Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ostrava and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $1,495 in Ostrava, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

72

Cost of Living Index in Ostrava
Learn more

Ostrava Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index

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Ostrava

🇨🇿 Czech Republic

$1,495

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,495 in Ostrava versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Ostrava $1,495
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Ostrava versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Ostrava $2,255
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,014 in Ostrava versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Ostrava $3,014
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Ostrava is roughly 12% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ostrava is 11% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.68 Kč 231

$14.49 RON 68.6

-26.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.86 Kč 1,057

$58.1 RON 275

-15.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.38 Kč 181

$7.48 RON 35.40

12.03%

Cappuccino

$3.22 Kč 69.7

$3.44 RON 16.29

-6.40%

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

$1.83 Kč 39.57

$2.37 RON 11.22

-22.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 Kč 33.59

$2.30 RON 10.88

-32.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.31 Kč 50.0

$3.70 RON 17.51

-37.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 Kč 50.4

$4.16 RON 19.69

-43.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 Kč 24.76

$1.67 RON 7.90

-31.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 Kč 33.20

$1.37 RON 6.50

11.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.60 Kč 56.3

$1.72 RON 8.14

51.16%

Eggs

$3.53 Kč 76.4

$3.64 RON 17.22

-3.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.69 Kč 253

$9.08 RON 42.98

28.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 Kč 226

$6.84 RON 32.35

52.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.21 Kč 286

$12.00 RON 56.8

10.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 Kč 35.83

$1.23 RON 5.80

34.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 Kč 38.89

$1.63 RON 7.73

10.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 Kč 48.72

$1.57 RON 7.45

43.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.54 Kč 76.6

$2.54 RON 12.01

39.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 Kč 22.93

$0.79 RON 3.75

34.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 Kč 22.12

$0.77 RON 3.66

32.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Kč 33.79

$0.87 RON 4.13

79.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 Kč 15.45

$0.99 RON 4.70

-28.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.53 Kč 163

$6.31 RON 29.86

19.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.95 Kč 150

$6.20 RON 29.34

12.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 Kč 18.76

$1.19 RON 5.63

-26.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Kč 45.08

$1.57 RON 7.45

32.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 Kč 29.86

$0.86 RON 4.08

60.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.28 Kč 547

$21.10 RON 99.8

19.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 Kč 48.79

$0.64 RON 3.05

253.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 Kč 33.59

$0.60 RON 2.86

158.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.10 Kč 500

$6.43 RON 30.43

259.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 Kč 40.54

$1.96 RON 9.25

-4.59%

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

$31.3K Kč 675.9K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

7.78%

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

$29.6K Kč 641.0K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

11.27%

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

$223 Kč 4,830

$196 RON 927

14.00%

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

$23.47 Kč 508

$8.04 RON 38.04

191.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.96 Kč 367

$9.35 RON 44.21

81.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.8 Kč 1,164

$50.2 RON 238

7.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.80 Kč 428

$25.33 RON 120

-21.83%

Cinema Ticket

$9.09 Kč 197

$8.15 RON 38.55

11.53%

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

$417 Kč 9,013

$628 RON 2,971

-33.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,711 Kč 210.0K

$14.1K RON 66.6K

-31.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.9 Kč 1,640

$89.6 RON 424

-15.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.26 Kč 914

$38.32 RON 181

10.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.5 Kč 2,109

$79.3 RON 375

23.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 Kč 2,385

$90.4 RON 428

22.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$675 Kč 14.6K

$678 RON 3,209

-0.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$526 Kč 11.4K

$448 RON 2,121

17.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,279 Kč 27.6K

$1,083 RON 5,125

18.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$922 Kč 19.9K

$725 RON 3,430

27.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,133 Kč 67.7K

$3,751 RON 17.7K

-16.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,318 Kč 50.1K

$2,195 RON 10.4K

5.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,713 Kč 37.0K

$1,329 RON 6,290

28.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.06

6.75

-25.04%

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

Last update for Ostrava: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ostrava

$526 35.2%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 14.8% $78

Groceries & Markets

Ostrava

$266 17.8%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 15.5% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ostrava

$264 17.6%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 19.1% $50

Eating Out

Ostrava

$179 12%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 25.8% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Ostrava

$147 9.8%

Bucharest

$134 10% 8.7% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Ostrava

$72 4.8%

Bucharest

$67 5% 7.6% $5.5

Getting Around

Ostrava

$41 2.7%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 30.9% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $675 in Ostrava and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ostrava pays 29% 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: $49.00 in Ostrava vs $58.0 in Bucharest. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $225, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇿 Ostrava

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

23:56 11:56 PM

00:56 12:56 AM

1 h ahead of Ostrava

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

304,880

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Czech Koruna CZK Kč

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 CZK = 4.62 USD

100 CZK = 4.11 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to CZK – Czech Koruna Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇿 Czech Koruna (Kč)

Czech Koruna exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 21.63 CZK (100 CZK = 4.62 USD). 1 EUR = 24.31 CZK (100 CZK = 4.11 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to CZK in detail →

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Ostrava Bucharest 840 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ostrava
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

Ostrava vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ostrava and Bucharest differ by about 12% in total monthly costs ($1,495 vs $1,340 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 29% higher in Ostrava, 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: $675 in Ostrava versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,495 per month in Ostrava versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 20% less than in Ostrava. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,495 in Ostrava, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Ostrava. 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, Ostrava 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 12% less than in Ostrava. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.