Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Plzen and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $1,768 in Plzen, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Plzen
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Plzen Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Plzen

🇨🇿 Czech Republic

$1,768

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,768 in Plzen versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

Plzen $1,768
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,468 in Plzen versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

Plzen $2,468
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,168 in Plzen versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

Plzen $3,168
Bucharest $2,715

Living in Plzen is roughly 31% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Plzen 32% above, Bucharest 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.43 Kč 248

$14.46 RON 68.4

-20.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.7 Kč 1,101

$57.7 RON 273

-12.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.33 Kč 203

$7.50 RON 35.46

24.40%

Cappuccino

$3.01 Kč 65.3

$3.43 RON 16.20

-12.24%

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

$2.01 Kč 43.75

$2.46 RON 11.63

-18.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 Kč 38.27

$2.33 RON 11.01

-24.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.71 Kč 58.9

$3.80 RON 17.97

-28.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 Kč 59.4

$4.10 RON 19.41

-33.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 Kč 24.80

$1.65 RON 7.79

-30.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 Kč 34.41

$1.35 RON 6.39

17.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.98 Kč 64.8

$1.78 RON 8.42

67.42%

Eggs

$3.85 Kč 83.6

$3.66 RON 17.33

5.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.60 Kč 295

$8.57 RON 40.54

58.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.04 Kč 218

$6.80 RON 32.17

47.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.29 Kč 354

$11.72 RON 55.4

38.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.11 Kč 45.88

$1.29 RON 6.11

63.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 Kč 39.55

$1.56 RON 7.37

16.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 Kč 46.23

$1.54 RON 7.28

38.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.56 Kč 77.3

$2.48 RON 11.75

43.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 Kč 26.62

$0.83 RON 3.92

46.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 Kč 26.41

$0.80 RON 3.77

52.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Kč 34.36

$0.84 RON 3.98

88.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 Kč 18.15

$0.93 RON 4.39

-9.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.78 Kč 147

$6.44 RON 30.45

5.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.93 Kč 151

$6.32 RON 29.91

9.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 Kč 30.81

$1.26 RON 5.94

12.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 Kč 37.85

$1.60 RON 7.59

8.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.32 Kč 28.64

$0.81 RON 3.85

62.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.88 Kč 606

$21.13 RON 99.9

31.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.12 Kč 46.08

$0.60 RON 2.86

253.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 Kč 29.31

$0.61 RON 2.91

121.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.74 Kč 299

$6.17 RON 29.19

122.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.83 Kč 39.75

$1.96 RON 9.27

-6.63%

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

$29.9K Kč 650.8K

$28.1K RON 133.1K

6.40%

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

$29.6K Kč 643.4K

$26.3K RON 124.3K

12.63%

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

$278 Kč 6,043

$197 RON 931

41.28%

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

$16.66 Kč 362

$8.34 RON 39.44

99.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.56 Kč 360

$9.19 RON 43.47

80.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.7 Kč 1,320

$49.87 RON 236

21.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.41 Kč 313

$24.99 RON 118

-42.34%

Cinema Ticket

$11.56 Kč 251

$8.46 RON 40.01

36.64%

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

$334 Kč 7,256

$639 RON 3,023

-47.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K Kč 233.1K

$14.4K RON 68.1K

-25.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.7 Kč 1,732

$90.6 RON 429

-12.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.03 Kč 957

$38.05 RON 180

15.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 Kč 1,890

$79.7 RON 377

9.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 Kč 2,441

$93.2 RON 441

20.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 Kč 15.6K

$673 RON 3,184

6.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$704 Kč 15.3K

$449 RON 2,123

56.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$951 Kč 20.7K

$1,098 RON 5,195

-13.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$935 Kč 20.3K

$729 RON 3,448

28.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,989 Kč 108.4K

$3,740 RON 17.7K

33.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,211 Kč 91.5K

$2,189 RON 10.4K

92.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,897 Kč 41.2K

$1,323 RON 6,259

43.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.8

6.74

-28.78%

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

Last update for Plzen: October 4, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Plzen

$704 39.9%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 36.3% $255

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Plzen

$311 17.6%

Bucharest

$214 16% 31.1% $97

Groceries & Markets

Plzen

$289 16.4%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 23.3% $67

Eating Out

Plzen

$190 10.7%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 19% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Plzen

$145 8.2%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 6.7% $9.7

Sport & Entertainment

Plzen

$84 4.8%

Bucharest

$67 5% 20.4% $17

Getting Around

Plzen

$42 2.4%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 33.2% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $719 in Plzen and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Plzen pays 43% 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: $51.0 in Plzen vs $58.0 in Bucharest. Groceries flip the comparison at $289 vs $222, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇿 Plzen

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

05:48 5:48 AM

06:48 6:48 AM

1 h ahead of Plzen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

168,951

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Czech Koruna CZK Kč

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 CZK = 4.6 USD

100 CZK = 4.1 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 21.73 CZK (100 CZK = 4.6 USD). 1 EUR = 24.37 CZK (100 CZK = 4.1 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 CZK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Plzen Bucharest 1,130 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Plzen
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

Plzen vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Plzen and Bucharest differ by about 31% in total monthly costs ($1,768 vs $1,351 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 43% higher in Plzen, 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: $719 in Plzen versus $673 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,768 per month in Plzen versus $1,351 in Bucharest – a 31% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 32% less than in Plzen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $1,768 in Plzen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Plzen. 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, Plzen 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 31% less than in Plzen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.