Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Neu-Ulm and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,337 a month against $1,922 in Neu-Ulm, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Neu-Ulm
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Neu-Ulm Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Neu-Ulm

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,922

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,337

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,922 in Neu-Ulm versus $1,337 in Bucharest.

Neu-Ulm $1,922
Bucharest $1,337

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,893 in Neu-Ulm versus $2,029 in Bucharest.

Neu-Ulm $2,893
Bucharest $2,029

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,864 in Neu-Ulm versus $2,721 in Bucharest.

Neu-Ulm $3,864
Bucharest $2,721

Living in Neu-Ulm is roughly 44% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Neu-Ulm is 42% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.81 €14.95

$14.45 RON 68.4

16.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.6 €60.1

$58.1 RON 275

16.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 €11.06

$7.53 RON 35.65

65.07%

Cappuccino

$3.92 €3.49

$3.45 RON 16.33

13.62%

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

$2.75 €2.45

$2.46 RON 11.65

11.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 €1.77

$2.23 RON 10.54

-10.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.45 €3.96

$3.76 RON 17.78

18.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$4.19 RON 19.84

10.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.62 RON 7.67

-11.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.30 RON 6.13

52.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.04 €3.60

$1.70 RON 8.05

137.65%

Eggs

$4.09 €3.63

$3.79 RON 17.93

7.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.79 €13.15

$8.86 RON 41.90

66.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 €9.28

$6.90 RON 32.67

51.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.91 €21.27

$12.14 RON 57.4

96.95%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 €2.92

$1.30 RON 6.17

152.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.60 RON 7.55

30.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.57 RON 7.42

35.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.09 €3.64

$2.68 RON 12.67

52.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.81 RON 3.82

41.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$0.79 RON 3.73

39.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.37

$0.91 RON 4.30

69.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.08

$0.97 RON 4.58

24.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.79 €8.71

$6.41 RON 30.34

52.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.50 €4.89

$6.18 RON 29.24

-11.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.23 RON 5.83

-8.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.67 RON 7.91

-10.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.52 €3.13

$0.87 RON 4.10

304.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 €47.96

$20.98 RON 99.3

157.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.04 €3.59

$0.66 RON 3.10

512.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.27 €2.02

$0.60 RON 2.85

278.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.49 €24.45

$6.19 RON 29.28

344.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.93 RON 9.15

11.40%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$28.7K RON 135.9K

16.35%

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

$38.8K €34.5K

$26.3K RON 124.6K

47.51%

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

$265 €236

$196 RON 926

35.46%

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

$33.79 €30.06

$8.49 RON 40.19

298.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.2 €45.58

$9.05 RON 42.84

466.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.84 €34.55

$49.54 RON 234

-21.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.08 €22.31

$25.03 RON 118

0.20%

Cinema Ticket

$13.38 €11.90

$8.24 RON 39.01

62.38%

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

$352 €313

$636 RON 3,007

-44.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,573 €8,515

$14.6K RON 69.0K

-34.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.94 €39.97

$88.5 RON 419

-49.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.2 €50.0

$38.77 RON 183

44.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.8 €71.0

$78.8 RON 373

1.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$150 €133

$90.6 RON 428

65.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$798 €710

$695 RON 3,288

14.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$666 €592

$446 RON 2,109

49.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €998

$1,084 RON 5,130

3.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,134 €1,009

$712 RON 3,368

59.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,942 €4,396

$3,797 RON 18.0K

30.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,353 €2,983

$2,202 RON 10.4K

52.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,612 €3,213

$1,354 RON 6,406

166.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.95

6.75

-41.48%

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

Last update for Neu-Ulm: October 17, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Neu-Ulm

$666 34.7%

Bucharest

$446 33.3% 33.1% $220

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Neu-Ulm

$350 18.2%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 39.1% $137

Groceries & Markets

Neu-Ulm

$339 17.6%

Bucharest

$225 16.9% 33.5% $113

Eating Out

Neu-Ulm

$269 14%

Bucharest

$226 16.9% 16.2% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Neu-Ulm

$149 7.8%

Bucharest

$133 10% 10.4% $15

Getting Around

Neu-Ulm

$83 4.3%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 66.3% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Neu-Ulm

$66 3.4%

Bucharest

$66 4.9% 0.7% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $798 in Neu-Ulm and $695 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Neu-Ulm pays 167% 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: $68.0 in Neu-Ulm vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $339 vs $225 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Neu-Ulm

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

18:02 6:02 PM

19:02 7:02 PM

1 h ahead of Neu-Ulm

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,610

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Neu-Ulm Bucharest 1,310 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Neu-Ulm
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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

Neu-Ulm vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Neu-Ulm and Bucharest differ by about 44% in total monthly costs ($1,922 vs $1,337 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 167% higher in Neu-Ulm, 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: $798 in Neu-Ulm versus $695 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,922 per month in Neu-Ulm versus $1,337 in Bucharest – a 44% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 157% less than in Neu-Ulm. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,337 in Bucharest versus $1,922 in Neu-Ulm, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Neu-Ulm. 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.

Safety-wise, Neu-Ulm 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 Bucharest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Neu-Ulm. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.