Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rzeszow and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $1,433 in Rzeszow, rent and utilities included – about $980 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rzeszow outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Rzeszow
🇵🇱 Poland
$1,433
/mo nomad
Bucharest
🇷🇴 Romania
$1,351
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,433 in Rzeszow versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

  • Rzeszow $1,433
  • Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Rzeszow versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

  • Rzeszow $2,216
  • Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,998 in Rzeszow versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

  • Rzeszow $2,998
  • Bucharest $2,715

Living in Rzeszow is roughly 6% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rzeszow 7% above, Bucharest 1% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Rzeszow
Bucharest
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.49 zł 44.91
$14.46 RON 68.4
-20.54%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$38.16 zł 149
$57.7 RON 273
-33.81%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.56 zł 29.55
$7.50 RON 35.46
0.80%
Cappuccino
$2.96 zł 11.56
$3.43 RON 16.20
-13.70%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.19 zł 8.55
$2.46 RON 11.63
-10.98%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 zł 5.65
$2.33 RON 11.01
-38.20%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.53 zł 13.80
$3.80 RON 17.97
-7.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.29 zł 16.76
$4.10 RON 19.41
4.63%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Rzeszow
Bucharest
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.00 zł 3.92
$1.65 RON 7.79
-39.39%
White Bread (500g)
$1.39 zł 5.45
$1.35 RON 6.39
2.96%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.15 zł 4.49
$1.78 RON 8.42
-35.39%
Eggs
$3.25 zł 12.70
$3.66 RON 17.33
-11.20%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.30 zł 32.43
$8.57 RON 40.54
-3.15%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.65 zł 25.99
$6.80 RON 32.17
-2.21%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.96 zł 46.74
$11.72 RON 55.4
2.05%
Apples (1kg)
$1.00 zł 3.89
$1.29 RON 6.11
-22.48%
Banana (1kg)
$1.57 zł 6.14
$1.56 RON 7.37
0.64%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.57 zł 6.14
$1.54 RON 7.28
1.95%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.31 zł 9.04
$2.48 RON 11.75
-6.85%
Potato (1kg)
$0.69 zł 2.69
$0.83 RON 3.92
-16.87%
Onion (1kg)
$0.91 zł 3.56
$0.80 RON 3.77
13.75%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.43 zł 5.60
$0.84 RON 3.98
70.24%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.66 zł 2.57
$0.93 RON 4.39
-29.03%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.26 zł 20.57
$6.44 RON 30.45
-18.32%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.85 zł 26.79
$6.32 RON 29.91
8.39%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 zł 4.86
$1.26 RON 5.94
-1.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.51 zł 5.90
$1.60 RON 7.59
-5.63%
🚌 Getting Around
Rzeszow
Bucharest
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.31 zł 5.12
$0.81 RON 3.85
61.73%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.65 zł 104
$21.13 RON 99.9
26.12%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.54 zł 9.94
$0.60 RON 2.86
323.33%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.83 zł 7.15
$0.61 RON 2.91
200.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$14.18 zł 55.4
$6.17 RON 29.19
129.82%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.56 zł 6.09
$1.96 RON 9.27
-20.41%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.8K zł 120.6K
$28.1K RON 133.1K
9.59%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.8K zł 104.8K
$26.3K RON 124.3K
2.03%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rzeszow
Bucharest
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$272 zł 1,065
$197 RON 931
38.41%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.70 zł 41.82
$8.34 RON 39.44
28.30%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.31 zł 59.9
$9.19 RON 43.47
66.59%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Rzeszow
Bucharest
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.76 zł 148
$49.87 RON 236
-24.28%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.49 zł 95.7
$24.99 RON 118
-2.00%
Cinema Ticket
$8.00 zł 31.29
$8.46 RON 40.01
-5.44%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Rzeszow
Bucharest
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$261 zł 1,020
$639 RON 3,023
-59.17%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,024 zł 31.4K
$14.4K RON 68.1K
-44.25%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Rzeszow
Bucharest
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$73.2 zł 286
$90.6 RON 429
-19.18%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.68 zł 186
$38.05 RON 180
25.31%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.9 zł 297
$79.7 RON 377
-4.68%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$107 zł 417
$93.2 RON 441
14.31%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Rzeszow
Bucharest
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$718 zł 2,807
$673 RON 3,184
6.67%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$513 zł 2,007
$449 RON 2,123
14.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$998 zł 3,901
$1,098 RON 5,195
-9.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,047 zł 4,094
$729 RON 3,448
43.69%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,486 zł 13.6K
$3,740 RON 17.7K
-6.78%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,316 zł 9,051
$2,189 RON 10.4K
5.79%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Rzeszow
Bucharest
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,782 zł 6,965
$1,323 RON 6,259
34.66%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.79
6.74
0.74%

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

Last update for Rzeszow: 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
Rzeszow
$513
Bucharest
$449 12.6% $65
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rzeszow
$298
Bucharest
$214 28.2% $84
Groceries & Markets
Rzeszow
$208
Bucharest
$222 6.5% $13
Eating Out
Rzeszow
$191
Bucharest
$226 18.2% $35
Clothing & Footwear
Rzeszow
$137
Bucharest
$136 0.6% $0.8
Sport & Entertainment
Rzeszow
$54
Bucharest
$67 24.2% $13
Getting Around
Rzeszow
$44
Bucharest
$28 35.6% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $718 in Rzeszow and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rzeszow pays 35% 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: $38.00 in Rzeszow vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $208 vs $222 per month, with Rzeszow cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇱 Rzeszow
🇷🇴 Bucharest
🕒 Local time
06:00 6:00 AM
07:00 7:00 AM
1 h ahead of Rzeszow
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
197,536
1,883,425 Capital
💱 Currency
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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Rzeszow Bucharest 700 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Rzeszow
  • 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
Rzeszow vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Rzeszow and in Bucharest?
Rzeszow and Bucharest differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($1,433 vs $1,351 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Rzeszow or Bucharest?
Average pay runs 35% higher in Rzeszow, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Rzeszow and in Bucharest?
Rent for a central apartment: $718 in Rzeszow versus $673 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city is more expensive overall: Rzeszow or Bucharest?
All in, you'll spend $1,433 per month in Rzeszow versus $1,351 in Bucharest – a 6% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
How do commuting costs compare in Rzeszow and in Bucharest?
A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 26% less than in Rzeszow. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $1,433 in Rzeszow, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Rzeszow. The gap between the two cities makes Bucharest the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Rzeszow and Bucharest?
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.
Is Rzeszow or Bucharest safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Rzeszow 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.
Where should expats move: Rzeszow or Bucharest?
Expats usually find Bucharest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Rzeszow. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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