Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Olten and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,337 a month against $3,049 in Olten, rent and utilities included – about $20,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

148

Cost of Living Index in Olten
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Olten Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Olten

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,049

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,337

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,049 in Olten versus $1,337 in Bucharest.

Olten $3,049
Bucharest $1,337

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,812 in Olten versus $2,029 in Bucharest.

Olten $4,812
Bucharest $2,029

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,576 in Olten versus $2,721 in Bucharest.

Olten $6,576
Bucharest $2,721

Living in Olten is roughly 128% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Olten is 125% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$33.18 CHF 27.33

$14.45 RON 68.4

129.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 CHF 100

$58.1 RON 275

109.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.69 CHF 14.57

$7.53 RON 35.65

134.93%

Cappuccino

$6.29 CHF 5.18

$3.45 RON 16.33

82.32%

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

$5.51 CHF 4.54

$2.46 RON 11.65

123.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.21 CHF 4.29

$2.23 RON 10.54

133.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.22 CHF 7.59

$3.76 RON 17.78

145.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.52 CHF 6.19

$4.19 RON 19.84

79.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 CHF 1.73

$1.62 RON 7.67

30.25%

White Bread (500g)

$3.87 CHF 3.19

$1.30 RON 6.13

197.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.81 CHF 3.14

$1.70 RON 8.05

124.12%

Eggs

$8.37 CHF 6.90

$3.79 RON 17.93

120.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.10 CHF 21.50

$8.86 RON 41.90

194.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$26.77 CHF 22.05

$6.90 RON 32.67

287.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$46.34 CHF 38.16

$12.14 RON 57.4

281.71%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 CHF 3.31

$1.30 RON 6.17

209.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.69 CHF 2.22

$1.60 RON 7.55

68.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 CHF 2.45

$1.57 RON 7.42

89.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.69 CHF 3.86

$2.68 RON 12.67

75.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.49 CHF 2.05

$0.81 RON 3.82

207.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.14 CHF 1.76

$0.79 RON 3.73

170.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.55 CHF 2.10

$0.91 RON 4.30

180.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 CHF 1.06

$0.97 RON 4.58

32.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.85 CHF 8.93

$6.41 RON 30.34

69.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.12 CHF 11.63

$6.18 RON 29.24

128.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 CHF 2.30

$1.23 RON 5.83

126.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 CHF 2.68

$1.67 RON 7.91

94.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.30 CHF 4.37

$0.87 RON 4.10

509.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 CHF 88.3

$20.98 RON 99.3

411.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.39 CHF 6.91

$0.66 RON 3.10

1171.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.53 CHF 3.73

$0.60 RON 2.85

655.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$90.2 CHF 74.3

$6.19 RON 29.28

1357.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 CHF 1.78

$1.93 RON 9.15

11.92%

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

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

$28.7K RON 135.9K

37.65%

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

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

$26.3K RON 124.6K

49.26%

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

$275 CHF 227

$196 RON 926

40.76%

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

$32.97 CHF 27.15

$8.49 RON 40.19

288.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.51 CHF 39.13

$9.05 RON 42.84

424.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.2 CHF 66.1

$49.54 RON 234

61.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.03 RON 118

Cinema Ticket

$21.01 CHF 17.30

$8.24 RON 39.01

154.98%

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

$3,608 CHF 2,971

$636 RON 3,007

467.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$41.7K CHF 34.3K

$14.6K RON 69.0K

185.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$143 CHF 118

$88.5 RON 419

61.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 CHF 48.81

$38.77 RON 183

52.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$167 CHF 137

$78.8 RON 373

111.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$210 CHF 173

$90.6 RON 428

132.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,210 CHF 997

$695 RON 3,288

74.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,035 CHF 852

$446 RON 2,109

132.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,968 CHF 1,621

$1,084 RON 5,130

81.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,948 CHF 1,605

$712 RON 3,368

173.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,797 RON 18.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,202 RON 10.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,837 CHF 4,808

$1,354 RON 6,406

331.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.07

6.75

-69.33%

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

Last update for Olten: October 20, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Olten

$1K 34%

Bucharest

$446 33.3% 56.9% $589

Groceries & Markets

Olten

$617 20.3%

Bucharest

$225 16.9% 63.5% $392

Eating Out

Olten

$498 16.3%

Bucharest

$226 16.9% 54.7% $273

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Olten

$356 11.7%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 40.1% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Olten

$261 8.6%

Bucharest

$133 10% 48.8% $127

Getting Around

Olten

$160 5.2%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 82.4% $131

Sport & Entertainment

Olten

$122 4%

Bucharest

$66 4.9% 46% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,210 in Olten and $695 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Olten pays 331% 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: $122 in Olten vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $617 vs $225 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Olten

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

14:23 2:23 PM

15:23 3:23 PM

1 h ahead of Olten

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,280

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Olten Bucharest 1,440 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Olten
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

Olten vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Olten and Bucharest differ by about 128% in total monthly costs ($3,049 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 331% higher in Olten, 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: $1,210 in Olten versus $695 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $3,049 per month in Olten versus $1,337 in Bucharest – a 128% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 411% less than in Olten. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,337 in Bucharest versus $3,049 in Olten, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Olten. 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, Olten 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 128% less than in Olten. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.