Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Krakow and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $1,815 in Krakow, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Krakow
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Krakow Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index

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Krakow

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,815

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,815 in Krakow versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Krakow $1,815
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,587 in Krakow versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Krakow $2,587
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,359 in Krakow versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Krakow $3,359
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Krakow is roughly 35% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Krakow is 34% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.83 zł 45.95

$14.49 RON 68.6

-18.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.5 zł 196

$58.1 RON 275

-13.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.81 zł 38.12

$7.48 RON 35.40

31.15%

Cappuccino

$4.22 zł 16.40

$3.44 RON 16.29

22.67%

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

$2.59 zł 10.06

$2.37 RON 11.22

9.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 zł 9.12

$2.30 RON 10.88

2.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.63 zł 17.98

$3.70 RON 17.51

25.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.72 zł 18.32

$4.16 RON 19.69

13.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 zł 4.14

$1.67 RON 7.90

-35.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 zł 5.84

$1.37 RON 6.50

9.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 zł 6.83

$1.72 RON 8.14

2.33%

Eggs

$3.90 zł 15.13

$3.64 RON 17.22

7.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.40 zł 36.53

$9.08 RON 42.98

3.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.87 zł 30.57

$6.84 RON 32.35

15.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.41 zł 52.1

$12.00 RON 56.8

11.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.34 zł 5.20

$1.23 RON 5.80

8.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 zł 6.56

$1.63 RON 7.73

3.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 zł 6.98

$1.57 RON 7.45

14.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 zł 11.93

$2.54 RON 12.01

20.87%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 zł 3.40

$0.79 RON 3.75

11.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 zł 3.98

$0.77 RON 3.66

32.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 zł 4.70

$0.87 RON 4.13

39.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 zł 3.12

$0.99 RON 4.70

-19.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.24 zł 24.24

$6.31 RON 29.86

-1.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.40 zł 24.86

$6.20 RON 29.34

3.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 zł 4.70

$1.19 RON 5.63

1.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 zł 6.49

$1.57 RON 7.45

6.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.57 zł 6.10

$0.86 RON 4.08

82.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.06 zł 128

$21.10 RON 99.8

56.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 zł 8.63

$0.64 RON 3.05

246.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 zł 3.91

$0.60 RON 2.86

68.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.48 zł 48.51

$6.43 RON 30.43

94.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.67 zł 6.49

$1.96 RON 9.25

-14.80%

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

$30.7K zł 119.3K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

5.90%

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

$28.6K zł 111.2K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

7.46%

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

$325 zł 1,261

$196 RON 927

65.69%

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

$8.70 zł 33.80

$8.04 RON 38.04

8.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.84 zł 69.3

$9.35 RON 44.21

90.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.16 zł 175

$50.2 RON 238

-10.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.28 zł 94.3

$25.33 RON 120

-4.15%

Cinema Ticket

$8.57 zł 33.29

$8.15 RON 38.55

5.15%

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

$463 zł 1,799

$628 RON 2,971

-26.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,760 zł 37.9K

$14.1K RON 66.6K

-30.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.7 zł 376

$89.6 RON 424

7.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.10 zł 156

$38.32 RON 181

4.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.1 zł 346

$79.3 RON 375

12.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 zł 473

$90.4 RON 428

34.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$937 zł 3,642

$678 RON 3,209

38.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$735 zł 2,854

$448 RON 2,121

63.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,477 zł 5,738

$1,083 RON 5,125

36.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 zł 4,456

$725 RON 3,430

58.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,395 zł 21.0K

$3,751 RON 17.7K

43.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,529 zł 13.7K

$2,195 RON 10.4K

60.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,894 zł 7,360

$1,329 RON 6,290

42.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

6.75

-1.93%

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

Last update for Krakow: 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

Krakow

$735 40.5%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 39% $286

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Krakow

$351 19.4%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 39.3% $138

Groceries & Markets

Krakow

$237 13.1%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 5% $12

Eating Out

Krakow

$227 12.5%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 0.8% $1.8

Clothing & Footwear

Krakow

$156 8.6%

Bucharest

$134 10% 14.4% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Krakow

$62 3.4%

Bucharest

$67 5% 6.8% $4.2

Getting Around

Krakow

$47 2.6%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 39.5% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $937 in Krakow and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Krakow pays 42% 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: $50.0 in Krakow vs $58.0 in Bucharest. Groceries flip the comparison at $237 vs $225, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Krakow

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

01:00 1:00 AM

02:00 2:00 AM

1 h ahead of Krakow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

806,201

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

Krakow Bucharest 780 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Krakow
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

Krakow vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Krakow and Bucharest differ by about 35% in total monthly costs ($1,815 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 42% higher in Krakow, 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: $937 in Krakow versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,815 per month in Krakow versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 35% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 57% less than in Krakow. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,815 in Krakow, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Krakow. 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, Krakow 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 35% less than in Krakow. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.