Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nis and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Nis: $1,033 a month against $1,351 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Nis
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Nis Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Nis

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,033

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,033 in Nis versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

Nis $1,033
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,512 in Nis versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

Nis $1,512
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,991 in Nis versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

Nis $1,991
Bucharest $2,715

Living in Nis costs roughly 24% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nis is 23% below, Bucharest is 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.78 RSD 917

$14.46 RON 68.9

-39.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.92 RSD 3,541

$57.7 RON 275

-41.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.57 RSD 999

$7.50 RON 35.72

27.60%

Cappuccino

$1.97 RSD 206

$3.43 RON 16.32

-42.57%

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

$2.31 RSD 242

$2.46 RON 11.72

-6.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 RSD 182

$2.33 RON 11.09

-25.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.61 RSD 377

$3.80 RON 18.10

-5.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.49 RSD 469

$4.10 RON 19.56

9.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 RSD 120

$1.65 RON 7.85

-30.91%

White Bread (500g)

$0.70 RSD 73.2

$1.35 RON 6.44

-48.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 RSD 184

$1.78 RON 8.48

-1.12%

Eggs

$2.35 RSD 246

$3.66 RON 17.46

-35.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.65 RSD 799

$8.57 RON 40.84

-10.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.72 RSD 597

$6.80 RON 32.41

-15.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.59 RSD 1,105

$11.72 RON 55.8

-9.64%

Apples (1kg)

$1.11 RSD 116

$1.29 RON 6.16

-13.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 RSD 175

$1.56 RON 7.43

7.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 RSD 157

$1.54 RON 7.34

-2.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 RSD 226

$2.48 RON 11.84

-12.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 RSD 81.8

$0.83 RON 3.95

-6.02%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 RSD 74.7

$0.80 RON 3.80

-10.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 RSD 66.6

$0.84 RON 4.01

-23.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 RSD 60.6

$0.93 RON 4.42

-37.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.42 RSD 461

$6.44 RON 30.68

-31.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.78 RSD 604

$6.32 RON 30.13

-8.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 RSD 75.3

$1.26 RON 5.99

-42.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 RSD 135

$1.60 RON 7.65

-19.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.88

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.13 RON 101

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 RSD 192

$0.60 RON 2.88

206.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 RSD 68.8

$0.61 RON 2.93

8.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.29 RSD 866

$6.17 RON 29.41

34.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.89 RSD 198

$1.96 RON 9.34

-3.57%

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

$30.7K RSD 3.2M

$28.1K RON 134.2K

9.23%

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

$24.0K RSD 2.5M

$26.3K RON 125.3K

-8.79%

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

$160 RSD 16.8K

$197 RON 938

-18.48%

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

$19.03 RSD 1,987

$8.34 RON 39.74

128.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.20 RSD 2,318

$9.19 RON 43.80

141.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.54 RSD 3,188

$49.87 RON 238

-38.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.65 RSD 1,634

$24.99 RON 119

-37.37%

Cinema Ticket

$4.68 RSD 489

$8.46 RON 40.31

-44.68%

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

$252 RSD 26.4K

$639 RON 3,046

-60.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,989 RSD 520.9K

$14.4K RON 68.6K

-65.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.4 RSD 9,234

$90.6 RON 432

-2.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.42 RSD 3,906

$38.05 RON 181

-1.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.3 RSD 10.4K

$79.7 RON 380

24.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 RSD 11.7K

$93.2 RON 444

19.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$398 RSD 41.5K

$673 RON 3,209

-40.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$277 RSD 28.9K

$449 RON 2,139

-38.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$591 RSD 61.7K

$1,098 RON 5,234

-46.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$397 RSD 41.5K

$729 RON 3,474

-45.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,531 RSD 264.2K

$3,740 RON 17.8K

-32.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,884 RSD 196.7K

$2,189 RON 10.4K

-13.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$901 RSD 94.0K

$1,323 RON 6,306

-31.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.12

6.74

-24.04%

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

Last update for Nis: October 6, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nis

$277 27.1%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 62% $172

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nis

$202 19.7%

Bucharest

$214 16% 6.3% $13

Groceries & Markets

Nis

$182 17.8%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 22% $40

Eating Out

Nis

$166 16.2%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 36% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Nis

$152 14.8%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 10.5% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Nis

$40 3.9%

Bucharest

$67 5% 67.4% $27

Getting Around

Nis

$5.1 * 0.5%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 446% $23

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $398 in Nis and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 47% 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: $34.00 in Nis vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $182 vs $222 per month, with Nis cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Nis

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

07:21 7:21 AM

08:21 8:21 AM

1 h ahead of Nis

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,470

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.54 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇸 Serbian Dinar (din)

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.54 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.77 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

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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

Nis vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nis and Bucharest differ by about 31% in total monthly costs ($1,033 vs $1,351 including rent). Nis is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 47% 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: $398 in Nis versus $673 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Bucharest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,033 per month in Nis versus $1,351 in Bucharest – a 31% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,033 in Nis versus $1,351 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Nis but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Nis 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, Nis 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 Nis gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.