Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lome and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Lome: $563 a month against $1,371 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Lome

🇹🇬 Togo

$563

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,371

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $563 in Lome versus $1,371 in Bucharest.

Lome $563
Bucharest $1,371

Estimated couple costs with rent: $996 in Lome versus $2,067 in Bucharest.

Lome $996
Bucharest $2,067

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,430 in Lome versus $2,764 in Bucharest.

Lome $1,430
Bucharest $2,764

Living in Lome costs roughly 59% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.00 F CFA 1,749

$14.51 RON 69.0

-79.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.83 F CFA 18.0K

$61.2 RON 291

-49.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.51 F CFA 3,214

$7.46 RON 35.46

-26.14%

Cappuccino

$5.70 F CFA 3,326

$3.64 RON 17.31

56.59%

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

$4.15 F CFA 2,425

$2.62 RON 12.43

58.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 F CFA 438

$2.36 RON 11.23

-68.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.98 F CFA 570

$3.78 RON 17.98

-74.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 F CFA 979

$4.11 RON 19.52

-59.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.21 F CFA 1,290

$1.66 RON 7.89

33.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 F CFA 784

$1.40 RON 6.64

-4.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 F CFA 829

$1.79 RON 8.53

-20.67%

Eggs

$2.04 F CFA 1,192

$3.63 RON 17.25

-43.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.92 RON 42.38

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.86 RON 32.62

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.46 F CFA 3,187

$11.99 RON 57.0

-54.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 F CFA 1,702

$1.30 RON 6.16

124.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 F CFA 970

$1.63 RON 7.76

1.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.09

Tomato (1kg)

$2.63 F CFA 1,534

$2.54 RON 12.08

3.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 F CFA 1,021

$0.81 RON 3.86

116.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 F CFA 703

$0.80 RON 3.78

51.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 RON 4.07

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 F CFA 478

$0.94 RON 4.46

-12.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.60 RON 31.38

Wine (Bottle)

$4.82 F CFA 2,815

$6.33 RON 30.08

-23.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 F CFA 672

$1.19 RON 5.64

-3.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 F CFA 840

$1.58 RON 7.53

-8.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 RON 4.64

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.91 RON 99.4

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.16 F CFA 675

$0.62 RON 2.93

87.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.30 F CFA 2,513

$6.37 RON 30.25

-32.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 F CFA 697

$2.02 RON 9.62

-41.09%

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

$28.2K RON 134.0K

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

$26.3K RON 124.8K

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

$148 F CFA 86.5K

$196 RON 932

-24.44%

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

$21.34 F CFA 12.5K

$8.60 RON 40.84

148.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.99 F CFA 25.1K

$9.20 RON 43.69

367.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.2 F CFA 35.1K

$51.0 RON 242

17.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.75 F CFA 5,109

$25.04 RON 119

-65.06%

Cinema Ticket

$4.32 F CFA 2,522

$8.26 RON 39.27

-47.70%

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

$681 RON 3,234

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K RON 89.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 RON 443

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.87 RON 189

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 RON 381

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 RON 431

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$731 RON 3,473

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 RON 2,232

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,172 F CFA 683.9K

$1,110 RON 5,276

5.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 F CFA 173.2K

$722 RON 3,431

-58.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 RON 17.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,233 RON 10.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$294 F CFA 171.8K

$1,365 RON 6,487

-78.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

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

Last update for Lome: November 1, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lome

–

Bucharest

$470 34.3%

Eating Out

Lome

–

Bucharest

$229 16.7%

Groceries & Markets

Lome

–

Bucharest

$225 16.4%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lome

–

Bucharest

$214 15.6%

Clothing & Footwear

Lome

–

Bucharest

$137 10%

Sport & Entertainment

Lome

–

Bucharest

$68 4.9%

Getting Around

Lome

–

Bucharest

$29 2.1%

Cost Breakdown

Bucharest pays about 4.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $31 in Lome vs $61 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $139 vs $225 per month, with Lome cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇬 Lome

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

01:08 1:08 AM

03:08 3:08 AM

2 h ahead of Lome

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

837,437 Capital

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to XOF – West African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 West African CFA Franc (Fr)

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 584 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 655 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.33 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to XOF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lome Bucharest 4,900 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Lome
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

Lome vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $563 in Lome and $1,371 in Bucharest, so Lome is about 59% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 78% lower in Lome. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Dining out is cheaper in Lome – a meal for two runs $31 versus $61 in Bucharest. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $563 per month in Lome versus $1,371 in Bucharest – Lome is about 59% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $563 in Lome versus $1,371 in Bucharest, a $800 budget is realistic in Lome but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Lome 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.

It comes down to priorities – Lome wins on affordability, Bucharest on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.