Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint-Louis and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint-Louis: $824 a month against $1,371 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Saint-Louis
Learn more

Saint-Louis Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index

Jump to prices

Saint-Louis

🇸🇳 Senegal

$824

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,371

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $824 in Saint-Louis versus $1,371 in Bucharest.

Saint-Louis $824
Bucharest $1,371

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,296 in Saint-Louis versus $2,067 in Bucharest.

Saint-Louis $1,296
Bucharest $2,067

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,768 in Saint-Louis versus $2,764 in Bucharest.

Saint-Louis $1,768
Bucharest $2,764

Living in Saint-Louis costs roughly 40% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.35 F CFA 1,958

$14.51 RON 69.0

-76.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.6 F CFA 30.7K

$61.2 RON 291

-14.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.91 F CFA 6,370

$7.46 RON 35.50

46.25%

Cappuccino

$3.42 F CFA 1,996

$3.64 RON 17.33

-6.04%

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

$1.20 F CFA 698

$2.62 RON 12.44

-54.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 F CFA 525

$2.36 RON 11.24

-61.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.67 F CFA 976

$3.78 RON 18.00

-55.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 F CFA 2,494

$4.11 RON 19.54

3.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.58 F CFA 1,505

$1.66 RON 7.90

55.42%

White Bread (500g)

$0.25 F CFA 145

$1.40 RON 6.64

-82.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 F CFA 868

$1.79 RON 8.54

-16.76%

Eggs

$2.51 F CFA 1,466

$3.63 RON 17.27

-30.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.19 F CFA 10.0K

$8.92 RON 42.43

92.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.08 F CFA 5,300

$6.86 RON 32.65

32.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.98 F CFA 6,412

$11.99 RON 57.0

-8.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 F CFA 1,902

$1.30 RON 6.17

150.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 F CFA 1,082

$1.63 RON 7.77

13.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.84 F CFA 1,659

$1.49 RON 7.10

90.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.71 F CFA 999

$2.54 RON 12.09

-32.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 F CFA 779

$0.81 RON 3.86

64.20%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 F CFA 561

$0.80 RON 3.79

20.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 F CFA 639

$0.86 RON 4.07

26.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 F CFA 402

$0.94 RON 4.46

-26.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.17 F CFA 1,268

$6.60 RON 31.42

-67.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.36 F CFA 8,384

$6.33 RON 30.11

126.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 F CFA 891

$1.19 RON 5.64

28.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 F CFA 1,902

$1.58 RON 7.54

106.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 RON 4.64

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.91 RON 99.5

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.83 F CFA 484

$0.60 RON 2.86

38.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.09 F CFA 1,223

$0.62 RON 2.93

237.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.33 F CFA 10.1K

$6.37 RON 30.28

172.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.61 F CFA 939

$2.02 RON 9.63

-20.30%

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

$49.4K F CFA 28.8M

$28.2K RON 134.1K

75.15%

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

$47.5K F CFA 27.8M

$26.3K RON 125.0K

80.92%

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

$201 F CFA 117.2K

$196 RON 933

2.32%

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

$11.46 F CFA 6,693

$8.60 RON 40.89

33.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.27 F CFA 27.0K

$9.20 RON 43.74

402.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 RON 243

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.04 RON 119

Cinema Ticket

$8.52 F CFA 4,973

$8.26 RON 39.31

3.15%

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

$321 F CFA 187.7K

$681 RON 3,237

-52.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K F CFA 7.1M

$18.7K RON 89.1K

-35.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 F CFA 34.3K

$93.3 RON 444

-36.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.45 F CFA 26.5K

$39.87 RON 190

14.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.3 F CFA 49.2K

$80.1 RON 381

5.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.2 F CFA 56.8K

$90.6 RON 431

7.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$434 F CFA 253.3K

$731 RON 3,477

-40.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 RON 2,234

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,110 RON 5,282

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 RON 3,435

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 RON 17.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,233 RON 10.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,365 RON 6,494

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.75

6.75

29.63%

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

Last update for Saint-Louis: November 1, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Saint-Louis

$283 34.3%

Bucharest

$225 16.4% 20.5% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint-Louis

$258 31.4%

Bucharest

$214 15.6% 17.2% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Saint-Louis

$129 15.6%

Bucharest

$137 10% 6.3% $8.1

Eating Out

Saint-Louis

$126 15.3%

Bucharest

$229 16.7% 82.2% $103

Sport & Entertainment

Saint-Louis

$17 * 2.1%

Bucharest

$68 4.9% 297% $51

Getting Around

Saint-Louis

$11 * 1.4%

Bucharest

$29 2.1% 152% $17

Accommodation & Living

Saint-Louis

- * 0%

Bucharest

$470 34.3%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $434 in Saint-Louis and $731 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $53 in Saint-Louis vs $61 in Bucharest. Groceries flip the comparison at $283 vs $225, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇳 Saint-Louis

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

00:55 12:55 AM

02:55 2:55 AM

2 h ahead of Saint-Louis

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

176,000

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to XOF – West African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 West African CFA Franc (Fr)

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 584 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.76 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to XOF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Saint-Louis Bucharest 5,080 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Saint-Louis
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

Saint-Louis vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $824 in Saint-Louis and $1,371 in Bucharest, so Saint-Louis is about 40% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,236 in Saint-Louis and $2,056 in Bucharest to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $434 in Saint-Louis versus $731 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Bucharest pay roughly 21% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $824 per month in Saint-Louis versus $1,371 in Bucharest – Saint-Louis is about 40% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Saint-Louis is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.