Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Neum and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Neum: $955 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Neum
Learn more

Neum Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index

Jump to prices

Neum

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$955

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $955 in Neum versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Neum $955
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,410 in Neum versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Neum $1,410
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,866 in Neum versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Neum $1,866
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Neum costs roughly 29% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Neum 29% lower, Bucharest 1% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.29 BAM 9.24

$14.49 RON 69.1

-63.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.98 BAM 54.1

$58.1 RON 277

-46.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.67 BAM 9.91

$7.48 RON 35.69

-24.20%

Cappuccino

$1.90 BAM 3.32

$3.44 RON 16.42

-44.77%

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

$1.90 BAM 3.33

$2.37 RON 11.31

-19.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 BAM 2.07

$2.30 RON 10.97

-48.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.52 BAM 4.41

$3.70 RON 17.65

-31.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 BAM 3.83

$4.16 RON 19.85

-47.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 BAM 1.96

$1.67 RON 7.96

-32.93%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 BAM 1.65

$1.37 RON 6.55

-30.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.07 BAM 3.62

$1.72 RON 8.20

20.35%

Eggs

$2.57 BAM 4.48

$3.64 RON 17.35

-29.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.88 BAM 13.77

$9.08 RON 43.32

-13.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.37 BAM 12.87

$6.84 RON 32.61

7.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.39 BAM 18.15

$12.00 RON 57.2

-13.42%

Apples (1kg)

$1.12 BAM 1.96

$1.23 RON 5.85

-8.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 BAM 2.83

$1.63 RON 7.79

-0.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.36 BAM 2.37

$1.57 RON 7.51

-13.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.20 BAM 2.09

$2.54 RON 12.11

-52.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 BAM 1.72

$0.79 RON 3.78

24.05%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 BAM 1.72

$0.77 RON 3.68

28.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 BAM 1.32

$0.87 RON 4.16

-12.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 BAM 1.24

$0.99 RON 4.74

-28.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.93 BAM 6.86

$6.31 RON 30.09

-37.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.99 BAM 6.96

$6.20 RON 29.58

-35.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 BAM 1.36

$1.19 RON 5.67

-34.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 BAM 1.55

$1.57 RON 7.51

-43.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.27 BAM 2.21

$0.86 RON 4.11

47.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.4 BAM 100

$21.10 RON 101

172.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 BAM 3.05

$0.64 RON 3.07

171.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 BAM 1.04

$0.60 RON 2.88

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.79 BAM 10.11

$6.43 RON 30.68

-9.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 BAM 2.70

$1.96 RON 9.33

-20.92%

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

$29.9K BAM 52.2K

$29.0K RON 138.3K

2.98%

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

$21.3K BAM 37.3K

$26.6K RON 127.0K

-19.95%

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

$135 BAM 237

$196 RON 934

-30.87%

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

$17.64 BAM 30.82

$8.04 RON 38.35

119.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.86 BAM 45.18

$9.35 RON 44.57

176.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.47 BAM 56.7

$50.2 RON 240

-35.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.52 BAM 20.13

$25.33 RON 121

-54.52%

Cinema Ticket

$5.74 BAM 10.02

$8.15 RON 38.86

-29.57%

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

$198 BAM 346

$628 RON 2,995

-68.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,317 BAM 4,048

$14.1K RON 67.2K

-83.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.4 BAM 104

$89.6 RON 427

-33.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.42 BAM 58.4

$38.32 RON 183

-12.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.8 BAM 150

$79.3 RON 378

8.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.3 BAM 146

$90.4 RON 431

-7.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$345 BAM 603

$678 RON 3,235

-49.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$248 BAM 433

$448 RON 2,138

-44.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 BAM 884

$1,083 RON 5,166

-53.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$355 BAM 620

$725 RON 3,457

-51.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 BAM 4,210

$3,751 RON 17.9K

-35.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,786 BAM 3,120

$2,195 RON 10.5K

-18.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$847 BAM 1,480

$1,329 RON 6,340

-36.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.9

6.75

-57.04%

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

Last update for Neum: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Neum

$248 25.9%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 81.1% $201

Groceries & Markets

Neum

$188 19.7%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 19.9% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Neum

$179 18.7%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 19.2% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Neum

$118 12.4%

Bucharest

$134 10% 13.6% $16

Eating Out

Neum

$112 11.7%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 102% $114

Getting Around

Neum

$67 7%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 58% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Neum

$44 4.6%

Bucharest

$67 5% 51.4% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $345 in Neum and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 57% 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: $31.00 in Neum vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $188 vs $225 per month, with Neum cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇦 Neum

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

10:48 10:48 AM

11:48 11:48 AM

1 h ahead of Neum

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,200

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 BAM = 0.572 USD

1 BAM = 0.512 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 = 0.572 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BAM (1 BAM = 0.512 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 4.77 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to BAM in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Neum Bucharest 700 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Neum
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

Neum vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Neum and Bucharest differ by about 40% in total monthly costs ($955 vs $1,340 including rent). Neum is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 57% 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: $345 in Neum versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $955 per month in Neum versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 40% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Neum runs roughly 172% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $955 in Neum versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Neum but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Neum 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, Neum 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 Neum gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.