Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston upon Thames and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $3,276 in Kingston upon Thames, rent and utilities included – about $23,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

161

Cost of Living Index in Kingston upon Thames
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Kingston upon Thames Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Kingston upon Thames

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,276

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,276 in Kingston upon Thames versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Kingston upon Thames $3,276
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,746 in Kingston upon Thames versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Kingston upon Thames $4,746
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,216 in Kingston upon Thames versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Kingston upon Thames $6,216
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Kingston upon Thames is roughly 144% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kingston upon Thames is 143% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.10 £16.58

$14.49 RON 68.6

52.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.6 £65.0

$58.1 RON 275

49.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.42 £7.82

$7.48 RON 35.40

39.30%

Cappuccino

$5.46 £4.09

$3.44 RON 16.29

58.72%

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

$3.00 £2.25

$2.37 RON 11.22

26.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$2.30 RON 10.88

-21.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.20 £6.91

$3.70 RON 17.51

148.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 £5.93

$4.16 RON 19.69

90.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.26

$1.67 RON 7.90

0.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.73 £1.30

$1.37 RON 6.50

26.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 £1.84

$1.72 RON 8.14

42.44%

Eggs

$4.91 £3.68

$3.64 RON 17.22

34.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.46 £6.35

$9.08 RON 42.98

-6.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.72 £6.54

$6.84 RON 32.35

27.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.99 £9.74

$12.00 RON 56.8

8.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.13 £2.35

$1.23 RON 5.80

154.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 £1.01

$1.63 RON 7.73

-17.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 £1.96

$1.57 RON 7.45

66.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.90 £2.18

$2.54 RON 12.01

14.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.25

$0.79 RON 3.75

111.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 £1.28

$0.77 RON 3.66

122.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 £0.93

$0.87 RON 4.13

42.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$0.99 RON 4.70

81.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$6.31 RON 29.86

268.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.31 £6.99

$6.20 RON 29.34

50.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 £2.32

$1.19 RON 5.63

159.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 £3.34

$1.57 RON 7.45

183.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.37 £1.78

$0.86 RON 4.08

175.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.49 £31.88

$21.10 RON 99.8

101.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 £3.69

$0.64 RON 3.05

667.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 £1.07

$0.60 RON 2.86

138.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.70 £17.78

$6.43 RON 30.43

268.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 £1.49

$1.96 RON 9.25

1.02%

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

$37.7K £28.3K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

29.97%

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

$39.8K £29.9K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

49.47%

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

$371 £278

$196 RON 927

89.17%

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

$15.63 £11.73

$8.04 RON 38.04

94.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.78 £30.59

$9.35 RON 44.21

336.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$102 £76.8

$50.2 RON 238

103.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.49 £7.87

$25.33 RON 120

-58.59%

Cinema Ticket

$19.46 £14.60

$8.15 RON 38.55

138.77%

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

$2,594 £1,946

$628 RON 2,971

313.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.2K £16.6K

$14.1K RON 66.6K

57.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.7

$89.6 RON 424

27.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.6 £40.19

$38.32 RON 181

39.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.1 £58.6

$79.3 RON 375

-1.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 £79.7

$90.4 RON 428

17.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,035 £1,527

$678 RON 3,209

200.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,832 £1,374

$448 RON 2,121

308.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,567 £2,676

$1,083 RON 5,125

229.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,164 £2,374

$725 RON 3,430

336.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,303 £3,978

$1,329 RON 6,290

298.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

6.75

-29.78%

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

Last update for Kingston upon Thames: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kingston upon Thames

$1.8K 55.9%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 75.5% $1.4K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kingston upon Thames

$427 13%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 50% $214

Eating Out

Kingston upon Thames

$355 10.8%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 36.5% $129

Groceries & Markets

Kingston upon Thames

$298 9.1%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 24.5% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Kingston upon Thames

$158 4.8%

Bucharest

$134 10% 15.5% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Kingston upon Thames

$141 4.3%

Bucharest

$67 5% 52.9% $75

Getting Around

Kingston upon Thames

$64 2%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 55.9% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,035 in Kingston upon Thames and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kingston upon Thames pays 299% 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: $87.0 in Kingston upon Thames vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $298 vs $225 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Kingston upon Thames

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

06:47 6:47 AM

08:47 8:47 AM

2 h ahead of Kingston upon Thames

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,013

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 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 GBP in detail →

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Kingston upon Thames Bucharest 2,100 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Kingston upon Thames
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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

Kingston upon Thames vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kingston upon Thames and Bucharest differ by about 144% in total monthly costs ($3,276 vs $1,340 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 299% higher in Kingston upon Thames, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,035 in Kingston upon Thames versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $3,276 per month in Kingston upon Thames versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 144% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 101% less than in Kingston upon Thames. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $3,276 in Kingston upon Thames, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Kingston upon Thames. The gap between the two cities makes Bucharest 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, Kingston upon Thames 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 Bucharest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 144% less than in Kingston upon Thames. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.