Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oradea and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Oradea: $1,023 a month against $1,354 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Oradea
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Oradea Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Oradea

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,023

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,354

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,023 in Oradea versus $1,354 in Bucharest.

Oradea $1,023
Bucharest $1,354

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,523 in Oradea versus $2,043 in Bucharest.

Oradea $1,523
Bucharest $2,043

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,022 in Oradea versus $2,733 in Bucharest.

Oradea $2,022
Bucharest $2,733

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.26 RON 39.50

$14.66 RON 70.1

-43.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.28 RON 198

$57.7 RON 276

-28.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 RON 35.48

$7.52 RON 35.97

-1.33%

Cappuccino

$2.58 RON 12.34

$3.56 RON 17.01

-27.53%

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

$1.90 RON 9.07

$2.47 RON 11.83

-23.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 RON 8.54

$2.18 RON 10.45

-18.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 RON 10.26

$3.69 RON 17.65

-42.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 RON 15.25

$4.28 RON 20.48

-25.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 RON 7.05

$1.67 RON 8.00

-11.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 RON 5.04

$1.35 RON 6.46

-22.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 RON 5.54

$1.78 RON 8.49

-34.83%

Eggs

$2.78 RON 13.28

$3.56 RON 17.04

-21.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.13 RON 38.91

$9.12 RON 43.65

-10.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.13 RON 29.33

$6.82 RON 32.62

-10.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.81 RON 42.16

$12.13 RON 58.0

-27.37%

Apples (1kg)

$1.07 RON 5.12

$1.26 RON 6.05

-15.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 RON 7.18

$1.62 RON 7.77

-7.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 RON 6.90

$1.56 RON 7.45

-7.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 RON 6.52

$2.54 RON 12.15

-46.46%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.83

$0.78 RON 3.74

2.56%

Onion (1kg)

$0.87 RON 4.15

$0.77 RON 3.71

12.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 RON 3.25

$0.89 RON 4.25

-23.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 RON 3.88

$0.90 RON 4.30

-10.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.63 RON 26.92

$6.55 RON 31.34

-14.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.90 RON 28.23

$6.37 RON 30.46

-7.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.71

$1.24 RON 5.95

-20.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 RON 8.42

$1.62 RON 7.76

8.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 RON 3.92

$0.85 RON 4.09

-3.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.55 RON 108

$20.71 RON 99.1

8.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 RON 3.55

$0.61 RON 2.94

21.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 RON 3.33

$0.61 RON 2.93

14.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.27 RON 34.77

$6.16 RON 29.48

18.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 RON 8.50

$2.00 RON 9.56

-11.00%

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

$28.0K RON 134.2K

$27.9K RON 133.7K

0.35%

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

$24.8K RON 118.6K

$25.3K RON 121.2K

-2.16%

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

$137 RON 655

$192 RON 919

-28.76%

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

$6.29 RON 30.10

$7.92 RON 37.88

-20.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.80 RON 37.32

$8.96 RON 42.86

-12.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.06 RON 225

$49.99 RON 239

-5.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.40 RON 78.5

$24.81 RON 119

-33.90%

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 RON 36.06

$8.51 RON 40.70

-11.40%

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

$385 RON 1,841

$686 RON 3,282

-43.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,983 RON 43.0K

$14.4K RON 69.0K

-37.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.6 RON 290

$90.2 RON 432

-32.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.01 RON 177

$38.74 RON 185

-4.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.6 RON 266

$78.9 RON 378

-29.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.9 RON 301

$92.1 RON 440

-31.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$428 RON 2,049

$711 RON 3,403

-39.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$346 RON 1,654

$462 RON 2,210

-25.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$643 RON 3,077

$1,053 RON 5,040

-38.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$504 RON 2,411

$723 RON 3,457

-30.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,267 RON 10.8K

$3,634 RON 17.4K

-37.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,806 RON 8,641

$2,173 RON 10.4K

-16.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$896 RON 4,289

$1,354 RON 6,477

-33.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.1

6.75

5.19%

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

Last update for Oradea: October 27, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oradea

$346 33.8%

Bucharest

$462 34.1% 33.6% $116

Groceries & Markets

Oradea

$186 18.2%

Bucharest

$225 16.6% 20.7% $39

Eating Out

Oradea

$151 14.8%

Bucharest

$228 16.9% 51% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oradea

$151 14.8%

Bucharest

$209 15.4% 38.5% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Oradea

$97 9.5%

Bucharest

$135 10% 38.8% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Oradea

$62 6.1%

Bucharest

$67 5% 7.8% $4.9

Getting Around

Oradea

$30 2.9%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 7.5% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $428 in Oradea and $711 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 51% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $41 in Oradea vs $58 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $186 vs $225 per month, with Oradea cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Oradea

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

11:07 11:07 AM

Same time as Oradea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

196,367

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Oradea Bucharest 440 km

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Oradea
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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

Oradea vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,023 in Oradea and $1,354 in Bucharest, so Oradea is about 24% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 34% lower in Oradea. 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: $428 in Oradea versus $711 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,023 per month in Oradea versus $1,354 in Bucharest – Oradea is about 24% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 8% less than in Oradea. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Oradea gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Oradea wins on affordability, Bucharest on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.