Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Prague and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $2,097 in Prague, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Prague
Learn more

Prague Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index

Jump to prices

Prague

🇨🇿 Czech Republic

$2,097

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,097 in Prague versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

Prague $2,097
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,952 in Prague versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

Prague $2,952
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,807 in Prague versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

Prague $3,807
Bucharest $2,715

Living in Prague is roughly 55% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Prague 56% above, Bucharest 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.72 Kč 233

$14.46 RON 68.4

-25.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.1 Kč 1,089

$57.7 RON 273

-13.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.22 Kč 222

$7.50 RON 35.46

36.27%

Cappuccino

$3.69 Kč 80.1

$3.43 RON 16.20

7.58%

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

$2.03 Kč 44.01

$2.46 RON 11.63

-17.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 Kč 30.98

$2.33 RON 11.01

-38.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 Kč 68.1

$3.80 RON 17.97

-17.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 Kč 68.6

$4.10 RON 19.41

-22.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 Kč 22.83

$1.65 RON 7.79

-36.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.67 Kč 36.29

$1.35 RON 6.39

23.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.38 Kč 51.7

$1.78 RON 8.42

33.71%

Eggs

$3.85 Kč 83.6

$3.66 RON 17.33

5.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.74 Kč 255

$8.57 RON 40.54

36.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.51 Kč 185

$6.80 RON 32.17

25.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 Kč 304

$11.72 RON 55.4

19.37%

Apples (1kg)

$1.96 Kč 42.57

$1.29 RON 6.11

51.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 Kč 39.62

$1.56 RON 7.37

16.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 Kč 46.64

$1.54 RON 7.28

39.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.79 Kč 82.3

$2.48 RON 11.75

52.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 Kč 22.48

$0.83 RON 3.92

24.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 Kč 21.98

$0.80 RON 3.77

26.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Kč 33.91

$0.84 RON 3.98

85.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 Kč 17.09

$0.93 RON 4.39

-15.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.74 Kč 168

$6.44 RON 30.45

20.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.90 Kč 150

$6.32 RON 29.91

9.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 Kč 26.89

$1.26 RON 5.94

-1.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 Kč 43.08

$1.60 RON 7.59

23.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.77 Kč 38.57

$0.81 RON 3.85

118.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.92 Kč 476

$21.13 RON 99.9

3.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 Kč 59.3

$0.60 RON 2.86

355.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 Kč 35.61

$0.61 RON 2.91

168.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.09 Kč 415

$6.17 RON 29.19

209.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 Kč 41.98

$1.96 RON 9.27

-1.53%

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

$30.7K Kč 666.1K

$28.1K RON 133.1K

8.89%

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

$33.4K Kč 725.5K

$26.3K RON 124.3K

26.99%

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

$288 Kč 6,253

$197 RON 931

46.18%

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

$23.65 Kč 514

$8.34 RON 39.44

183.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.67 Kč 471

$9.19 RON 43.47

135.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.2 Kč 1,482

$49.87 RON 236

36.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.64 Kč 383

$24.99 RON 118

-29.41%

Cinema Ticket

$13.11 Kč 285

$8.46 RON 40.01

54.96%

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

$1,065 Kč 23.1K

$639 RON 3,023

66.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.5K Kč 402.9K

$14.4K RON 68.1K

28.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.7 Kč 2,035

$90.6 RON 429

3.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.70 Kč 1,015

$38.05 RON 180

22.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 Kč 2,468

$79.7 RON 377

42.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 Kč 2,798

$93.2 RON 441

38.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 Kč 23.9K

$673 RON 3,184

63.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$975 Kč 21.2K

$449 RON 2,123

117.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,211 Kč 48.0K

$1,098 RON 5,195

101.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,529 Kč 33.2K

$729 RON 3,448

109.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,333 Kč 202.8K

$3,740 RON 17.7K

149.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,007 Kč 152.3K

$2,189 RON 10.4K

220.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,359 Kč 51.3K

$1,323 RON 6,259

78.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.75

6.74

-29.53%

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

Last update for Prague: 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

Prague

$975 47%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 54% $526

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Prague

$333 16%

Bucharest

$214 16% 35.6% $119

Groceries & Markets

Prague

$265 12.8%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 16.3% $43

Eating Out

Prague

$196 9.5%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 14.9% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Prague

$172 8.3%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 21.2% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Prague

$94 4.6%

Bucharest

$67 5% 29.3% $28

Getting Around

Prague

$40 1.9%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 29.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,100 in Prague and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Prague pays 78% 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: $50.0 in Prague vs $58.0 in Bucharest. Groceries flip the comparison at $265 vs $222, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇿 Prague

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

05:07 5:07 AM

06:07 6:07 AM

1 h ahead of Prague

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,251,933 Capital

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Prague Bucharest 1,080 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Prague
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

Prague vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Prague and Bucharest differ by about 55% in total monthly costs ($2,097 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 78% higher in Prague, 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: $1,100 in Prague versus $673 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,097 per month in Prague versus $1,351 in Bucharest – a 55% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 4% less than in Prague. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $2,097 in Prague, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Prague. 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, Prague 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 55% less than in Prague. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.