Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ploiesti and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Ploiesti: $1,088 a month against $1,337 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Ploiesti
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Ploiesti Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

Jump to prices

Ploiesti

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,088

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,337

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,088 in Ploiesti versus $1,337 in Bucharest.

Ploiesti $1,088
Bucharest $1,337

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,663 in Ploiesti versus $2,029 in Bucharest.

Ploiesti $1,663
Bucharest $2,029

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,238 in Ploiesti versus $2,721 in Bucharest.

Ploiesti $2,238
Bucharest $2,721

Living in Ploiesti costs roughly 19% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ploiesti 20% lower, Bucharest 1% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.59 RON 54.8

$14.45 RON 68.4

-19.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.97 RON 222

$58.1 RON 275

-19.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.85 RON 37.15

$7.53 RON 35.65

4.25%

Cappuccino

$2.97 RON 14.07

$3.45 RON 16.33

-13.91%

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

$2.13 RON 10.07

$2.46 RON 11.65

-13.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 RON 10.01

$2.23 RON 10.54

-4.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.50 RON 11.81

$3.76 RON 17.78

-33.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 RON 15.71

$4.19 RON 19.84

-20.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 RON 7.46

$1.62 RON 7.67

-2.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 RON 5.54

$1.30 RON 6.13

-10.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 RON 7.11

$1.70 RON 8.05

-11.76%

Eggs

$3.24 RON 15.31

$3.79 RON 17.93

-14.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.85 RON 37.15

$8.86 RON 41.90

-11.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.60 RON 31.21

$6.90 RON 32.67

-4.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.28 RON 43.90

$12.14 RON 57.4

-23.56%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.16

$1.30 RON 6.17

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 RON 8.17

$1.60 RON 7.55

8.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 RON 6.55

$1.57 RON 7.42

-12.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 RON 9.47

$2.68 RON 12.67

-25.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 RON 3.71

$0.81 RON 3.82

-3.70%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 RON 3.67

$0.79 RON 3.73

-1.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 RON 3.28

$0.91 RON 4.30

-24.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 RON 3.68

$0.97 RON 4.58

-19.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 RON 30.46

$6.41 RON 30.34

0.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.67 RON 31.58

$6.18 RON 29.24

7.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.69

$1.23 RON 5.83

-19.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 RON 6.63

$1.67 RON 7.91

-16.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 RON 3.90

$0.87 RON 4.10

-5.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.31 RON 101

$20.98 RON 99.3

1.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.62 RON 2.93

$0.66 RON 3.10

-6.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$0.60 RON 2.85

6.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.38 RON 30.18

$6.19 RON 29.28

3.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 RON 8.77

$1.93 RON 9.15

-4.15%

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

$28.8K RON 136.4K

$28.7K RON 135.9K

0.33%

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

$25.2K RON 119.1K

$26.3K RON 124.6K

-4.41%

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

$167 RON 792

$196 RON 926

-14.39%

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

$6.27 RON 29.67

$8.49 RON 40.19

-26.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.86 RON 41.91

$9.05 RON 42.84

-2.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.37 RON 205

$49.54 RON 234

-12.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.38 RON 101

$25.03 RON 118

-14.58%

Cinema Ticket

$8.66 RON 40.98

$8.24 RON 39.01

5.10%

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

$399 RON 1,889

$636 RON 3,007

-37.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,802 RON 27.5K

$14.6K RON 69.0K

-60.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.4 RON 347

$88.5 RON 419

-17.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.40 RON 201

$38.77 RON 183

9.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.5 RON 442

$78.8 RON 373

18.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.3 RON 460

$90.6 RON 428

7.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$421 RON 1,990

$695 RON 3,288

-39.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$290 RON 1,371

$446 RON 2,109

-34.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$568 RON 2,685

$1,084 RON 5,130

-47.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$459 RON 2,170

$712 RON 3,368

-35.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,967 RON 9,305

$3,797 RON 18.0K

-48.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,226 RON 5,802

$2,202 RON 10.4K

-44.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$993 RON 4,698

$1,354 RON 6,406

-26.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.85

6.75

16.30%

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

Last update for Ploiesti: 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

Ploiesti

$290 26.6%

Bucharest

$446 33.3% 53.8% $156

Groceries & Markets

Ploiesti

$200 18.4%

Bucharest

$225 16.9% 12.5% $25

Eating Out

Ploiesti

$188 17.3%

Bucharest

$226 16.9% 19.9% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ploiesti

$183 16.8%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 16.7% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Ploiesti

$138 12.7%

Bucharest

$133 10% 3.2% $4.5

Sport & Entertainment

Ploiesti

$61 5.6%

Bucharest

$66 4.9% 8.8% $5.3

Getting Around

Ploiesti

$28 2.6%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 1.2% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $421 in Ploiesti and $695 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 36% 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: $47.00 in Ploiesti vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $200 vs $225 per month, with Ploiesti cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Ploiesti

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

18:15 6:15 PM

Same time as Ploiesti

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

224,406

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ploiesti Bucharest 57 km

From you

Ploiesti
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

Ploiesti vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ploiesti and Bucharest differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($1,088 vs $1,337 including rent). Ploiesti is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 36% 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: $421 in Ploiesti versus $695 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,088 per month in Ploiesti versus $1,337 in Bucharest – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Ploiesti runs roughly 2% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,088 in Ploiesti versus $1,337 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ploiesti but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Ploiesti 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, Ploiesti 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 Ploiesti gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.