Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leicester and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $2,165 in Leicester, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Leicester
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Leicester Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Leicester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,165

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,165 in Leicester versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

Leicester $2,165
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,069 in Leicester versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

Leicester $3,069
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,974 in Leicester versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

Leicester $3,974
Bucharest $2,715

Living in Leicester is roughly 60% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Leicester 62% above, Bucharest 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.10 £16.70

$14.46 RON 68.4

52.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.3 £49.31

$57.7 RON 273

13.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.42 £7.12

$7.50 RON 35.46

25.60%

Cappuccino

$4.92 £3.72

$3.43 RON 16.20

43.44%

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

$2.32 £1.75

$2.46 RON 11.63

-5.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 £1.00

$2.33 RON 11.01

-43.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.66 £5.03

$3.80 RON 17.97

75.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.33 £4.03

$4.10 RON 19.41

30.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 £1.29

$1.65 RON 7.79

3.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 £1.17

$1.35 RON 6.39

14.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 £1.64

$1.78 RON 8.42

21.91%

Eggs

$4.01 £3.03

$3.66 RON 17.33

9.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.62 £7.27

$8.57 RON 40.54

12.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.68 £6.56

$6.80 RON 32.17

27.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.27 £10.78

$11.72 RON 55.4

21.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 £2.22

$1.29 RON 6.11

127.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 £1.10

$1.56 RON 7.37

-6.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 £1.95

$1.54 RON 7.28

67.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.60 £2.72

$2.48 RON 11.75

45.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 £1.13

$0.83 RON 3.92

80.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 £1.17

$0.80 RON 3.77

93.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 £0.87

$0.84 RON 3.98

36.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 £1.12

$0.93 RON 4.39

59.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.57 £15.54

$6.44 RON 30.45

219.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.02 £8.32

$6.32 RON 29.91

74.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 £1.86

$1.26 RON 5.94

95.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 £2.49

$1.60 RON 7.59

106.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.08

$0.81 RON 3.85

402.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$100 £75.7

$21.13 RON 99.9

373.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.87 £3.68

$0.60 RON 2.86

711.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.05 £3.06

$0.61 RON 2.91

563.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.19

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 £1.59

$1.96 RON 9.27

7.65%

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

$38.6K £29.2K

$28.1K RON 133.1K

37.21%

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

$40.9K £30.9K

$26.3K RON 124.3K

55.72%

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

$316 £239

$197 RON 931

60.33%

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

$15.97 £12.07

$8.34 RON 39.44

91.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.49 £32.86

$9.19 RON 43.47

373.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.84 £24.06

$49.87 RON 236

-36.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.98 £19.64

$24.99 RON 118

3.96%

Cinema Ticket

$11.77 £8.90

$8.46 RON 40.01

39.13%

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

$1,250 £945

$639 RON 3,023

95.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.3K £19.9K

$14.4K RON 68.1K

83.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.2 £62.9

$90.6 RON 429

-8.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.94 £31.70

$38.05 RON 180

10.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £81.4

$79.7 RON 377

35.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 £79.9

$93.2 RON 441

13.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$989 £747

$673 RON 3,184

46.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$833 £630

$449 RON 2,123

85.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,754 £1,325

$1,098 RON 5,195

59.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,196 £904

$729 RON 3,448

64.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,921 £3,719

$3,740 RON 17.7K

31.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,475 £2,626

$2,189 RON 10.4K

58.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,800 £2,116

$1,323 RON 6,259

111.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

6.74

-20.92%

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

Last update for Leicester: October 3, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Leicester

$833 38.3%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 46.1% $384

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Leicester

$375 17.2%

Bucharest

$214 16% 42.8% $161

Eating Out

Leicester

$323 14.8%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 30% $97

Groceries & Markets

Leicester

$295 13.6%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 24.9% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Leicester

$152 7%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 10.9% $17

Getting Around

Leicester

$142 6.5%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 80.2% $113

Sport & Entertainment

Leicester

$55 2.6%

Bucharest

$67 5% 20.6% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $989 in Leicester and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Leicester pays 112% 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: $65.0 in Leicester vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $295 vs $222 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Leicester

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

07:14 7:14 AM

09:14 9:14 AM

2 h ahead of Leicester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

305,700

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Leicester Bucharest 2,190 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Leicester
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

Leicester vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Leicester and Bucharest differ by about 60% in total monthly costs ($2,165 vs $1,351 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 112% higher in Leicester, 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: $989 in Leicester versus $673 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,165 per month in Leicester versus $1,351 in Bucharest – a 60% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 374% less than in Leicester. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $2,165 in Leicester, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Leicester. 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.

Expats usually find Bucharest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 60% less than in Leicester. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.