Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maglaj and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Maglaj: $910 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Maglaj
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Maglaj Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Maglaj

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$910

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $910 in Maglaj versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Maglaj $910
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,371 in Maglaj versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Maglaj $1,371
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,833 in Maglaj versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Maglaj $1,833
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Maglaj costs roughly 32% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Maglaj 33% lower, Bucharest 1% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.85 BAM 11.95

$14.49 RON 69.0

-52.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.43 BAM 65.3

$58.1 RON 277

-35.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.69 BAM 11.67

$7.48 RON 35.64

-10.56%

Cappuccino

$1.63 BAM 2.85

$3.44 RON 16.40

-52.62%

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

$1.82 BAM 3.18

$2.37 RON 11.29

-23.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 BAM 2.14

$2.30 RON 10.96

-46.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 BAM 3.90

$3.70 RON 17.63

-39.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 BAM 3.95

$4.16 RON 19.83

-45.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 BAM 2.55

$1.67 RON 7.95

-12.57%

White Bread (500g)

$0.92 BAM 1.61

$1.37 RON 6.54

-32.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 BAM 3.04

$1.72 RON 8.19

1.16%

Eggs

$2.81 BAM 4.90

$3.64 RON 17.33

-22.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.54 BAM 13.15

$9.08 RON 43.27

-16.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.72 BAM 11.73

$6.84 RON 32.57

-1.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 BAM 17.18

$12.00 RON 57.2

-18.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.15 BAM 2.01

$1.23 RON 5.84

-6.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 BAM 2.91

$1.63 RON 7.78

2.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 BAM 2.95

$1.57 RON 7.50

7.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 BAM 2.92

$2.54 RON 12.09

-34.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 BAM 2.03

$0.79 RON 3.77

46.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 BAM 1.96

$0.77 RON 3.68

45.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 BAM 1.76

$0.87 RON 4.16

16.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BAM 1.44

$0.99 RON 4.73

-16.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.50 BAM 6.12

$6.31 RON 30.06

-44.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.74 BAM 11.77

$6.20 RON 29.54

8.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 BAM 2.04

$1.19 RON 5.66

-1.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 BAM 2.01

$1.57 RON 7.50

-26.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 BAM 2.44

$0.86 RON 4.10

62.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 101

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BAM 2.93

$0.64 RON 3.07

162.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 BAM 1.94

$0.60 RON 2.87

85.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.37 BAM 18.10

$6.43 RON 30.64

61.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.59 BAM 2.77

$1.96 RON 9.32

-18.88%

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

$30.4K BAM 53.0K

$29.0K RON 138.1K

4.78%

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

$21.8K BAM 38.1K

$26.6K RON 126.9K

-18.06%

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

$91.9 BAM 160

$196 RON 933

-53.11%

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

$18.32 BAM 31.97

$8.04 RON 38.30

127.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.27 BAM 49.35

$9.35 RON 44.51

202.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.60 BAM 56.9

$50.2 RON 239

-35.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 121

Cinema Ticket

$4.67 BAM 8.15

$8.15 RON 38.81

-42.70%

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

$135 BAM 236

$628 RON 2,991

-78.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,932 BAM 6,863

$14.1K RON 67.1K

-72.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.2 BAM 99.9

$89.6 RON 427

-36.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.72 BAM 55.4

$38.32 RON 183

-17.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.1 BAM 166

$79.3 RON 378

19.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 BAM 226

$90.4 RON 431

43.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$338 BAM 591

$678 RON 3,231

-50.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$253 BAM 442

$448 RON 2,136

-43.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$512 BAM 893

$1,083 RON 5,159

-52.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$356 BAM 621

$725 RON 3,453

-50.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,429 BAM 4,239

$3,751 RON 17.9K

-35.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,764 BAM 3,079

$2,195 RON 10.5K

-19.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$741 BAM 1,293

$1,329 RON 6,332

-44.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.3

6.75

-36.30%

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

Last update for Maglaj: October 10, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Maglaj

$253 27.8%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 77.1% $195

Groceries & Markets

Maglaj

$200 22%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 12.6% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Maglaj

$141 15.5%

Bucharest

$134 10% 5.1% $7.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maglaj

$138 15.2%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 54% $75

Eating Out

Maglaj

$122 13.5%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 84.1% $103

Sport & Entertainment

Maglaj

$42 4.6%

Bucharest

$67 5% 58.6% $25

Getting Around

Maglaj

$13 * 1.4%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 120% $15

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $338 in Maglaj and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 79% 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: $37.00 in Maglaj vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $200 vs $225 per month, with Maglaj cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇦 Maglaj

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

12:07 12:07 PM

13:07 1:07 PM

1 h ahead of Maglaj

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,000

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 BAM = 0.573 USD

1 BAM = 0.511 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to BAM – Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark (KM)

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BAM (1 BAM = 0.573 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BAM (1 BAM = 0.511 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 4.76 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to BAM in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Maglaj Bucharest 630 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Maglaj
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

Maglaj vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Maglaj and Bucharest differ by about 47% in total monthly costs ($910 vs $1,340 including rent). Maglaj is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 79% 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: $338 in Maglaj versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Bucharest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $910 per month in Maglaj versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 47% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $910 in Maglaj versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Maglaj but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Maglaj 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, Maglaj 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 Maglaj gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.