Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Meknes and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Meknes: $730 a month against $1,371 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Meknes, Morocco
Bucharest, Romania
Meknes
🇲🇦 Morocco
$730
/mo nomad
Bucharest
🇷🇴 Romania
$1,371
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $730 in Meknes versus $1,371 in Bucharest.

  • Meknes $730
  • Bucharest $1,371

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,098 in Meknes versus $2,067 in Bucharest.

  • Meknes $1,098
  • Bucharest $2,067

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,466 in Meknes versus $2,764 in Bucharest.

  • Meknes $1,466
  • Bucharest $2,764

Living in Meknes costs roughly 47% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Meknes
Bucharest
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.60 MAD 25.38
$14.51 RON 69.0
-82.08%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$15.17 MAD 148
$61.2 RON 291
-75.22%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.20 MAD 60.5
$7.46 RON 35.50
-16.89%
Cappuccino
$1.72 MAD 16.73
$3.64 RON 17.33
-52.75%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.96 MAD 9.32
$2.62 RON 12.44
-63.36%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.40 MAD 3.86
$2.36 RON 11.24
-83.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.02 MAD 29.47
$3.78 RON 18.00
-20.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.64 MAD 35.50
$4.11 RON 19.54
-11.44%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Meknes
Bucharest
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.85 MAD 8.32
$1.66 RON 7.90
-48.80%
White Bread (500g)
$0.35 MAD 3.38
$1.40 RON 6.64
-75.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.27 MAD 12.41
$1.79 RON 8.54
-29.05%
Eggs
$1.86 MAD 18.10
$3.63 RON 17.27
-48.76%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.74 MAD 105
$8.92 RON 42.43
20.40%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.03 MAD 49.07
$6.86 RON 32.65
-26.68%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.97 MAD 87.4
$11.99 RON 57.0
-25.19%
Apples (1kg)
$1.24 MAD 12.11
$1.30 RON 6.17
-4.62%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MAD 13.33
$1.63 RON 7.77
-15.95%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.68 MAD 6.61
$1.49 RON 7.10
-54.36%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.67 MAD 6.51
$2.54 RON 12.09
-73.62%
Potato (1kg)
$0.53 MAD 5.15
$0.81 RON 3.86
-34.57%
Onion (1kg)
$0.51 MAD 4.98
$0.80 RON 3.79
-36.25%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.45 MAD 4.40
$0.86 RON 4.07
-47.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.50 MAD 4.88
$0.94 RON 4.46
-46.81%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.10 MAD 39.93
$6.60 RON 31.42
-37.88%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.21 MAD 80.1
$6.33 RON 30.11
29.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.33 MAD 22.69
$1.19 RON 5.64
95.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.50 MAD 24.41
$1.58 RON 7.54
58.23%
🚌 Getting Around
Meknes
Bucharest
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.43 MAD 4.16
$0.98 RON 4.64
-56.12%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.17 MAD 148
$20.91 RON 99.5
-27.45%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.68 MAD 6.60
$0.60 RON 2.86
13.33%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.32 MAD 3.16
$0.62 RON 2.93
-48.39%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.64 MAD 45.21
$6.37 RON 30.28
-27.16%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.42 MAD 13.89
$2.02 RON 9.63
-29.70%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.9K MAD 292.0K
$28.2K RON 134.1K
6.20%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.9K MAD 300.9K
$26.3K RON 125.0K
17.46%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Meknes
Bucharest
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$45.32 MAD 442
$196 RON 933
-76.90%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.19 MAD 99.3
$8.60 RON 40.89
18.49%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$37.76 MAD 368
$9.20 RON 43.74
310.43%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Meknes
Bucharest
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$27.62 MAD 269
$51.0 RON 243
-45.87%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$32.20 MAD 314
$25.04 RON 119
28.59%
Cinema Ticket
$4.01 MAD 39.08
$8.26 RON 39.31
-51.45%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Meknes
Bucharest
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$122 MAD 1,191
$681 RON 3,237
-82.04%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.5K MAD 112.0K
$18.7K RON 89.1K
-38.71%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Meknes
Bucharest
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$64.7 MAD 631
$93.3 RON 444
-30.63%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$46.46 MAD 453
$39.87 RON 190
16.53%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.5 MAD 892
$80.1 RON 381
14.28%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$58.9 MAD 575
$90.6 RON 431
-34.97%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Meknes
Bucharest
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$343 MAD 3,343
$731 RON 3,477
-53.08%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$204 MAD 1,985
$470 RON 2,234
-56.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$585 MAD 5,702
$1,110 RON 5,282
-47.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$326 MAD 3,176
$722 RON 3,435
-54.87%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$932 MAD 9,090
$3,749 RON 17.8K
-75.13%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$594 MAD 5,790
$2,233 RON 10.6K
-73.41%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Meknes
Bucharest
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$477 MAD 4,648
$1,365 RON 6,494
-65.08%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.5
6.75
-33.33%

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

Last update for Meknes: 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
Meknes
$204
Bucharest
$470 131% $266
Groceries & Markets
Meknes
$173
Bucharest
$225 30.1% $52
Clothing & Footwear
Meknes
$118
Bucharest
$137 16.1% $19
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Meknes
$93
Bucharest
$214 129% $121
Eating Out
Meknes
$88
Bucharest
$229 161% $141
Sport & Entertainment
Meknes
$36
Bucharest
$68 89.6% $32
Getting Around
Meknes
$19
Bucharest
$29 48.7% $9.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $343 in Meknes and $731 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays about 2.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $15 in Meknes vs $61 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $173 vs $225 per month, with Meknes cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇦 Meknes
🇷🇴 Bucharest
🕒 Local time
18:30 6:30 PM
20:30 8:30 PM
2 h ahead of Meknes
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
520,428
1,883,425 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to MAD – Moroccan Dirham Converter

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 9.75 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.95 MAD (100 MAD = 9.13 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 4.76 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Meknes Bucharest 2,940 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Meknes
  • 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
Meknes vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Meknes and in Bucharest?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $730 in Meknes and $1,371 in Bucharest, so Meknes is about 47% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 65% lower in Meknes. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Meknes and in Bucharest?
Rent for a central apartment: $343 in Meknes versus $731 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city is more expensive overall: Meknes or Bucharest?
All in, you’ll spend $730 per month in Meknes versus $1,371 in Bucharest – Meknes is about 47% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
How do commuting costs compare in Meknes and in Bucharest?
A monthly transit pass in Meknes runs roughly 27% less than in Bucharest. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
How does quality of life compare between Meknes and Bucharest?
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.
Where should expats move: Meknes or Bucharest?
Expats usually find Meknes 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.

Meknes vs other spots: cost of living compared

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