Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Krems and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $1,986 in Krems, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Krems
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Krems Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Krems

🇦🇹 Austria

$1,986

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,986 in Krems versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Krems $1,986
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,023 in Krems versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Krems $3,023
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,060 in Krems versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Krems $4,060
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Krems is roughly 48% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Krems is 47% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.82 €15.03

$14.49 RON 69.1

16.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.5 €69.3

$58.1 RON 277

33.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.50 €11.17

$7.48 RON 35.69

67.11%

Cappuccino

$4.53 €4.05

$3.44 RON 16.42

31.69%

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

$3.89 €3.47

$2.37 RON 11.31

64.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 €2.50

$2.30 RON 10.97

21.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.92 €5.29

$3.70 RON 17.65

60.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.48 €4.90

$4.16 RON 19.85

31.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.67 RON 7.96

-10.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.26 €2.02

$1.37 RON 6.55

64.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.72 RON 8.20

1.74%

Eggs

$3.71 €3.32

$3.64 RON 17.35

1.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.12 €17.09

$9.08 RON 43.32

110.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.94 €7.99

$6.84 RON 32.61

30.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.71 €19.40

$12.00 RON 57.2

80.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.23 RON 5.85

117.07%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 €2.12

$1.63 RON 7.79

45.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.44

$1.57 RON 7.51

73.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.34 €4.77

$2.54 RON 12.11

110.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 €1.52

$0.79 RON 3.78

115.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 €2.10

$0.77 RON 3.68

205.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 €1.79

$0.87 RON 4.16

129.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 €0.67

$0.99 RON 4.74

-25.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.90 €6.17

$6.31 RON 30.09

9.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.71 €6.00

$6.20 RON 29.58

8.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 €0.63

$1.19 RON 5.67

-41.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 €1.49

$1.57 RON 7.51

6.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.41 €2.16

$0.86 RON 4.11

180.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$51.6 €46.13

$21.10 RON 101

144.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.04 €6.29

$0.64 RON 3.07

1000.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 €1.02

$0.60 RON 2.88

90.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.36 €24.45

$6.43 RON 30.68

325.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 €1.70

$1.96 RON 9.33

-3.06%

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

$29.3K €26.2K

$29.0K RON 138.3K

1.11%

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

$29.0K €25.9K

$26.6K RON 127.0K

8.77%

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

$291 €260

$196 RON 934

48.70%

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

$10.10 €9.03

$8.04 RON 38.35

25.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.33 €36.04

$9.35 RON 44.57

331.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.8 €48.97

$50.2 RON 240

9.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 121

Cinema Ticket

$13.87 €12.39

$8.15 RON 38.86

70.18%

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

$450 €402

$628 RON 2,995

-28.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.7K €12.3K

$14.1K RON 67.2K

-2.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.7 €88.2

$89.6 RON 427

10.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.85 €35.61

$38.32 RON 183

3.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 €115

$79.3 RON 378

62.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 €113

$90.4 RON 431

39.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$687 €614

$678 RON 3,235

1.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$678 €606

$448 RON 2,138

51.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,446 €1,292

$1,083 RON 5,166

33.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,213 €1,084

$725 RON 3,457

67.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,627 €2,347

$1,329 RON 6,340

97.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.66

6.75

-45.78%

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

Last update for Krems: October 10, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Krems

$678 34.1%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 33.9% $230

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Krems

$342 17.2%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 37.6% $128

Groceries & Markets

Krems

$339 17.1%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 33.6% $114

Eating Out

Krems

$294 14.8%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 23.3% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Krems

$177 8.9%

Bucharest

$134 10% 24.4% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Krems

$83 4.2%

Bucharest

$67 5% 19.4% $16

Getting Around

Krems

$74 3.7%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 61.9% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $687 in Krems and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Krems pays 98% 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: $77.0 in Krems vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $339 vs $225 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇹 Krems

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

00:59 12:59 AM

01:59 1:59 AM

1 h ahead of Krems

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,500

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 = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Krems Bucharest 920 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

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Krems
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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

Krems vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Krems and Bucharest differ by about 48% in total monthly costs ($1,986 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 98% higher in Krems, 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: $687 in Krems versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,986 per month in Krems versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 48% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 145% less than in Krems. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,986 in Krems, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Krems. 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, Krems 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 48% less than in Krems. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.