Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Poland and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $1,513 in Poland, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Poland outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Jump to prices
🇵🇱 Poland
$1,513
/mo nomad
Bucharest
🇷🇴 Romania
$1,351
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: Poland is 1.6% cheaper than Bucharest without rent, and 12% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Poland is 6.5% cheaper than Bucharest without rent, and 6.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Poland
Bucharest
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.38 zł 40.57
$14.46 RON 68.4
-28.22%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.66 zł 186
$57.7 RON 273
-17.33%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.89 zł 34.74
$7.50 RON 35.46
18.53%
Cappuccino
$3.71 zł 14.49
$3.43 RON 16.20
8.16%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.10 zł 8.22
$2.46 RON 11.63
-14.63%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.85 zł 7.22
$2.33 RON 11.01
-20.60%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.79 zł 14.83
$3.80 RON 17.97
-0.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.18 zł 16.36
$4.10 RON 19.41
1.95%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Poland
Bucharest
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.02 zł 4.00
$1.65 RON 7.79
-38.18%
White Bread (500g)
$1.29 zł 5.04
$1.35 RON 6.39
-4.44%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.43 zł 5.60
$1.78 RON 8.42
-19.66%
Eggs
$3.39 zł 13.23
$3.66 RON 17.33
-7.38%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.94 zł 34.95
$8.57 RON 40.54
4.32%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.36 zł 24.85
$6.80 RON 32.17
-6.47%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.34 zł 48.23
$11.72 RON 55.4
5.29%
Apples (1kg)
$1.15 zł 4.51
$1.29 RON 6.11
-10.85%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 zł 6.62
$1.56 RON 7.37
8.33%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.67 zł 6.51
$1.54 RON 7.28
8.44%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.89 zł 11.28
$2.48 RON 11.75
16.53%
Potato (1kg)
$0.88 zł 3.42
$0.83 RON 3.92
6.02%
Onion (1kg)
$1.00 zł 3.92
$0.80 RON 3.77
25.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.23 zł 4.82
$0.84 RON 3.98
46.43%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.62 zł 2.44
$0.93 RON 4.39
-33.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.55 zł 21.68
$6.44 RON 30.45
-13.82%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.86 zł 26.81
$6.32 RON 29.91
8.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.10 zł 4.29
$1.26 RON 5.94
-12.70%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.56 zł 6.12
$1.60 RON 7.59
-2.50%
🚌 Getting Around
Poland
Bucharest
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.11 zł 4.32
$0.81 RON 3.85
37.04%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$30.18 zł 118
$21.13 RON 99.9
42.83%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.15 zł 8.40
$0.60 RON 2.86
258.33%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.00 zł 3.92
$0.61 RON 2.91
63.93%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$12.55 zł 49.06
$6.17 RON 29.19
103.40%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.60 zł 6.24
$1.96 RON 9.27
-18.37%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.9K zł 120.9K
$28.1K RON 133.1K
9.90%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.6K zł 108.0K
$26.3K RON 124.3K
5.10%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Poland
Bucharest
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$298 zł 1,163
$197 RON 931
51.19%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.08 zł 35.50
$8.34 RON 39.44
8.87%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.11 zł 66.9
$9.19 RON 43.47
86.18%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Poland
Bucharest
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.67 zł 151
$49.87 RON 236
-22.46%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$25.74 zł 101
$24.99 RON 118
3.00%
Cinema Ticket
$7.72 zł 30.17
$8.46 RON 40.01
-8.75%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Poland
Bucharest
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$412 zł 1,609
$639 RON 3,023
-35.62%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,889 zł 34.7K
$14.4K RON 68.1K
-38.24%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Poland
Bucharest
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$83.7 zł 327
$90.6 RON 429
-7.62%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.07 zł 153
$38.05 RON 180
2.68%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$87.9 zł 344
$79.7 RON 377
10.32%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$99.7 zł 390
$93.2 RON 441
6.96%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Poland
Bucharest
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$701 zł 2,740
$673 RON 3,184
4.14%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$562 zł 2,196
$449 RON 2,123
25.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,146 zł 4,481
$1,098 RON 5,195
4.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$908 zł 3,548
$729 RON 3,448
24.52%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,640 zł 14.2K
$3,740 RON 17.7K
-2.67%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,573 zł 10.1K
$2,189 RON 10.4K
17.57%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Poland
Bucharest
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,627 zł 6,358
$1,323 RON 6,259
22.92%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.8
6.74
0.89%

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

Last update for Poland: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Poland
$562
Bucharest
$449 20.1% $113
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Poland
$324
Bucharest
$214 33.8% $109
Groceries & Markets
Poland
$214
Bucharest
$222 3.4% $7.3
Eating Out
Poland
$197
Bucharest
$226 14.4% $28
Clothing & Footwear
Poland
$140
Bucharest
$136 2.8% $4
Sport & Entertainment
Poland
$54
Bucharest
$67 23.4% $13
Getting Around
Poland
$42
Bucharest
$28 32.8% $14
Good to know
🇵🇱 Poland
🇷🇴 Bucharest
🕒 Local time
05:45 5:45 AM
06:45 6:45 AM
1 h ahead of Poland
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
38,382,576
1,883,425 Capital
💱 Currency
Polish Złoty PLN zł
Romanian Leu RON lei
📈 Exchange rate
1 PLN = 0.256 USD
1 PLN = 0.228 EUR
1 RON = 0.211 USD
1 RON = 0.189 EUR
Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to PLN – Polish Złoty Converter

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.91 PLN (1 PLN = 0.256 USD). 1 EUR = 4.38 PLN (1 PLN = 0.228 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 PLN in detail →
On the map
Between locations
  • Poland Bucharest 940 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Poland
  • 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

Poland vs other spots: cost of living compared

🇵🇱 Poland
$1,513
/mo nomad
🇺🇸 United States
$2,785
/mo nomad
🇵🇱 Poland
$1,513
/mo nomad
🇩🇪 Germany
$2,099
/mo nomad
🇵🇱 Poland
$1,513
/mo nomad
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,457
/mo nomad
🇵🇱 Poland
$1,513
/mo nomad
🇮🇹 Italy
$1,838
/mo nomad
Show more

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