Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Poitiers and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,337 a month against $1,569 in Poitiers, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. The total is higher in Poitiers despite lower rent and utilities.

76

Cost of Living Index in Poitiers
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Poitiers Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Poitiers

🇫🇷 France

$1,569

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,337

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,569 in Poitiers versus $1,337 in Bucharest.

Poitiers $1,569
Bucharest $1,337

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,416 in Poitiers versus $2,029 in Bucharest.

Poitiers $2,416
Bucharest $2,029

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,262 in Poitiers versus $2,721 in Bucharest.

Poitiers $3,262
Bucharest $2,721

Living in Poitiers is roughly 17% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Poitiers is 16% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.35 €13.66

$14.45 RON 68.4

6.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.1 €49.93

$58.1 RON 275

-3.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.28 €12.70

$7.53 RON 35.65

89.64%

Cappuccino

$2.63 €2.34

$3.45 RON 16.33

-23.77%

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

$3.28 €2.92

$2.46 RON 11.65

33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 €1.63

$2.23 RON 10.54

-17.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.61 €5.88

$3.76 RON 17.78

75.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.33 €5.63

$4.19 RON 19.84

51.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.62 RON 7.67

-4.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.30 RON 6.13

78.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 €1.72

$1.70 RON 8.05

14.12%

Eggs

$5.20 €4.62

$3.79 RON 17.93

37.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.64 €17.47

$8.86 RON 41.90

121.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.77 €10.47

$6.90 RON 32.67

70.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.86 €14.10

$12.14 RON 57.4

30.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.42 €2.15

$1.30 RON 6.17

86.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.60 RON 7.55

30.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 €3.05

$1.57 RON 7.42

118.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 €2.76

$2.68 RON 12.67

15.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.81 RON 3.82

139.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 €2.11

$0.79 RON 3.73

201.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.74 €2.44

$0.91 RON 4.30

201.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 €0.58

$0.97 RON 4.58

-32.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.92 €11.49

$6.41 RON 30.34

101.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.45 €8.41

$6.18 RON 29.24

52.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.01 €2.68

$1.23 RON 5.83

144.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.75 €3.34

$1.67 RON 7.91

124.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.11 €1.88

$0.87 RON 4.10

142.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.20 €41.09

$20.98 RON 99.3

120.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.19 €8.18

$0.66 RON 3.10

1292.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.85 €2.54

$0.60 RON 2.85

375.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.38 €31.47

$6.19 RON 29.28

471.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 €1.97

$1.93 RON 9.15

15.03%

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

$35.2K €31.3K

$28.7K RON 135.9K

22.43%

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

$32.2K €28.6K

$26.3K RON 124.6K

22.25%

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

$252 €224

$196 RON 926

28.75%

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

$11.75 €10.45

$8.49 RON 40.19

38.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.10 €34.78

$9.05 RON 42.84

332.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.10 €42.79

$49.54 RON 234

-2.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.72 €17.55

$25.03 RON 118

-21.21%

Cinema Ticket

$9.18 €8.16

$8.24 RON 39.01

11.41%

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

$684 €608

$636 RON 3,007

7.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K €9,748

$14.6K RON 69.0K

-24.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.7 €83.4

$88.5 RON 419

5.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.58 €39.65

$38.77 RON 183

14.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.6 €70.0

$78.8 RON 373

-0.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.0 €64.9

$90.6 RON 428

-19.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$570 €507

$695 RON 3,288

-17.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$370 €330

$446 RON 2,109

-16.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 €801

$1,084 RON 5,130

-17.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$712 €633

$712 RON 3,368

-0.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,599 €3,201

$3,797 RON 18.0K

-5.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,149 €1,912

$2,202 RON 10.4K

-2.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,974 €1,756

$1,354 RON 6,406

45.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.81

6.75

-43.56%

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

Last update for Poitiers: 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

Poitiers

$370 23.6%

Bucharest

$446 33.3% 20.3% $75

Groceries & Markets

Poitiers

$357 22.8%

Bucharest

$225 16.9% 36.9% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Poitiers

$303 19.3%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 29.6% $90

Eating Out

Poitiers

$263 16.8%

Bucharest

$226 16.9% 14.4% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Poitiers

$130 8.3%

Bucharest

$133 10% 2.3% $3

Getting Around

Poitiers

$78 5%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 64% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Poitiers

$66 4.2%

Bucharest

$66 4.9% 0.6% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $570 in Poitiers and $695 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Poitiers pays 46% 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: $56.0 in Poitiers vs $58.0 in Bucharest. Groceries flip the comparison at $357 vs $225, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Poitiers

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

20:26 8:26 PM

21:26 9:26 PM

1 h ahead of Poitiers

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

90,240

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Poitiers Bucharest 2,010 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

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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

Poitiers vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Poitiers and Bucharest differ by about 17% in total monthly costs ($1,569 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 46% higher in Poitiers, 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: $570 in Poitiers versus $695 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,569 per month in Poitiers versus $1,337 in Bucharest – a 17% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 120% less than in Poitiers. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,337 in Bucharest versus $1,569 in Poitiers, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Poitiers. 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, Poitiers 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 17% less than in Poitiers. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.