Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Novi Sad and Bucharest

For one person, living costs are similar in Novi Sad and in Bucharest: $1,371 and $1,351 a month, rent and utilities included.

67

Cost of Living Index in Novi Sad
Learn more

Novi Sad Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index

Jump to prices

Novi Sad

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,371

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,371 in Novi Sad versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

Novi Sad $1,371
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,114 in Novi Sad versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

Novi Sad $2,114
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,856 in Novi Sad versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

Novi Sad $2,856
Bucharest $2,715

Living in Novi Sad is roughly 2% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Novi Sad 2% above, Bucharest 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.93 RSD 1,037

$14.46 RON 68.9

-31.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.70 RSD 5,188

$57.7 RON 275

-13.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.00 RSD 1,253

$7.50 RON 35.72

60.00%

Cappuccino

$2.61 RSD 273

$3.43 RON 16.32

-23.91%

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

$2.32 RSD 243

$2.46 RON 11.72

-5.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 RSD 192

$2.33 RON 11.09

-21.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.91 RSD 303

$3.80 RON 18.10

-23.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.78 RSD 394

$4.10 RON 19.56

-7.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 RSD 146

$1.65 RON 7.85

-15.15%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 RSD 99.2

$1.35 RON 6.44

-29.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 RSD 280

$1.78 RON 8.48

50.56%

Eggs

$2.54 RSD 265

$3.66 RON 17.46

-30.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.09 RSD 1,367

$8.57 RON 40.84

52.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.52 RSD 785

$6.80 RON 32.41

10.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.35 RSD 1,499

$11.72 RON 55.8

22.44%

Apples (1kg)

$1.71 RSD 179

$1.29 RON 6.16

32.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 RSD 207

$1.56 RON 7.43

26.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 RSD 173

$1.54 RON 7.34

7.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.55 RSD 266

$2.48 RON 11.84

2.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.01 RSD 105

$0.83 RON 3.95

21.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.68 RSD 71.0

$0.80 RON 3.80

-15.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 RSD 100

$0.84 RON 4.01

14.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 RSD 68.5

$0.93 RON 4.42

-29.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.84 RSD 505

$6.44 RON 30.68

-24.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 RSD 779

$6.32 RON 30.13

18.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 RSD 95.7

$1.26 RON 5.99

-26.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 RSD 231

$1.60 RON 7.65

38.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 RSD 104

$0.81 RON 3.88

22.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.45 RSD 2,552

$21.13 RON 101

15.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.33 RSD 244

$0.60 RON 2.88

288.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 RSD 96.9

$0.61 RON 2.93

52.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.35 RSD 1,081

$6.17 RON 29.41

67.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.83 RSD 191

$1.96 RON 9.34

-6.63%

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

$30.7K RSD 3.2M

$28.1K RON 134.2K

9.17%

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

$26.3K RSD 2.7M

$26.3K RON 125.3K

-0.01%

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

$223 RSD 23.2K

$197 RON 938

13.09%

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

$20.57 RSD 2,147

$8.34 RON 39.74

146.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.21 RSD 3,467

$9.19 RON 43.80

261.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.61 RSD 3,823

$49.87 RON 238

-26.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.06 RSD 1,155

$24.99 RON 119

-55.74%

Cinema Ticket

$7.30 RSD 763

$8.46 RON 40.31

-13.71%

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

$372 RSD 38.8K

$639 RON 3,046

-41.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,710 RSD 804.9K

$14.4K RON 68.6K

-46.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$119 RSD 12.4K

$90.6 RON 432

31.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.40 RSD 4,531

$38.05 RON 181

14.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 RSD 14.3K

$79.7 RON 380

71.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 RSD 12.9K

$93.2 RON 444

32.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$495 RSD 51.6K

$673 RON 3,209

-26.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$405 RSD 42.3K

$449 RON 2,139

-9.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$955 RSD 99.7K

$1,098 RON 5,234

-13.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$753 RSD 78.6K

$729 RON 3,474

3.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,527 RSD 368.2K

$3,740 RON 17.8K

-5.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,586 RSD 270.0K

$2,189 RON 10.4K

18.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,240 RSD 129.5K

$1,323 RON 6,306

-6.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.21

6.74

-22.70%

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

Last update for Novi Sad: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Novi Sad

$405 29.2%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 10.7% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Novi Sad

$276 19.9%

Bucharest

$214 16% 22.4% $62

Groceries & Markets

Novi Sad

$244 17.6%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 9.2% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Novi Sad

$190 13.7%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 28.7% $55

Eating Out

Novi Sad

$186 13.4%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 21.6% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Novi Sad

$51 3.7%

Bucharest

$67 5% 30.4% $16

Getting Around

Novi Sad

$35 2.6%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 20.7% $7.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $495 in Novi Sad and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 7% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $50.0 in Novi Sad vs $58.0 in Bucharest. Groceries flip the comparison at $244 vs $222, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Novi Sad

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

05:59 5:59 AM

06:59 6:59 AM

1 h ahead of Novi Sad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

260,438

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Novi Sad Bucharest 500 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Novi Sad
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

Novi Sad vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Novi Sad and Bucharest differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($1,371 vs $1,351 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 7% 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: $495 in Novi Sad versus $673 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,371 per month in Novi Sad versus $1,351 in Bucharest – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 16% less than in Novi Sad. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $1,371 in Novi Sad, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Novi Sad. 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, Novi Sad 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 2% less than in Novi Sad. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.