Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pogradec and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Pogradec: $816 a month against $1,337 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Pogradec
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Pogradec Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Pogradec

🇦🇱 Albania

$816

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,337

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $816 in Pogradec versus $1,337 in Bucharest.

Pogradec $816
Bucharest $1,337

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,350 in Pogradec versus $2,029 in Bucharest.

Pogradec $1,350
Bucharest $2,029

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,884 in Pogradec versus $2,721 in Bucharest.

Pogradec $1,884
Bucharest $2,721

Living in Pogradec costs roughly 39% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Pogradec 40% lower, Bucharest 1% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.82 ALL 791

$14.45 RON 68.4

-32.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.52 ALL 3,183

$58.1 RON 275

-31.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.57 ALL 610

$7.53 RON 35.65

0.53%

Cappuccino

$1.52 ALL 123

$3.45 RON 16.33

-55.94%

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

$1.78 ALL 143

$2.46 RON 11.65

-27.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 ALL 52.0

$2.23 RON 10.54

-70.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.52 ALL 122

$3.76 RON 17.78

-59.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ALL 221

$4.19 RON 19.84

-34.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 ALL 160

$1.62 RON 7.67

22.22%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 ALL 78.1

$1.30 RON 6.13

-25.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 ALL 166

$1.70 RON 8.05

21.18%

Eggs

$2.20 ALL 177

$3.79 RON 17.93

-41.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.00 ALL 644

$8.86 RON 41.90

-9.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 ALL 355

$6.90 RON 32.67

-36.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ALL 1,125

$12.14 RON 57.4

15.07%

Apples (1kg)

$1.22 ALL 98.5

$1.30 RON 6.17

-6.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ALL 181

$1.60 RON 7.55

40.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ALL 123

$1.57 RON 7.42

-3.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 ALL 102

$2.68 RON 12.67

-52.99%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 ALL 75.8

$0.81 RON 3.82

16.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 ALL 83.2

$0.79 RON 3.73

30.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 ALL 83.6

$0.91 RON 4.30

14.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ALL 62.8

$0.97 RON 4.58

-19.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.25 ALL 343

$6.41 RON 30.34

-33.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 ALL 643

$6.18 RON 29.24

29.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 ALL 98.0

$1.23 RON 5.83

-0.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 ALL 151

$1.67 RON 7.91

11.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 ALL 40.63

$0.87 RON 4.10

-42.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.68 ALL 1,504

$20.98 RON 99.3

-10.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.73 ALL 300

$0.66 RON 3.10

465.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 ALL 147

$0.60 RON 2.85

203.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.74 ALL 1,509

$6.19 RON 29.28

202.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 ALL 181

$1.93 RON 9.15

16.58%

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

$34.0K ALL 2.7M

$28.7K RON 135.9K

18.41%

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

$24.5K ALL 2.0M

$26.3K RON 124.6K

-6.88%

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

$61.0 ALL 4,913

$196 RON 926

-68.81%

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

$16.58 ALL 1,335

$8.49 RON 40.19

95.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.22 ALL 1,387

$9.05 RON 42.84

90.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.88 ALL 2,889

$49.54 RON 234

-27.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 ALL 1,504

$25.03 RON 118

-25.37%

Cinema Ticket

$8.43 ALL 679

$8.24 RON 39.01

2.31%

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

$98.2 ALL 7,910

$636 RON 3,007

-84.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K RON 69.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.70 ALL 4,002

$88.5 RON 419

-43.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.2 ALL 4,523

$38.77 RON 183

44.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.3 ALL 7,916

$78.8 RON 373

24.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$150 ALL 12.1K

$90.6 RON 428

65.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$185 ALL 14.9K

$695 RON 3,288

-73.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$123 ALL 9,902

$446 RON 2,109

-72.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$370 ALL 29.8K

$1,084 RON 5,130

-65.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$249 ALL 20.0K

$712 RON 3,368

-65.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,597 ALL 128.6K

$3,797 RON 18.0K

-57.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,467 ALL 118.2K

$2,202 RON 10.4K

-33.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$476 ALL 38.4K

$1,354 RON 6,406

-64.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

-25.93%

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

Last update for Pogradec: October 19, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Pogradec

$211 25.8%

Bucharest

$225 16.9% 7% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Pogradec

$159 19.5%

Bucharest

$133 10% 16.2% $26

Eating Out

Pogradec

$142 17.4%

Bucharest

$226 16.9% 58.5% $83

Accommodation & Living

Pogradec

$123 15.1%

Bucharest

$446 33.3% 262% $323

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pogradec

$95 11.6%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 125% $118

Sport & Entertainment

Pogradec

$53 6.5%

Bucharest

$66 4.9% 25.2% $13

Getting Around

Pogradec

$34 4.1%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 16.2% $5.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $185 in Pogradec and $695 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 184% 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: $40.00 in Pogradec vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $211 vs $225 per month, with Pogradec cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇱 Pogradec

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

22:22 10:22 PM

23:22 11:22 PM

1 h ahead of Pogradec

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,848

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Albanian Lek ALL L

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 ALL = 1.24 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to ALL – Albanian Lek Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇱 Albanian Lek (L)

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 90.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 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 ALL in detail →

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Between locations

Pogradec Bucharest 590 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Pogradec
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

Pogradec vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pogradec and Bucharest differ by about 64% in total monthly costs ($816 vs $1,337 including rent). Pogradec is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 184% 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: $185 in Pogradec versus $695 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $816 per month in Pogradec versus $1,337 in Bucharest – a 64% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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

At $816 in Pogradec versus $1,337 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Pogradec but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Pogradec 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 Pogradec gentler on the wallet – expenses run 64% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.