Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nijmegen and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $2,499 in Nijmegen, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Nijmegen
Learn more

Nijmegen Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index

Jump to prices

Nijmegen

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,499

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,499 in Nijmegen versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

Nijmegen $2,499
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,718 in Nijmegen versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

Nijmegen $3,718
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,937 in Nijmegen versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

Nijmegen $4,937
Bucharest $2,715

Living in Nijmegen is roughly 85% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nijmegen 87% above, Bucharest 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.34 €22.61

$14.46 RON 68.4

75.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.7 €83.6

$57.7 RON 273

62.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.41 €11.97

$7.50 RON 35.46

78.80%

Cappuccino

$4.17 €3.72

$3.43 RON 16.20

21.57%

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

$3.95 €3.53

$2.46 RON 11.63

60.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.33 RON 11.01

12.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.68 €5.07

$3.80 RON 17.97

49.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.69 €5.07

$4.10 RON 19.41

38.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.65 RON 7.79

-13.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 €1.77

$1.35 RON 6.39

46.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 €2.10

$1.78 RON 8.42

32.02%

Eggs

$5.39 €4.81

$3.66 RON 17.33

47.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.98 €11.59

$8.57 RON 40.54

51.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.59 €13.02

$6.80 RON 32.17

114.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.50 €13.84

$11.72 RON 55.4

32.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 €2.47

$1.29 RON 6.11

113.95%

Banana (1kg)

$2.44 €2.18

$1.56 RON 7.37

56.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.54 RON 7.28

27.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.42 €4.84

$2.48 RON 11.75

118.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$0.83 RON 3.92

143.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 €2.11

$0.80 RON 3.77

195.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 €1.14

$0.84 RON 3.98

52.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.93 RON 4.39

-18.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.30 €12.76

$6.44 RON 30.45

122.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.26 €6.48

$6.32 RON 29.91

14.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.26 RON 5.94

19.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 €2.24

$1.60 RON 7.59

56.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.47 €3.10

$0.81 RON 3.85

328.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 €127

$21.13 RON 99.9

573.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.12 €3.68

$0.60 RON 2.86

586.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.10 €2.76

$0.61 RON 2.91

408.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.09 €39.35

$6.17 RON 29.19

614.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.35 €2.09

$1.96 RON 9.27

19.90%

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

$40.7K €36.4K

$28.1K RON 133.1K

44.71%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$26.3K RON 124.3K

46.41%

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

$282 €252

$197 RON 931

43.37%

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

$23.08 €20.60

$8.34 RON 39.44

176.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.32 €36.87

$9.19 RON 43.47

349.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.36 €27.09

$49.87 RON 236

-39.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.10 €22.40

$24.99 RON 118

0.44%

Cinema Ticket

$15.52 €13.85

$8.46 RON 40.01

83.45%

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

$2,788 €2,488

$639 RON 3,023

336.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K €15.3K

$14.4K RON 68.1K

19.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.5 €87.9

$90.6 RON 429

8.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.80 €39.09

$38.05 RON 180

15.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €94.1

$79.7 RON 377

32.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$172 €153

$93.2 RON 441

83.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,499 €1,338

$673 RON 3,184

122.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,034 €923

$449 RON 2,123

130.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,367 €2,113

$1,098 RON 5,195

115.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,662 €1,483

$729 RON 3,448

127.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,492 €4,901

$3,740 RON 17.7K

46.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,242 €3,785

$2,189 RON 10.4K

93.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,457 €3,085

$1,323 RON 6,259

161.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

-40.65%

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

Last update for Nijmegen: October 4, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nijmegen

$1K 41.3%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 56.6% $585

Eating Out

Nijmegen

$359 14.3%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 37.2% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nijmegen

$347 13.8%

Bucharest

$214 16% 38.2% $132

Groceries & Markets

Nijmegen

$339 13.5%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 34.6% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Nijmegen

$189 7.5%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 28.1% $53

Getting Around

Nijmegen

$176 7%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 84% $148

Sport & Entertainment

Nijmegen

$61 2.5%

Bucharest

$67 5% 8.8% $5.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,499 in Nijmegen and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nijmegen pays 161% 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: $94.0 in Nijmegen vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $339 vs $222 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Nijmegen

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

04:23 4:23 AM

05:23 5:23 AM

1 h ahead of Nijmegen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

177,359

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 = 0.189 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nijmegen Bucharest 1,710 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Nijmegen
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

Nijmegen vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nijmegen and Bucharest differ by about 85% in total monthly costs ($2,499 vs $1,351 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 161% higher in Nijmegen, 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: $1,499 in Nijmegen versus $673 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,499 per month in Nijmegen versus $1,351 in Bucharest – a 85% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 574% less than in Nijmegen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $2,499 in Nijmegen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Nijmegen. 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, Nijmegen 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 85% less than in Nijmegen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.