Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mangalia and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Mangalia: $1,068 a month against $1,354 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Mangalia
Learn more

Mangalia Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index

Jump to prices

Mangalia

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,068

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,354

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,068 in Mangalia versus $1,354 in Bucharest.

Mangalia $1,068
Bucharest $1,354

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,652 in Mangalia versus $2,043 in Bucharest.

Mangalia $1,652
Bucharest $2,043

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,236 in Mangalia versus $2,733 in Bucharest.

Mangalia $2,236
Bucharest $2,733

Living in Mangalia costs roughly 21% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.53 RON 55.4

$14.66 RON 70.5

-21.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.81 RON 225

$57.7 RON 277

-18.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.56 RON 36.31

$7.52 RON 36.13

0.53%

Cappuccino

$2.87 RON 13.82

$3.56 RON 17.09

-19.38%

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

$2.14 RON 10.30

$2.47 RON 11.88

-13.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 RON 10.43

$2.18 RON 10.50

-0.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 RON 12.29

$3.69 RON 17.72

-30.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 RON 16.19

$4.28 RON 20.57

-21.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 RON 7.78

$1.67 RON 8.04

-2.99%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 RON 5.43

$1.35 RON 6.49

-16.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 RON 7.13

$1.78 RON 8.53

-16.85%

Eggs

$3.05 RON 14.68

$3.56 RON 17.12

-14.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.94 RON 38.14

$9.12 RON 43.84

-12.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 RON 33.02

$6.82 RON 32.76

0.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.38 RON 45.08

$12.13 RON 58.3

-22.67%

Apples (1kg)

$1.34 RON 6.46

$1.26 RON 6.08

6.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 RON 7.86

$1.62 RON 7.80

1.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.43 RON 6.89

$1.56 RON 7.49

-8.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.95 RON 9.38

$2.54 RON 12.21

-23.23%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 RON 3.47

$0.78 RON 3.76

-7.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 RON 3.33

$0.77 RON 3.72

-10.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 RON 3.11

$0.89 RON 4.27

-26.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 RON 3.80

$0.90 RON 4.32

-12.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.17 RON 29.67

$6.55 RON 31.48

-5.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.66 RON 31.99

$6.37 RON 30.60

4.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 RON 4.79

$1.24 RON 5.97

-19.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 RON 6.91

$1.62 RON 7.79

-11.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 RON 3.93

$0.85 RON 4.10

-3.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.49 RON 108

$20.71 RON 99.6

8.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.66 RON 3.15

$0.61 RON 2.95

8.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 RON 3.15

$0.61 RON 2.95

8.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.18 RON 29.72

$6.16 RON 29.62

0.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 RON 8.90

$2.00 RON 9.60

-7.50%

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

$28.8K RON 138.6K

$27.9K RON 134.3K

3.22%

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

$25.4K RON 122.0K

$25.3K RON 121.7K

0.20%

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

$166 RON 799

$192 RON 923

-13.44%

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

$6.18 RON 29.71

$7.92 RON 38.05

-21.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.39 RON 40.31

$8.96 RON 43.05

-6.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.28 RON 179

$49.99 RON 240

-25.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.67 RON 104

$24.81 RON 119

-12.66%

Cinema Ticket

$8.47 RON 40.71

$8.51 RON 40.88

-0.47%

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

$366 RON 1,757

$686 RON 3,296

-46.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,846 RON 28.1K

$14.4K RON 69.3K

-59.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.4 RON 353

$90.2 RON 434

-18.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.66 RON 200

$38.74 RON 186

7.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.9 RON 432

$78.9 RON 379

13.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.4 RON 458

$92.1 RON 442

3.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 RON 1,855

$711 RON 3,418

-45.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$281 RON 1,352

$462 RON 2,220

-39.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$618 RON 2,971

$1,053 RON 5,063

-41.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$479 RON 2,303

$723 RON 3,473

-33.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,136 RON 10.3K

$3,634 RON 17.5K

-41.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,410 RON 6,777

$2,173 RON 10.4K

-35.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$741 RON 3,563

$1,354 RON 6,506

-45.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.85

6.75

16.30%

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

Last update for Mangalia: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mangalia

$281 26.3%

Bucharest

$462 34.1% 64.2% $181

Groceries & Markets

Mangalia

$201 18.8%

Bucharest

$225 16.6% 12% $24

Eating Out

Mangalia

$186 17.4%

Bucharest

$228 16.9% 22.5% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mangalia

$181 16.9%

Bucharest

$209 15.4% 15.6% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Mangalia

$135 12.7%

Bucharest

$135 10% 0.1% $0.2

Sport & Entertainment

Mangalia

$54 5.1%

Bucharest

$67 5% 23.6% $13

Getting Around

Mangalia

$30 2.8%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 6.3% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $386 in Mangalia and $711 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 83% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Mangalia vs $58 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $201 vs $225 per month, with Mangalia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Mangalia

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

14:24 2:24 PM

Same time as Mangalia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,364

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mangalia Bucharest 210 km

From you

Mangalia
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

Mangalia vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mangalia and Bucharest differ by about 27% in total monthly costs ($1,068 vs $1,354 including rent). Mangalia is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 45% lower in Mangalia. 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: $386 in Mangalia versus $711 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,068 per month in Mangalia versus $1,354 in Bucharest – a 27% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 8% less than in Mangalia. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Mangalia gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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