Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pec and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Pec: $665 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Pec
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Pec Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Pec

🇽🇰 Kosovo

$665

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $665 in Pec versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Pec $665
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,078 in Pec versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Pec $1,078
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,490 in Pec versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Pec $1,490
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Pec costs roughly 50% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Pec 51% lower, Bucharest 1% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.52 €4.91

$14.49 RON 68.6

-61.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.36 €19.89

$58.1 RON 275

-61.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.33 €3.85

$7.48 RON 35.40

-42.11%

Cappuccino

$1.32 €1.18

$3.44 RON 16.29

-61.63%

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

$1.56 €1.39

$2.37 RON 11.22

-34.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 €0.94

$2.30 RON 10.88

-54.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.96 €1.74

$3.70 RON 17.51

-47.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 €2.46

$4.16 RON 19.69

-33.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 €1.13

$1.67 RON 7.90

-23.35%

White Bread (500g)

$0.63 €0.56

$1.37 RON 6.50

-54.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.72 RON 8.14

-23.26%

Eggs

$1.81 €1.61

$3.64 RON 17.22

-50.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.63 €6.78

$9.08 RON 42.98

-15.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.50 €5.78

$6.84 RON 32.35

-4.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.30 €10.94

$12.00 RON 56.8

2.50%

Apples (1kg)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.23 RON 5.80

16.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.63 RON 7.73

-12.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.11 €0.98

$1.57 RON 7.45

-29.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 €1.51

$2.54 RON 12.01

-33.46%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 €0.80

$0.79 RON 3.75

13.92%

Onion (1kg)

$0.87 €0.77

$0.77 RON 3.66

12.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 €0.71

$0.87 RON 4.13

-9.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 €0.44

$0.99 RON 4.70

-49.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.84 €2.53

$6.31 RON 29.86

-54.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.56 €4.94

$6.20 RON 29.34

-10.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.19 RON 5.63

-26.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.57 RON 7.45

-24.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.19 €1.94

$0.64 RON 3.05

242.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.60 RON 2.86

-8.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 €2.94

$6.43 RON 30.43

-48.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.96 RON 9.25

-27.55%

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

$22.3K €19.8K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

-23.09%

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

$26.2K €23.3K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

-1.69%

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

$104 €92.3

$196 RON 927

-47.05%

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

$11.14 €9.91

$8.04 RON 38.04

38.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.36 €20.78

$9.35 RON 44.21

149.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.87 €19.46

$50.2 RON 238

-56.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.79 €30.06

$25.33 RON 120

33.40%

Cinema Ticket

$4.56 €4.06

$8.15 RON 38.55

-44.05%

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

$150 €133

$628 RON 2,971

-76.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,954 €2,627

$14.1K RON 66.6K

-79.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.97 €37.33

$89.6 RON 424

-53.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.42 €25.28

$38.32 RON 181

-25.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.6 €56.6

$79.3 RON 375

-19.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.5 €72.5

$90.4 RON 428

-9.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$167 €149

$678 RON 3,209

-75.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$111 €98.7

$448 RON 2,121

-75.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$335 €298

$1,083 RON 5,125

-69.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$277 €247

$725 RON 3,430

-61.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,251 €1,112

$3,751 RON 17.7K

-66.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,043 €928

$2,195 RON 10.4K

-52.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$471 €419

$1,329 RON 6,290

-64.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

6.75

-33.33%

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

Last update for Pec: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Pec

$184 27.7%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 22.3% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pec

$138 20.8%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 54.3% $75

Accommodation & Living

Pec

$111 16.7%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 304% $337

Eating Out

Pec

$99 14.9%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 128% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Pec

$97 14.6%

Bucharest

$134 10% 38.1% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Pec

$31 4.7%

Bucharest

$67 5% 115% $36

Getting Around

Pec

$4.9 * 0.7%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 472% $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 $167 in Pec and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 182% 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: $22.00 in Pec vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $184 vs $225 per month, with Pec cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇽🇰 Pec

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

11:51 11:51 AM

12:51 12:51 PM

1 h ahead of Pec

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

48,962

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Pec Bucharest 510 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Pec
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

Pec vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pec and Bucharest differ by about 102% in total monthly costs ($665 vs $1,340 including rent). Pec is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 182% 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: $167 in Pec versus $678 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 $665 per month in Pec versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 102% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $665 in Pec versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Pec but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Pec 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, Pec 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 Pec gentler on the wallet – expenses run 102% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.