Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pecs and Bucharest

For one person, living costs are similar in Pecs and in Bucharest: $1,338 and $1,351 a month, rent and utilities included.

66

Cost of Living Index in Pecs
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Pecs Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Pecs

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,338

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,338 in Pecs versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

Pecs $1,338
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,058 in Pecs versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

Pecs $2,058
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,777 in Pecs versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

Pecs $2,777
Bucharest $2,715

Living in Pecs costs roughly 1% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Pecs 0% above, Bucharest 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.29 Ft 3,672

$14.46 RON 68.4

-21.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$57.7 RON 273

4.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.21 Ft 2,997

$7.50 RON 35.46

22.80%

Cappuccino

$2.45 Ft 797

$3.43 RON 16.20

-28.57%

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

$1.34 Ft 436

$2.46 RON 11.63

-45.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 403

$2.33 RON 11.01

-46.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.71 Ft 556

$3.80 RON 17.97

-55.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 Ft 724

$4.10 RON 19.41

-45.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 Ft 400

$1.65 RON 7.79

-25.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 Ft 509

$1.35 RON 6.39

16.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.46 Ft 802

$1.78 RON 8.42

38.20%

Eggs

$3.28 Ft 1,068

$3.66 RON 17.33

-10.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.14 Ft 3,299

$8.57 RON 40.54

18.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.63 Ft 2,156

$6.80 RON 32.17

-2.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.95 Ft 5,188

$11.72 RON 55.4

36.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.38 Ft 774

$1.29 RON 6.11

84.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 Ft 743

$1.56 RON 7.37

46.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.53 Ft 824

$1.54 RON 7.28

64.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.94 Ft 1,281

$2.48 RON 11.75

58.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 Ft 365

$0.83 RON 3.92

34.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 Ft 438

$0.80 RON 3.77

68.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 Ft 608

$0.84 RON 3.98

122.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 Ft 190

$0.93 RON 4.39

-37.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.76 Ft 2,851

$6.44 RON 30.45

36.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.63 Ft 1,506

$6.32 RON 29.91

-26.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 Ft 444

$1.26 RON 5.94

8.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 Ft 850

$1.60 RON 7.59

63.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 Ft 490

$0.81 RON 3.85

86.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.59 Ft 7,674

$21.13 RON 99.9

11.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,075

$0.60 RON 2.86

450.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 Ft 475

$0.61 RON 2.91

139.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.60 Ft 8,005

$6.17 RON 29.19

298.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 Ft 583

$1.96 RON 9.27

-8.67%

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

$30.0K Ft 9.7M

$28.1K RON 133.1K

6.41%

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

$36.9K Ft 12.0M

$26.3K RON 124.3K

40.49%

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

$168 Ft 54.8K

$197 RON 931

-14.43%

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

$20.30 Ft 6,606

$8.34 RON 39.44

143.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.23 Ft 6,908

$9.19 RON 43.47

131.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.06 Ft 15.0K

$49.87 RON 236

-7.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 Ft 6,076

$24.99 RON 118

-25.25%

Cinema Ticket

$8.81 Ft 2,867

$8.46 RON 40.01

4.14%

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

$420 Ft 136.5K

$639 RON 3,023

-34.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,762 Ft 2.5M

$14.4K RON 68.1K

-46.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 32.8K

$90.6 RON 429

11.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.6 Ft 16.8K

$38.05 RON 180

35.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 Ft 31.9K

$79.7 RON 377

23.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 Ft 35.4K

$93.2 RON 441

16.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$619 Ft 201.5K

$673 RON 3,184

-8.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$444 Ft 144.4K

$449 RON 2,123

-1.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$987 Ft 321.1K

$1,098 RON 5,195

-10.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$676 Ft 219.9K

$729 RON 3,448

-7.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,296 Ft 1.1M

$3,740 RON 17.7K

-11.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,804 Ft 912.4K

$2,189 RON 10.4K

28.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,056 Ft 343.5K

$1,323 RON 6,259

-20.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

18.69%

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

Last update for Pecs: 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

Pecs

$444 32.9%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 1.2% $5.1

Groceries & Markets

Pecs

$260 19.2%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 14.6% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pecs

$210 15.6%

Bucharest

$214 16% 2.1% $4.4

Eating Out

Pecs

$171 12.6%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 32.2% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Pecs

$162 12%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 16% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Pecs

$64 4.7%

Bucharest

$67 5% 4.9% $3.1

Getting Around

Pecs

$40 3%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 30.2% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $619 in Pecs and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 25% 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: $60.0 in Pecs vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $222 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Pecs

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

03:03 3:03 AM

04:03 4:03 AM

1 h ahead of Pecs

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

140,330

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Pecs Bucharest 640 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Pecs
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

Pecs vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pecs and Bucharest differ by about 1% in total monthly costs ($1,338 vs $1,351 including rent). Pecs is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 25% 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: $619 in Pecs versus $673 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,338 per month in Pecs versus $1,351 in Bucharest – a 1% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Pecs runs roughly 12% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,338 in Pecs versus $1,351 in Bucharest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Pecs but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Pecs 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, Pecs 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 Pecs gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.