Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saintes and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,354 a month against $1,872 in Saintes, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Saintes
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Saintes Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Saintes

🇫🇷 France

$1,872

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,354

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,872 in Saintes versus $1,354 in Bucharest.

Saintes $1,872
Bucharest $1,354

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,858 in Saintes versus $2,043 in Bucharest.

Saintes $2,858
Bucharest $2,043

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,843 in Saintes versus $2,733 in Bucharest.

Saintes $3,843
Bucharest $2,733

Living in Saintes is roughly 38% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.58 €20.26

$14.66 RON 70.3

54.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 €61.3

$57.7 RON 277

18.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.52 €5.85

$7.52 RON 36.07

-13.30%

Cappuccino

$3.69 €3.31

$3.56 RON 17.06

3.65%

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

$2.71 €2.43

$2.47 RON 11.86

9.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 €1.21

$2.18 RON 10.48

-38.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.35 €6.59

$3.69 RON 17.70

99.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.62 €4.14

$4.28 RON 20.54

7.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 €0.93

$1.67 RON 8.02

-37.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.35 RON 6.48

37.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 €1.69

$1.78 RON 8.52

5.62%

Eggs

$2.26 €2.03

$3.56 RON 17.09

-36.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.82 €21.37

$9.12 RON 43.77

161.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.79 €10.57

$6.82 RON 32.71

72.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.67 €15.85

$12.13 RON 58.2

45.67%

Apples (1kg)

$4.20 €3.76

$1.26 RON 6.07

233.33%

Banana (1kg)

$3.71 €3.32

$1.62 RON 7.79

129.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 €1.74

$1.56 RON 7.48

24.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.14 €4.61

$2.54 RON 12.19

102.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.78 RON 3.75

-2.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 €1.07

$0.77 RON 3.72

55.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 €1.53

$0.89 RON 4.26

92.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.34 €0.31

$0.90 RON 4.31

-62.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.46 €12.97

$6.55 RON 31.43

120.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.93 €11.60

$6.37 RON 30.55

102.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 €2.14

$1.24 RON 5.96

92.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.11

$1.62 RON 7.78

45.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.86 €1.67

$0.85 RON 4.10

118.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.63

$20.71 RON 99.4

113.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.92

$0.61 RON 2.94

616.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.31 €2.07

$0.61 RON 2.94

278.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.94 €30.44

$6.16 RON 29.57

450.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.94 €1.74

$2.00 RON 9.59

-3.00%

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

$36.5K €32.7K

$27.9K RON 134.1K

30.54%

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

$38.1K €34.1K

$25.3K RON 121.5K

50.25%

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

$134 €120

$192 RON 922

-30.21%

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

$11.13 €9.98

$7.92 RON 37.99

40.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.75 €30.28

$8.96 RON 42.98

276.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.92 €32.22

$49.99 RON 240

-28.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 RON 119

Cinema Ticket

$9.91 €8.89

$8.51 RON 40.82

16.45%

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

$849 €761

$686 RON 3,291

23.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K €9,774

$14.4K RON 69.2K

-24.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 €97.7

$90.2 RON 433

20.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.98 €34.97

$38.74 RON 186

0.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €96.9

$78.9 RON 379

36.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$150 €134

$92.1 RON 442

62.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$691 €620

$711 RON 3,412

-2.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 €643

$462 RON 2,216

55.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,441 €1,293

$1,053 RON 5,055

36.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 €1,058

$723 RON 3,467

63.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,571 €3,204

$3,634 RON 17.4K

-1.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,323 €2,981

$2,173 RON 10.4K

52.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,354 RON 6,496

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

6.75

-43.85%

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

Last update for Saintes: October 27, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saintes

$717 38.3%

Bucharest

$462 34.1% 35.6% $255

Groceries & Markets

Saintes

$364 19.4%

Bucharest

$225 16.6% 38.2% $139

Eating Out

Saintes

$307 16.4%

Bucharest

$228 16.9% 25.6% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Saintes

$183 9.8%

Bucharest

$135 10% 26% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saintes

$179 9.6%

Bucharest

$209 15.4% 16.8% $30

Getting Around

Saintes

$68 3.6%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 58.8% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Saintes

$56 3%

Bucharest

$67 5% 20.2% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $691 in Saintes and $711 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68 in Saintes vs $58 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $364 vs $225 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Saintes

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

08:39 8:39 AM

09:39 9:39 AM

1 h ahead of Saintes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,518

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Saintes Bucharest 2,090 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Saintes
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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

Saintes vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saintes and Bucharest differ by about 38% in total monthly costs ($1,872 vs $1,354 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,808 in Saintes and $2,030 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: $691 in Saintes versus $711 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,872 per month in Saintes versus $1,354 in Bucharest – a 38% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 53% less than in Saintes. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your 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.