Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Poznan and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $1,556 in Poznan, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Poznan outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

76

Cost of Living Index in Poznan
Learn more

Poznan Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index

Jump to prices

Poznan

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,556

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,556 in Poznan versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

Poznan $1,556
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,218 in Poznan versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

Poznan $2,218
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,880 in Poznan versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

Poznan $2,880
Bucharest $2,715

Living in Poznan is roughly 15% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Poznan 16% above, Bucharest 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.74 zł 45.90

$14.46 RON 68.4

-18.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.1 zł 200

$57.7 RON 273

-11.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 zł 34.43

$7.50 RON 35.46

17.47%

Cappuccino

$3.53 zł 13.78

$3.43 RON 16.20

2.92%

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

$1.68 zł 6.55

$2.46 RON 11.63

-31.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 zł 6.11

$2.33 RON 11.01

-33.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.09 zł 12.06

$3.80 RON 17.97

-18.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.17 zł 16.31

$4.10 RON 19.41

1.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 zł 3.73

$1.65 RON 7.79

-42.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 zł 4.73

$1.35 RON 6.39

-10.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 zł 5.34

$1.78 RON 8.42

-23.03%

Eggs

$3.62 zł 14.17

$3.66 RON 17.33

-1.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.98 zł 35.12

$8.57 RON 40.54

4.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.16 zł 24.10

$6.80 RON 32.17

-9.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.43 zł 52.5

$11.72 RON 55.4

14.59%

Apples (1kg)

$1.35 zł 5.29

$1.29 RON 6.11

4.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 zł 6.30

$1.56 RON 7.37

3.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.72 zł 6.70

$1.54 RON 7.28

11.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.52 zł 9.85

$2.48 RON 11.75

1.61%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 zł 3.04

$0.83 RON 3.92

-6.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 zł 4.10

$0.80 RON 3.77

31.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 zł 4.85

$0.84 RON 3.98

47.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 zł 2.55

$0.93 RON 4.39

-30.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.62 zł 21.95

$6.44 RON 30.45

-12.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.55 zł 29.52

$6.32 RON 29.91

19.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 zł 4.56

$1.26 RON 5.94

-7.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 zł 5.56

$1.60 RON 7.59

-11.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 zł 4.87

$0.81 RON 3.85

54.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.30 zł 122

$21.13 RON 99.9

48.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 zł 9.17

$0.60 RON 2.86

291.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 zł 3.92

$0.61 RON 2.91

63.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.63 zł 49.36

$6.17 RON 29.19

104.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.68 zł 6.57

$1.96 RON 9.27

-14.29%

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

$30.2K zł 118.1K

$28.1K RON 133.1K

7.29%

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

$27.6K zł 107.7K

$26.3K RON 124.3K

4.83%

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

$295 zł 1,154

$197 RON 931

49.92%

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

$7.84 zł 30.63

$8.34 RON 39.44

-6.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.74 zł 73.2

$9.19 RON 43.47

103.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.99 zł 152

$49.87 RON 236

-21.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.64 zł 124

$24.99 RON 118

26.61%

Cinema Ticket

$7.87 zł 30.78

$8.46 RON 40.01

-6.97%

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

$480 zł 1,876

$639 RON 3,023

-24.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,618 zł 29.8K

$14.4K RON 68.1K

-47.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.0 zł 309

$90.6 RON 429

-12.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.29 zł 146

$38.05 RON 180

-2.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.9 zł 343

$79.7 RON 377

10.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 zł 427

$93.2 RON 441

17.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$780 zł 3,049

$673 RON 3,184

15.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$608 zł 2,375

$449 RON 2,123

35.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,211 zł 4,735

$1,098 RON 5,195

10.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$833 zł 3,258

$729 RON 3,448

14.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,467 zł 13.6K

$3,740 RON 17.7K

-7.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,474 zł 9,670

$2,189 RON 10.4K

13.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,683 zł 6,578

$1,323 RON 6,259

27.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

6.74

-1.63%

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

Last update for Poznan: 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

Poznan

$608 38.4%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 26.1% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Poznan

$322 20.3%

Bucharest

$214 16% 33.4% $107

Groceries & Markets

Poznan

$217 13.7%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 2.4% $5.1

Eating Out

Poznan

$199 12.6%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 13.2% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Poznan

$141 8.9%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 3.8% $5.4

Sport & Entertainment

Poznan

$55 3.5%

Bucharest

$67 5% 22% $12

Getting Around

Poznan

$44 2.8%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 35.7% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $780 in Poznan and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Poznan pays 27% 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 Poznan vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $217 vs $222 per month, with Poznan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Poznan

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

05:14 5:14 AM

06:14 6:14 AM

1 h ahead of Poznan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

530,464

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇱 Polish Złoty (zł)

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Poznan Bucharest 1,110 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Poznan
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

Poznan vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Poznan and Bucharest differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($1,556 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 27% higher in Poznan, 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: $780 in Poznan versus $673 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,556 per month in Poznan versus $1,351 in Bucharest – a 15% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 48% less than in Poznan. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $1,556 in Poznan, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Poznan. 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, Poznan 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 15% less than in Poznan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.