Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Merignac and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,354 a month against $1,887 in Merignac, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Merignac
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Merignac Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Merignac

🇫🇷 France

$1,887

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,354

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,887 in Merignac versus $1,354 in Bucharest.

Merignac $1,887
Bucharest $1,354

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,897 in Merignac versus $2,043 in Bucharest.

Merignac $2,897
Bucharest $2,043

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,907 in Merignac versus $2,733 in Bucharest.

Merignac $3,907
Bucharest $2,733

Living in Merignac is roughly 39% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.82 €15.12

$14.66 RON 70.5

14.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.8 €69.9

$57.7 RON 277

34.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.43 €12.07

$7.52 RON 36.14

78.59%

Cappuccino

$3.96 €3.55

$3.56 RON 17.09

11.24%

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

$2.93 €2.63

$2.47 RON 11.88

18.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.24

$2.18 RON 10.50

-36.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.44 €6.68

$3.69 RON 17.73

101.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.63 €5.96

$4.28 RON 20.57

54.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.06

$1.67 RON 8.04

-29.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 €1.78

$1.35 RON 6.49

46.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.52 €2.26

$1.78 RON 8.53

41.57%

Eggs

$3.49 €3.14

$3.56 RON 17.12

-1.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.55 €12.17

$9.12 RON 43.86

48.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.70 €13.20

$6.82 RON 32.77

115.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.03 €17.99

$12.13 RON 58.3

65.13%

Apples (1kg)

$3.43 €3.08

$1.26 RON 6.08

172.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 €2.02

$1.62 RON 7.80

38.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.29 €2.96

$1.56 RON 7.49

110.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.47 €3.12

$2.54 RON 12.21

36.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.27 €2.04

$0.78 RON 3.76

191.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.88 €2.59

$0.77 RON 3.72

274.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 €1.23

$0.89 RON 4.27

53.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 €0.46

$0.90 RON 4.32

-43.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.21 €11.87

$6.55 RON 31.49

101.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.92 €8.02

$6.37 RON 30.60

40.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.46 €3.11

$1.24 RON 5.98

179.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.06

$1.62 RON 7.80

109.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 €1.75

$0.85 RON 4.11

129.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.2 €49.57

$20.71 RON 99.6

166.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.29 €2.05

$0.61 RON 2.95

275.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 €1.63

$0.61 RON 2.95

196.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.65 €33.83

$6.16 RON 29.62

511.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.18 €1.96

$2.00 RON 9.60

9.00%

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

$35.0K €31.4K

$27.9K RON 134.4K

25.24%

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

$36.2K €32.5K

$25.3K RON 121.7K

42.74%

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

$222 €200

$192 RON 923

15.72%

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

$14.09 €12.66

$7.92 RON 38.06

77.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.79 €27.67

$8.96 RON 43.06

243.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.86 €28.63

$49.99 RON 240

-36.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 RON 119

Cinema Ticket

$12.97 €11.65

$8.51 RON 40.90

52.41%

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

$797 €716

$686 RON 3,297

16.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.3K €9,246

$14.4K RON 69.3K

-28.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$112 €101

$90.2 RON 434

24.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.56 €40.94

$38.74 RON 186

17.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €96.1

$78.9 RON 379

35.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 €131

$92.1 RON 443

58.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$862 €774

$711 RON 3,419

21.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$656 €590

$462 RON 2,220

42.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,599 €1,436

$1,053 RON 5,064

51.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,144 €1,028

$723 RON 3,474

58.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,985 €3,580

$3,634 RON 17.5K

9.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,034 €2,726

$2,173 RON 10.4K

39.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,354 RON 6,508

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

6.75

-43.85%

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

Last update for Merignac: 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

Merignac

$656 34.8%

Bucharest

$462 34.1% 29.6% $194

Groceries & Markets

Merignac

$357 18.9%

Bucharest

$225 16.6% 37% $132

Eating Out

Merignac

$290 15.4%

Bucharest

$228 16.9% 21.4% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Merignac

$267 14.2%

Bucharest

$209 15.4% 21.8% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Merignac

$185 9.8%

Bucharest

$135 10% 27% $50

Getting Around

Merignac

$74 3.9%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 62.6% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Merignac

$58 3.1%

Bucharest

$67 5% 15.9% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $862 in Merignac and $711 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $78 in Merignac vs $58 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $357 vs $225 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Merignac

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

12:51 12:51 PM

13:51 1:51 PM

1 h ahead of Merignac

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,729

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Merignac Bucharest 2,110 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Merignac
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

Merignac vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Merignac and Bucharest differ by about 39% in total monthly costs ($1,887 vs $1,354 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,831 in Merignac and $2,030 in Bucharest to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $862 in Merignac versus $711 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,887 per month in Merignac versus $1,354 in Bucharest – a 39% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 62% less than in Merignac. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your 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 28% less than in Merignac. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.