Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kortrijk and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $1,833 in Kortrijk, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

90

Cost of Living Index in Kortrijk
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Kortrijk Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Kortrijk

🇧🇪 Belgium

$1,833

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,833 in Kortrijk versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Kortrijk $1,833
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,668 in Kortrijk versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Kortrijk $2,668
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,503 in Kortrijk versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Kortrijk $3,503
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Kortrijk is roughly 37% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kortrijk is 36% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.54 €20.12

$14.49 RON 69.0

55.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.5 €64.7

$58.1 RON 277

24.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.95 €9.77

$7.48 RON 35.64

46.39%

Cappuccino

$2.88 €2.57

$3.44 RON 16.40

-16.28%

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

$3.01 €2.69

$2.37 RON 11.29

27.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 €2.39

$2.30 RON 10.96

16.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.39 €3.92

$3.70 RON 17.63

18.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 €2.96

$4.16 RON 19.83

-20.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.67 RON 7.95

-31.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.37 RON 6.54

29.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.72 RON 8.19

-16.86%

Eggs

$3.06 €2.73

$3.64 RON 17.33

-15.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.44 €10.21

$9.08 RON 43.27

25.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.62 €7.69

$6.84 RON 32.57

26.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.58 €13.01

$12.00 RON 57.2

21.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.23 RON 5.84

68.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.63 RON 7.78

17.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.57 RON 7.50

29.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 €1.78

$2.54 RON 12.09

-21.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 €1.71

$0.79 RON 3.77

141.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 €1.54

$0.77 RON 3.68

123.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 €1.32

$0.87 RON 4.16

70.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.72

$0.99 RON 4.73

-18.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.65 €11.29

$6.31 RON 30.06

100.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.41 €6.62

$6.20 RON 29.54

19.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 €1.83

$1.19 RON 5.66

72.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.57 RON 7.50

18.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.72 €2.43

$0.86 RON 4.10

216.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.6 €48.71

$21.10 RON 101

158.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.20 €1.97

$0.64 RON 3.07

243.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.28 €2.03

$0.60 RON 2.87

280.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.81 €22.14

$6.43 RON 30.64

285.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.96 RON 9.32

-7.14%

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

$34.0K €30.3K

$29.0K RON 138.1K

17.11%

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

$33.3K €29.7K

$26.6K RON 126.9K

25.11%

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

$207 €184

$196 RON 933

5.46%

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

$17.70 €15.80

$8.04 RON 38.30

120.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.9 €47.23

$9.35 RON 44.51

465.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.2 €45.71

$50.2 RON 239

1.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.21 €11.79

$25.33 RON 121

-47.85%

Cinema Ticket

$14.32 €12.78

$8.15 RON 38.81

75.71%

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

$661 €590

$628 RON 2,991

5.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K €14.4K

$14.1K RON 67.1K

14.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.4 €50.4

$89.6 RON 427

-37.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.53 €23.68

$38.32 RON 183

-30.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.5 €78.1

$79.3 RON 378

10.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 €89.5

$90.4 RON 431

10.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$835 €745

$678 RON 3,231

23.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$714 €637

$448 RON 2,136

59.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,210 €1,080

$1,083 RON 5,159

11.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 €906

$725 RON 3,453

39.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,176 €3,727

$3,751 RON 17.9K

11.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,243 €2,002

$2,195 RON 10.5K

2.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,789 €2,489

$1,329 RON 6,332

109.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.9

6.75

-42.22%

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

Last update for Kortrijk: 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

Kortrijk

$714 39%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 37.2% $266

Eating Out

Kortrijk

$299 16.3%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 24.7% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kortrijk

$277 15.1%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 23.1% $64

Groceries & Markets

Kortrijk

$262 14.3%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 14% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Kortrijk

$122 6.7%

Bucharest

$134 10% 9.9% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Kortrijk

$80 4.4%

Bucharest

$67 5% 16.7% $13

Getting Around

Kortrijk

$79 4.3%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 64.3% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $835 in Kortrijk and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kortrijk pays 110% 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: $73.0 in Kortrijk vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $262 vs $225 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Kortrijk

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

07:33 7:33 AM

08:33 8:33 AM

1 h ahead of Kortrijk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

76,700

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Kortrijk Bucharest 1,840 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Kortrijk
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

Kortrijk vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kortrijk and Bucharest differ by about 37% in total monthly costs ($1,833 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 110% higher in Kortrijk, 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: $835 in Kortrijk versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,833 per month in Kortrijk versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 37% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 159% less than in Kortrijk. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,833 in Kortrijk, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Kortrijk. 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, Kortrijk 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 37% less than in Kortrijk. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.