Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leiden and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $2,824 in Leiden, rent and utilities included – about $17,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Leiden
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Leiden Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Leiden

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,824

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,824 in Leiden versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

Leiden $2,824
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,929 in Leiden versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

Leiden $3,929
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,034 in Leiden versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

Leiden $5,034
Bucharest $2,715

Living in Leiden is roughly 109% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Leiden 111% above, Bucharest 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.79 €17.66

$14.46 RON 68.4

36.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.5 €80.8

$57.7 RON 273

57.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.71 €12.23

$7.50 RON 35.46

82.80%

Cappuccino

$3.92 €3.50

$3.43 RON 16.20

14.29%

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

$3.57 €3.18

$2.46 RON 11.63

45.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 €2.67

$2.33 RON 11.01

28.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.88 €7.04

$3.80 RON 17.97

107.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 €4.47

$4.10 RON 19.41

22.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.65 RON 7.79

-24.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 €2.01

$1.35 RON 6.39

66.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.46 €2.20

$1.78 RON 8.42

38.20%

Eggs

$4.67 €4.17

$3.66 RON 17.33

27.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.92 €13.32

$8.57 RON 40.54

74.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.67 €13.09

$6.80 RON 32.17

115.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.86 €14.15

$11.72 RON 55.4

35.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 €2.55

$1.29 RON 6.11

121.71%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 €2.08

$1.56 RON 7.37

49.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 €1.77

$1.54 RON 7.28

28.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.98 €4.45

$2.48 RON 11.75

100.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 €1.57

$0.83 RON 3.92

110.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$0.80 RON 3.77

140.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.84 RON 3.98

60.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.67

$0.93 RON 4.39

-19.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.50 €12.05

$6.44 RON 30.45

109.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.20 €6.42

$6.32 RON 29.91

13.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.26 RON 5.94

19.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 €2.42

$1.60 RON 7.59

69.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.89 €2.58

$0.81 RON 3.85

256.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$128 €114

$21.13 RON 99.9

505.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 €3.03

$0.60 RON 2.86

466.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.28 €2.93

$0.61 RON 2.91

437.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.71 €20.26

$6.17 RON 29.19

268.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.47 €2.20

$1.96 RON 9.27

26.02%

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

$41.7K €37.2K

$28.1K RON 133.1K

47.98%

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

$39.0K €34.8K

$26.3K RON 124.3K

48.50%

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

$276 €246

$197 RON 931

40.19%

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

$15.21 €13.57

$8.34 RON 39.44

82.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.1 €44.75

$9.19 RON 43.47

445.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.75 €40.83

$49.87 RON 236

-8.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.86 €10.59

$24.99 RON 118

-52.54%

Cinema Ticket

$14.64 €13.07

$8.46 RON 40.01

73.05%

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

$1,749 €1,561

$639 RON 3,023

173.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K €11.8K

$14.4K RON 68.1K

-8.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$118 €105

$90.6 RON 429

29.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.74 €42.60

$38.05 RON 180

25.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 €104

$79.7 RON 377

46.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 €124

$93.2 RON 441

49.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,696 €1,513

$673 RON 3,184

151.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 €1,257

$449 RON 2,123

213.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,511 €2,240

$1,098 RON 5,195

128.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,974 €1,762

$729 RON 3,448

170.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,402 €6,605

$3,740 RON 17.7K

97.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,788 €5,165

$2,189 RON 10.4K

164.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,100 €3,659

$1,323 RON 6,259

209.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.8

6.74

-58.46%

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

Last update for Leiden: 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

Leiden

$1.4K 49.7%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 68.1% $960

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Leiden

$341 12%

Bucharest

$214 16% 37.2% $127

Groceries & Markets

Leiden

$341 12%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 35% $119

Eating Out

Leiden

$322 11.4%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 30% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Leiden

$190 6.7%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 28.5% $54

Getting Around

Leiden

$159 5.6%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 82.4% $131

Sport & Entertainment

Leiden

$75 2.6%

Bucharest

$67 5% 11% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,696 in Leiden and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Leiden pays 210% 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: $91.0 in Leiden vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $341 vs $222 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Leiden

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

07:23 7:23 AM

08:23 8:23 AM

1 h ahead of Leiden

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,089

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Leiden Bucharest 1,800 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Leiden
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

Leiden vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Leiden and Bucharest differ by about 109% in total monthly costs ($2,824 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 210% higher in Leiden, 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: $1,696 in Leiden versus $673 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,824 per month in Leiden versus $1,351 in Bucharest – a 109% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 506% less than in Leiden. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $2,824 in Leiden, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Leiden. 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, Leiden 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 109% less than in Leiden. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.