301.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.37 Ft 6,257

$9.35 RON 44.21

107.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.0 Ft 19.7K

$50.2 RON 238

21.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.61 Ft 8,921

$25.33 RON 120

9.00%

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 Ft 2,512

$8.15 RON 38.55

-4.54%

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

$246 Ft 79.4K

$628 RON 2,971

-60.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,687 Ft 2.2M

$14.1K RON 66.6K

-52.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 Ft 37.0K

$89.6 RON 424

27.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.05 Ft 4,863

$38.32 RON 181

-60.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.46 Ft 15.0K

$79.3 RON 375

-41.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.6 Ft 24.4K

$90.4 RON 428

-16.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$513 Ft 165.6K

$678 RON 3,209

-24.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$394 Ft 127.4K

$448 RON 2,121

-12.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 Ft 224.7K

$1,083 RON 5,125

-35.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$592 Ft 191.1K

$725 RON 3,430

-18.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,321 Ft 749.9K

$3,751 RON 17.7K

-38.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,964 Ft 634.4K

$2,195 RON 10.4K

-10.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,099 Ft 355.1K

$1,329 RON 6,290

-17.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

6.75

-1.19%

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

Last update for Kecskemet: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kecskemet

$394 33.7%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 13.6% $54

Groceries & Markets

Kecskemet

$231 19.7%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 2.4% $5.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kecskemet

$182 15.5%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 17.2% $31

Eating Out

Kecskemet

$142 12.1%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 58.3% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Kecskemet

$113 9.7%

Bucharest

$134 10% 18.3% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Kecskemet

$77 6.5%

Bucharest

$67 5% 13.1% $10

Getting Around

Kecskemet

$32 2.8%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 13% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $513 in Kecskemet and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 21% 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 Kecskemet vs $58.0 in Bucharest. Groceries flip the comparison at $231 vs $225, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Kecskemet

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

01:35 1:35 AM

02:35 2:35 AM

1 h ahead of Kecskemet

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

109,450

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Kecskemet Bucharest 570 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Kecskemet
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

Kecskemet vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kecskemet and Bucharest differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($1,171 vs $1,340 including rent). Kecskemet is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 21% 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: $513 in Kecskemet versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,171 per month in Kecskemet versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kecskemet runs roughly 14% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,171 in Kecskemet versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Kecskemet but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Kecskemet 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, Kecskemet 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 Kecskemet gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.