Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kielce and Bucharest

For one person, living costs are similar in Kielce and in Bucharest: $1,403 and $1,340 a month, rent and utilities included.

Kielce
🇵🇱 Poland
$1,403
/mo nomad
Bucharest
🇷🇴 Romania
$1,340
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,403 in Kielce versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

  • Kielce $1,403
  • Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,984 in Kielce versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

  • Kielce $1,984
  • Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,565 in Kielce versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

  • Kielce $2,565
  • Bucharest $2,734

Living in Kielce is roughly 5% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kielce is 4% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kielce
Bucharest
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.28 zł 43.84
$14.49 RON 68.6
-22.15%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$38.33 zł 149
$58.1 RON 275
-34.02%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.60 zł 29.54
$7.48 RON 35.40
1.60%
Cappuccino
$2.97 zł 11.55
$3.44 RON 16.29
-13.66%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.47 zł 5.73
$2.37 RON 11.22
-37.97%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.08 zł 4.18
$2.30 RON 10.88
-53.04%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.35 zł 13.02
$3.70 RON 17.51
-9.46%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.73 zł 14.49
$4.16 RON 19.69
-10.34%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kielce
Bucharest
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.04 zł 4.05
$1.67 RON 7.90
-37.72%
White Bread (500g)
$1.44 zł 5.58
$1.37 RON 6.50
5.11%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.14 zł 4.45
$1.72 RON 8.14
-33.72%
Eggs
$3.24 zł 12.58
$3.64 RON 17.22
-10.99%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.13 zł 27.71
$9.08 RON 42.98
-21.48%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.38 zł 24.77
$6.84 RON 32.35
-6.73%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.93 zł 34.68
$12.00 RON 56.8
-25.58%
Apples (1kg)
$0.93 zł 3.61
$1.23 RON 5.80
-24.39%
Banana (1kg)
$1.58 zł 6.15
$1.63 RON 7.73
-3.07%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.30 zł 5.06
$1.57 RON 7.45
-17.20%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.37 zł 9.20
$2.54 RON 12.01
-6.69%
Potato (1kg)
$0.69 zł 2.68
$0.79 RON 3.75
-12.66%
Onion (1kg)
$0.76 zł 2.94
$0.77 RON 3.66
-1.30%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.04 zł 4.03
$0.87 RON 4.13
19.54%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.70 zł 2.70
$0.99 RON 4.70
-29.29%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.05 zł 19.61
$6.31 RON 29.86
-19.97%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.83 zł 26.54
$6.20 RON 29.34
10.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.22 zł 4.75
$1.19 RON 5.63
2.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 zł 5.61
$1.57 RON 7.45
-8.28%
🚌 Getting Around
Kielce
Bucharest
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.04 zł 4.03
$0.86 RON 4.08
20.93%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$30.77 zł 120
$21.10 RON 99.8
45.83%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.79 zł 6.96
$0.64 RON 3.05
179.69%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.04 zł 4.03
$0.60 RON 2.86
73.33%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.78 zł 41.87
$6.43 RON 30.43
67.65%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.60 zł 6.23
$1.96 RON 9.25
-18.37%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.5K zł 118.5K
$29.0K RON 137.2K
5.22%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K zł 103.6K
$26.6K RON 126.0K
0.10%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kielce
Bucharest
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$228 zł 886
$196 RON 927
16.44%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.12 zł 31.56
$8.04 RON 38.04
1.00%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$14.81 zł 57.5
$9.35 RON 44.21
58.40%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kielce
Bucharest
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.72 zł 150
$50.2 RON 238
-22.91%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.44 zł 71.7
$25.33 RON 120
-27.20%
Cinema Ticket
$7.51 zł 29.16
$8.15 RON 38.55
-7.85%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kielce
Bucharest
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$259 zł 1,007
$628 RON 2,971
-58.71%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,977 zł 31.0K
$14.1K RON 66.6K
-43.36%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kielce
Bucharest
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$71.1 zł 276
$89.6 RON 424
-20.70%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.23 zł 137
$38.32 RON 181
-8.06%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$76.0 zł 295
$79.3 RON 375
-4.11%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$103 zł 401
$90.4 RON 428
14.31%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kielce
Bucharest
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$713 zł 2,769
$678 RON 3,209
5.09%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$552 zł 2,146
$448 RON 2,121
23.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$965 zł 3,749
$1,083 RON 5,125
-10.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$800 zł 3,107
$725 RON 3,430
10.32%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,108 zł 12.1K
$3,751 RON 17.7K
-17.16%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,418 zł 9,396
$2,195 RON 10.4K
10.17%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kielce
Bucharest
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,336 zł 5,190
$1,329 RON 6,290
0.48%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.42
6.75
-4.89%

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

Last update for Kielce: 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
Kielce
$552
Bucharest
$448 18.8% $104
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kielce
$251
Bucharest
$213 15% $38
Groceries & Markets
Kielce
$192
Bucharest
$225 17% $33
Eating Out
Kielce
$183
Bucharest
$225 22.9% $42
Clothing & Footwear
Kielce
$129
Bucharest
$134 4.2% $5.4
Sport & Entertainment
Kielce
$54
Bucharest
$67 23.8% $13
Getting Around
Kielce
$42
Bucharest
$28 32.7% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $713 in Kielce and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kielce pays 0% 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: $38.00 in Kielce vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $192 vs $225 per month, with Kielce cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇱 Kielce
🇷🇴 Bucharest
🕒 Local time
23:17 11:17 PM
00:17 12:17 AM
1 h ahead of Kielce
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
192,468
1,883,425 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to PLN – Polish Złoty Converter

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

On the map
Between locations
  • Kielce Bucharest 820 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Kielce
  • 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
Kielce vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Kielce and in Bucharest?
Kielce and Bucharest differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($1,403 vs $1,340 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Kielce or Bucharest?
Average pay runs 0% higher in Kielce, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Kielce and in Bucharest?
Rent for a central apartment: $713 in Kielce versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city is more expensive overall: Kielce or Bucharest?
All in, you'll spend $1,403 per month in Kielce versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
How do commuting costs compare in Kielce and in Bucharest?
A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 46% less than in Kielce. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,403 in Kielce, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Kielce. The gap between the two cities makes Bucharest the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Kielce and Bucharest?
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.
Where should expats move: Kielce or Bucharest?
Expats usually find Bucharest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Kielce. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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