Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $32,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,086 in London versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

London $4,086
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,816 in London versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

London $5,816
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,546 in London versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

London $7,546
Bucharest $2,715

Living in London is roughly 202% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: London 205% above, Bucharest 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.62 £20.12

$14.46 RON 68.9

84.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.3

$57.7 RON 275

86.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.39 £7.86

$7.50 RON 35.72

38.53%

Cappuccino

$5.79 £4.38

$3.43 RON 16.32

68.80%

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

$3.01 £2.27

$2.46 RON 11.72

22.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 £1.63

$2.33 RON 11.09

-7.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.35 £7.07

$3.80 RON 18.10

146.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.84 £5.93

$4.10 RON 19.56

91.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 £1.35

$1.65 RON 7.85

8.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 £1.56

$1.35 RON 6.44

52.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 £1.74

$1.78 RON 8.48

29.78%

Eggs

$5.05 £3.82

$3.66 RON 17.46

37.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 £9.50

$8.57 RON 40.84

46.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.66 £8.05

$6.80 RON 32.41

56.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.13 £12.95

$11.72 RON 55.8

46.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 £2.29

$1.29 RON 6.16

134.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 £1.07

$1.56 RON 7.43

-9.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 £2.31

$1.54 RON 7.34

98.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 £2.56

$2.48 RON 11.84

36.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.26

$0.83 RON 3.95

101.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 £1.31

$0.80 RON 3.80

116.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.07

$0.84 RON 4.01

67.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 £1.35

$0.93 RON 4.42

92.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.22 £17.55

$6.44 RON 30.68

260.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.99 £9.82

$6.32 RON 30.13

105.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.41

$1.26 RON 5.99

152.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 £3.34

$1.60 RON 7.65

175.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 £2.93

$0.81 RON 3.88

377.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$250 £189

$21.13 RON 101

1083.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 £4.31

$0.60 RON 2.88

851.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 £2.51

$0.61 RON 2.93

445.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.9 £43.77

$6.17 RON 29.41

838.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.54

$1.96 RON 9.34

4.08%

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

$37.5K £28.4K

$28.1K RON 134.2K

33.39%

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

$40.9K £30.9K

$26.3K RON 125.3K

55.56%

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

$376 £284

$197 RON 938

91.05%

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

$17.88 £13.51

$8.34 RON 39.74

114.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.01 £30.25

$9.19 RON 43.80

335.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 £46.23

$49.87 RON 238

22.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 £15.93

$24.99 RON 119

-15.69%

Cinema Ticket

$17.95 £13.57

$8.46 RON 40.31

112.17%

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

$2,865 £2,166

$639 RON 3,046

348.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.7K

$14.4K RON 68.6K

145.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £87.7

$90.6 RON 432

28.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 £40.88

$38.05 RON 181

42.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 £95.7

$79.7 RON 380

58.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 £120

$93.2 RON 444

70.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,853 £2,157

$673 RON 3,209

323.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,301 £1,740

$449 RON 2,139

412.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,201 £3,932

$1,098 RON 5,234

373.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,723 £2,814

$729 RON 3,474

410.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.0K £14.4K

$3,740 RON 17.8K

408.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,881 £5,957

$2,189 RON 10.4K

260.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,818 £3,642

$1,323 RON 6,306

264.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.65

6.74

-31.01%

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

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56.5%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 80.5% $1.9K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$434 10.7%

Bucharest

$214 16% 50.6% $220

Eating Out

London

$397 9.7%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 43.1% $171

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.6%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 36.5% $128

Getting Around

London

$288 7.1%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 90.3% $260

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 33.9% $70

Sport & Entertainment

London

$97 2.4%

Bucharest

$67 5% 31.2% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,853 in London and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 264% 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: $108 in London vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $349 vs $222 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

02:39 2:39 AM

04:39 4:39 AM

2 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

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 = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 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 = 4.77 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

London Bucharest 2,090 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

London
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

London vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

London and Bucharest differ by about 202% in total monthly costs ($4,086 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 264% higher in London, 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: $2,853 in London versus $673 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $4,086 per month in London versus $1,351 in Bucharest – a 202% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 1083% less than in London. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $4,086 in London, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in London. 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 202% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.