Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Romania and Germany

Name: Germany
Address: DE

For one person, living is cheaper in Romania: $1,133 a month against $2,080 in Germany, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Romania
Learn more

Romania Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Germany
Learn more

Germany Living Index

Jump to prices

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,133

/mo nomad

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,080

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Romania and in Germany

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Romania and in Germany actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,133 in Romania versus $2,080 in Germany.

Romania $1,133
Germany $2,080

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,691 in Romania versus $3,130 in Germany.

Romania $1,691
Germany $3,130

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,250 in Romania versus $4,180 in Germany.

Romania $2,250
Germany $4,180

Internal cost variation is higher in Germany: monthly costs span $1,337 to $2,681, compared to $742–$1,423 in Romania. City choice carries more weight in Germany.

Living in Romania costs about 46% less than in Germany on average.

Romania (17% below) and Germany (53% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.41 RON 49.80

$16.60 €14.88

-37.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.28 RON 198

$71.8 €64.4

-42.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.27 RON 34.77

$12.12 €10.86

-40.02%

Cappuccino

$2.72 RON 13.01

$3.96 €3.55

-31.31%

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

$2.02 RON 9.65

$3.36 €3.01

-39.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 RON 7.98

$2.89 €2.59

-42.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 RON 10.76

$5.07 €4.54

-55.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 RON 15.35

$4.50 €4.03

-28.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 RON 7.30

$1.26 €1.13

21.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.15 RON 5.50

$2.20 €1.97

-47.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 RON 7.59

$3.54 €3.17

-55.08%

Eggs

$3.23 RON 15.47

$3.88 €3.48

-16.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.03 RON 38.43

$14.24 €12.76

-43.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.39 RON 30.56

$11.90 €10.66

-46.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.22 RON 48.91

$20.68 €18.53

-50.58%

Apples (1kg)

$1.21 RON 5.81

$3.28 €2.94

-63.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.35

$2.05 €1.83

-24.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.39

$2.31 €2.07

-33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 RON 10.06

$4.29 €3.84

-51.05%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 RON 3.75

$1.53 €1.37

-49.02%

Onion (1kg)

$0.86 RON 4.13

$1.50 €1.34

-42.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 4.03

$1.64 €1.47

-48.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 RON 4.02

$1.02 €0.91

-17.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.05 RON 28.94

$9.69 €8.68

-37.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.11 RON 29.25

$6.01 €5.38

1.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 RON 5.24

$1.12 €1.01

-1.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.51

$1.56 €1.40

0.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 RON 3.43

$3.85 €3.45

-81.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.15 RON 111

$69.7 €62.5

-66.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 RON 3.82

$5.34 €4.78

-85.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.72 RON 3.47

$2.81 €2.52

-74.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.00 RON 33.50

$38.83 €34.80

-81.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 RON 8.53

$2.13 €1.91

-16.43%

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

$28.7K RON 137.5K

$32.6K €29.2K

-11.74%

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

$25.3K RON 121.3K

$37.7K €33.8K

-32.83%

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

$160 RON 763

$342 €307

-53.36%

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

$7.98 RON 38.17

$24.87 €22.29

-67.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.83 RON 42.27

$48.49 €43.45

-81.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.42 RON 193

$39.42 €35.32

2.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.47 RON 88.4

$27.47 €24.62

-32.76%

Cinema Ticket

$7.35 RON 35.17

$14.65 €13.13

-49.83%

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

$473 RON 2,265

$611 €547

-22.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,477 RON 40.6K

$17.3K €15.5K

-50.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.5 RON 333

$89.1 €79.8

-21.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.71 RON 180

$42.07 €37.70

-10.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.6 RON 381

$98.3 €88.1

-19.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 RON 403

$131 €117

-35.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 RON 2,408

$934 €837

-46.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$375 RON 1,796

$718 €644

-47.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$776 RON 3,712

$1,704 €1,527

-54.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$579 RON 2,768

$1,294 €1,159

-55.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,539 RON 12.1K

$5,944 €5,326

-57.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,819 RON 8,701

$3,958 €3,547

-54.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,001 RON 4,787

$3,290 €2,948

-69.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.98

3.96

76.26%

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

Last update for Romania: October 24, 2026

Last update for Germany: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Romania

$375 33.2%

Germany

$718 34.6% 91.4% $343

Groceries & Markets

Romania

$203 17.9%

Germany

$335 16.1% 64.9% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Romania

$176 15.6%

Germany

$415 20% 136% $239

Eating Out

Romania

$170 15%

Germany

$276 13.3% 62.3% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Romania

$122 10.8%

Germany

$162 7.8% 32.8% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Romania

$55 4.9%

Germany

$69 3.3% 24.7% $14

Getting Around

Romania

$30 2.7%

Germany

$104 5% 243% $74

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $387 in Romania, $812 in Germany. Capital cities: $711 in Bucharest vs $1,407 in Berlin.

National salary averages: $857 in Romania, $3,107 in Germany. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 110% higher in Germany.

Dining out costs 73% more in Germany.

Public transport is 209% more expensive in Germany.

Salaries are about 3.6 times higher in Germany, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Germany.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Romania

🇩🇪 Germany

🕒 Local time

03:42 3:42 AM

02:42 2:42 AM

1 h behind Romania

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,053,815

84,358,845

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.78 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Romania Germany 1,290 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Romania
Germany

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

Romania vs Germany: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $2,080 per month in Germany and $1,133 in Romania, Romania comes out about 46% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Romania: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $812 in Germany and $387 in Romania. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Romania, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in Germany it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you’re after: Romania wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.