Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Plymouth and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,337 a month against $2,602 in Plymouth, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Plymouth
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Plymouth Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Plymouth

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,602

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,337

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,602 in Plymouth versus $1,337 in Bucharest.

Plymouth $2,602
Bucharest $1,337

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,589 in Plymouth versus $2,029 in Bucharest.

Plymouth $3,589
Bucharest $2,029

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,576 in Plymouth versus $2,721 in Bucharest.

Plymouth $4,576
Bucharest $2,721

Living in Plymouth is roughly 95% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Plymouth is 92% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.12 £16.59

$14.45 RON 68.4

53.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.4 £61.8

$58.1 RON 275

41.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.75 £8.06

$7.53 RON 35.65

42.76%

Cappuccino

$5.02 £3.77

$3.45 RON 16.33

45.51%

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

$2.10 £1.57

$2.46 RON 11.65

-14.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 £1.28

$2.23 RON 10.54

-23.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.28 £4.71

$3.76 RON 17.78

67.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.09 £4.57

$4.19 RON 19.84

45.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 £1.10

$1.62 RON 7.67

-9.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 £0.92

$1.30 RON 6.13

-5.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.02 £2.26

$1.70 RON 8.05

77.65%

Eggs

$3.88 £2.91

$3.79 RON 17.93

2.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.24 £7.68

$8.86 RON 41.90

15.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.51 £6.39

$6.90 RON 32.67

23.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.56 £10.18

$12.14 RON 57.4

11.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 £1.53

$1.30 RON 6.17

56.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 £1.08

$1.60 RON 7.55

-10.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.06 £3.05

$1.57 RON 7.42

158.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.96 £2.97

$2.68 RON 12.67

47.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 £1.42

$0.81 RON 3.82

134.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.41 £1.06

$0.79 RON 3.73

78.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 £1.31

$0.91 RON 4.30

92.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 £1.10

$0.97 RON 4.58

51.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.20 £18.15

$6.41 RON 30.34

277.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.19 £5.39

$6.18 RON 29.24

16.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 £2.31

$1.23 RON 5.83

150.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.69 £3.52

$1.67 RON 7.91

180.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.88 £2.91

$0.87 RON 4.10

345.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$134 £100

$20.98 RON 99.3

536.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.57 £4.93

$0.66 RON 3.10

895.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.47 £1.85

$0.60 RON 2.85

311.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.19 RON 29.28

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.01 £1.51

$1.93 RON 9.15

4.15%

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

$38.7K £29.0K

$28.7K RON 135.9K

34.64%

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

$40.6K £30.4K

$26.3K RON 124.6K

54.10%

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

$463 £347

$196 RON 926

136.49%

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

$32.48 £24.37

$8.49 RON 40.19

282.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 £47.39

$9.05 RON 42.84

598.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.55 £32.68

$49.54 RON 234

-12.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.83 £13.37

$25.03 RON 118

-28.77%

Cinema Ticket

$11.52 £8.64

$8.24 RON 39.01

39.81%

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

$2,692 £2,019

$636 RON 3,007

323.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.1K £21.1K

$14.6K RON 69.0K

92.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.1 £63.1

$88.5 RON 419

-4.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 £42.86

$38.77 RON 183

47.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.6 £70.2

$78.8 RON 373

18.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.7 £60.5

$90.6 RON 428

-10.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,044 £783

$695 RON 3,288

50.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,043 £782

$446 RON 2,109

134.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,243 £1,683

$1,084 RON 5,130

106.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,415 £1,062

$712 RON 3,368

98.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,882 £3,662

$3,797 RON 18.0K

28.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,369 £2,528

$2,202 RON 10.4K

52.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,046 £2,285

$1,354 RON 6,406

124.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.64

6.75

-16.44%

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

Last update for Plymouth: October 18, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Plymouth

$1K 40.1%

Bucharest

$446 33.3% 57.3% $597

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Plymouth

$558 21.5%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 61.8% $345

Eating Out

Plymouth

$328 12.6%

Bucharest

$226 16.9% 31.3% $103

Groceries & Markets

Plymouth

$296 11.4%

Bucharest

$225 16.9% 23.8% $70

Getting Around

Plymouth

$168 6.5%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 83.3% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Plymouth

$142 5.5%

Bucharest

$133 10% 6% $8.5

Sport & Entertainment

Plymouth

$67 2.6%

Bucharest

$66 4.9% 0.8% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,044 in Plymouth and $695 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Plymouth pays 125% 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: $82.0 in Plymouth vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $296 vs $225 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Plymouth

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

17:15 5:15 PM

19:15 7:15 PM

2 h ahead of Plymouth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

264,695

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Plymouth Bucharest 2,350 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Plymouth
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

Plymouth vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Plymouth and Bucharest differ by about 95% in total monthly costs ($2,602 vs $1,337 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 125% higher in Plymouth, 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: $1,044 in Plymouth versus $695 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,602 per month in Plymouth versus $1,337 in Bucharest – a 95% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 536% less than in Plymouth. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,337 in Bucharest versus $2,602 in Plymouth, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Plymouth. 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.

Expats usually find Bucharest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 95% less than in Plymouth. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.