Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Libreville and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $1,486 in Libreville, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. The total is higher in Libreville despite lower rent and utilities.

74

Cost of Living Index in Libreville
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Libreville Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Libreville

🇬🇦 Gabon

$1,486

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,486 in Libreville versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

Libreville $1,486
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,489 in Libreville versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

Libreville $2,489
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,493 in Libreville versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

Libreville $3,493
Bucharest $2,715

Living in Libreville is roughly 10% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Libreville 11% above, Bucharest 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.40 FCFA 10.2K

$14.46 RON 68.4

20.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 FCFA 39.9K

$57.7 RON 273

18.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.29 FCFA 8,945

$7.50 RON 35.46

103.87%

Cappuccino

$5.94 FCFA 3,475

$3.43 RON 16.20

73.18%

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

$1.67 FCFA 978

$2.46 RON 11.63

-32.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 FCFA 825

$2.33 RON 11.01

-39.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.00 FCFA 588

$3.80 RON 17.97

-73.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 FCFA 1,127

$4.10 RON 19.41

-52.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.44 FCFA 2,010

$1.65 RON 7.79

108.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 FCFA 703

$1.35 RON 6.39

-11.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.87 FCFA 1,681

$1.78 RON 8.42

61.24%

Eggs

$4.45 FCFA 2,604

$3.66 RON 17.33

21.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.40 FCFA 6,086

$8.57 RON 40.54

21.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.66 FCFA 5,065

$6.80 RON 32.17

27.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.83 FCFA 15.1K

$11.72 RON 55.4

120.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 FCFA 1,703

$1.29 RON 6.11

125.58%

Banana (1kg)

$3.78 FCFA 2,214

$1.56 RON 7.37

142.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.95 FCFA 2,310

$1.54 RON 7.28

156.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.44 FCFA 2,011

$2.48 RON 11.75

38.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.95 FCFA 1,724

$0.83 RON 3.92

255.42%

Onion (1kg)

$4.19 FCFA 2,449

$0.80 RON 3.77

423.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.15 FCFA 1,258

$0.84 RON 3.98

155.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 FCFA 966

$0.93 RON 4.39

77.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.56 FCFA 1,495

$6.44 RON 30.45

-60.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.30 FCFA 6,611

$6.32 RON 29.91

78.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 FCFA 570

$1.26 RON 5.94

-23.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 FCFA 771

$1.60 RON 7.59

-17.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 FCFA 526

$0.81 RON 3.85

11.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.94 FCFA 28.0K

$21.13 RON 99.9

126.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 FCFA 742

$0.60 RON 2.86

111.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 FCFA 428

$0.61 RON 2.91

19.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.44 FCFA 10.2K

$6.17 RON 29.19

182.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 FCFA 608

$1.96 RON 9.27

-46.94%

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

$29.4K FCFA 17.2M

$28.1K RON 133.1K

4.38%

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

$22.6K FCFA 13.2M

$26.3K RON 124.3K

-14.05%

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

$84.8 FCFA 49.6K

$197 RON 931

-56.91%

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

$34.33 FCFA 20.1K

$8.34 RON 39.44

311.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.8 FCFA 37.9K

$9.19 RON 43.47

604.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.0 FCFA 38.0K

$49.87 RON 236

30.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.05 FCFA 15.2K

$24.99 RON 118

4.24%

Cinema Ticket

$4.57 FCFA 2,676

$8.46 RON 40.01

-45.98%

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

$170 FCFA 99.6K

$639 RON 3,023

-73.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,520 FCFA 3.2M

$14.4K RON 68.1K

-61.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.2 FCFA 49.8K

$90.6 RON 429

-6.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.56 FCFA 24.9K

$38.05 RON 180

11.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.9 FCFA 30.3K

$79.7 RON 377

-34.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 FCFA 60.0K

$93.2 RON 441

9.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,020 FCFA 596.5K

$673 RON 3,184

51.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$421 FCFA 246.2K

$449 RON 2,123

-6.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,114 FCFA 1.2M

$1,098 RON 5,195

92.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$843 FCFA 493.0K

$729 RON 3,448

15.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,588 FCFA 2.1M

$3,740 RON 17.7K

-4.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,721 FCFA 1.6M

$2,189 RON 10.4K

24.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$429 FCFA 250.9K

$1,323 RON 6,259

-67.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.5

6.74

70.62%

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

Last update for Libreville: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Libreville

$421 27.8%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 6.7% $28

Groceries & Markets

Libreville

$374 24.7%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 40.7% $152

Eating Out

Libreville

$278 18.3%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 18.7% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Libreville

$184 12.2%

Bucharest

$214 16% 16.6% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Libreville

$127 8.4%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 6.9% $8.7

Sport & Entertainment

Libreville

$74 4.9%

Bucharest

$67 5% 10% $7.4

Getting Around

Libreville

$56 3.7%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 50.3% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,020 in Libreville and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 209% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68.0 in Libreville vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $374 vs $222 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇦 Libreville

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

05:02 5:02 AM

07:02 7:02 AM

2 h ahead of Libreville

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

850,000 Capital

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.52 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to XAF – Central African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 Central African CFA Franc (Fr)

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.52 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 XAF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Libreville Bucharest 5,160 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Libreville
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

Libreville vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Libreville and Bucharest differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($1,486 vs $1,351 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 209% lower in Bucharest. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,020 in Libreville versus $673 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,486 per month in Libreville versus $1,351 in Bucharest – a 10% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 127% less than in Libreville. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $1,486 in Libreville, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Libreville. 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 10% less than in Libreville. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.