Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Roman and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Roman: $852 a month against $1,337 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Roman
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Roman Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

Jump to prices

Roman

🇷🇴 Romania

$852

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,337

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $852 in Roman versus $1,337 in Bucharest.

Roman $852
Bucharest $1,337

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,399 in Roman versus $2,029 in Bucharest.

Roman $1,399
Bucharest $2,029

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,947 in Roman versus $2,721 in Bucharest.

Roman $1,947
Bucharest $2,721

Living in Roman costs roughly 36% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Roman 37% lower, Bucharest 1% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.70 RON 50.6

$14.45 RON 68.4

-25.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.56 RON 159

$58.1 RON 275

-42.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.20 RON 34.06

$7.53 RON 35.65

-4.38%

Cappuccino

$2.52 RON 11.94

$3.45 RON 16.33

-26.96%

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

$1.35 RON 6.41

$2.46 RON 11.65

-45.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 RON 5.12

$2.23 RON 10.54

-51.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.08 RON 9.85

$3.76 RON 17.78

-44.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 RON 10.65

$4.19 RON 19.84

-46.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.62 RON 7.67

-26.54%

White Bread (500g)

$0.70 RON 3.29

$1.30 RON 6.13

-46.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 RON 6.54

$1.70 RON 8.05

-18.82%

Eggs

$2.89 RON 13.65

$3.79 RON 17.93

-23.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.81 RON 36.97

$8.86 RON 41.90

-11.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.78 RON 27.34

$6.90 RON 32.67

-16.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.64 RON 40.89

$12.14 RON 57.4

-28.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.04 RON 4.92

$1.30 RON 6.17

-20.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 RON 7.23

$1.60 RON 7.55

-4.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 RON 6.54

$1.57 RON 7.42

-12.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.75 RON 8.27

$2.68 RON 12.67

-34.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 RON 3.38

$0.81 RON 3.82

-12.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.80

$0.79 RON 3.73

1.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 RON 3.91

$0.91 RON 4.30

-8.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 RON 3.45

$0.97 RON 4.58

-24.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.62 RON 26.60

$6.41 RON 30.34

-12.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.18 RON 24.49

$6.18 RON 29.24

-16.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 RON 4.78

$1.23 RON 5.83

-17.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 RON 5.83

$1.67 RON 7.91

-26.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 RON 3.37

$0.87 RON 4.10

-18.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.60 RON 102

$20.98 RON 99.3

2.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.62 RON 2.93

$0.66 RON 3.10

-6.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 RON 3.08

$0.60 RON 2.85

8.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.15 RON 33.83

$6.19 RON 29.28

15.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 RON 8.58

$1.93 RON 9.15

-6.22%

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

$28.1K RON 133.1K

$28.7K RON 135.9K

-2.09%

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

$25.6K RON 121.0K

$26.3K RON 124.6K

-2.90%

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

$151 RON 713

$196 RON 926

-22.92%

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

$6.75 RON 31.92

$8.49 RON 40.19

-20.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.70 RON 36.45

$9.05 RON 42.84

-14.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.05 RON 180

$49.54 RON 234

-23.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.73 RON 98.1

$25.03 RON 118

-17.18%

Cinema Ticket

$6.42 RON 30.35

$8.24 RON 39.01

-22.09%

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

$294 RON 1,393

$636 RON 3,007

-53.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,007 RON 23.7K

$14.6K RON 69.0K

-65.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.9 RON 454

$88.5 RON 419

8.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.88 RON 122

$38.77 RON 183

-33.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.5 RON 291

$78.8 RON 373

-21.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.9 RON 269

$90.6 RON 428

-37.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$206 RON 976

$695 RON 3,288

-70.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$161 RON 762

$446 RON 2,109

-63.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$603 RON 2,853

$1,084 RON 5,130

-44.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$442 RON 2,093

$712 RON 3,368

-37.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,897 RON 8,977

$3,797 RON 18.0K

-50.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,372 RON 6,492

$2,202 RON 10.4K

-37.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$824 RON 3,900

$1,354 RON 6,406

-39.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

6.75

6.67%

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

Last update for Roman: October 20, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Roman

$177 20.7%

Bucharest

$225 16.9% 27.7% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Roman

$165 19.4%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 29% $48

Eating Out

Roman

$162 19%

Bucharest

$226 16.9% 39.1% $63

Accommodation & Living

Roman

$161 18.9%

Bucharest

$446 33.3% 177% $285

Clothing & Footwear

Roman

$108 12.7%

Bucharest

$133 10% 23.5% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Roman

$51 6%

Bucharest

$66 4.9% 29.8% $15

Getting Around

Roman

$28 3.3%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 0.7% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $206 in Roman and $695 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 64% 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: $34.00 in Roman vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $177 vs $225 per month, with Roman cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Roman

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

02:39 2:39 AM

Same time as Roman

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

80,328

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Roman Bucharest 280 km

From you

Roman
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

Roman vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Roman and Bucharest differ by about 57% in total monthly costs ($852 vs $1,337 including rent). Roman is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 64% 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: $206 in Roman versus $695 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $852 per month in Roman versus $1,337 in Bucharest – a 57% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Roman runs roughly 3% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $852 in Roman versus $1,337 in Bucharest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Roman but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Roman 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 Roman gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.