Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Schiedam and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $2,517 in Schiedam, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Schiedam
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Schiedam Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Schiedam

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,517

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,517 in Schiedam versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Schiedam $2,517
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,723 in Schiedam versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Schiedam $3,723
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,929 in Schiedam versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Schiedam $4,929
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Schiedam is roughly 88% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Schiedam is 86% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.72 €17.54

$14.49 RON 68.6

36.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.2 €78.5

$58.1 RON 275

51.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.96 €13.30

$7.48 RON 35.40

100.00%

Cappuccino

$4.11 €3.66

$3.44 RON 16.29

19.48%

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

$3.48 €3.09

$2.37 RON 11.22

46.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 €2.69

$2.30 RON 10.88

31.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.16 €6.37

$3.70 RON 17.51

93.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.50 €5.78

$4.16 RON 19.69

56.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 €1.25

$1.67 RON 7.90

-16.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.37 RON 6.50

56.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 €2.09

$1.72 RON 8.14

36.63%

Eggs

$4.44 €3.95

$3.64 RON 17.22

21.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.50 €12.90

$9.08 RON 42.98

59.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.00 €11.57

$6.84 RON 32.35

90.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.99 €14.22

$12.00 RON 56.8

33.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$1.23 RON 5.80

117.89%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.63 RON 7.73

39.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.57 RON 7.45

25.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.71 €4.19

$2.54 RON 12.01

85.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 €1.16

$0.79 RON 3.75

64.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 €1.14

$0.77 RON 3.66

66.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 €1.04

$0.87 RON 4.13

34.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.68

$0.99 RON 4.70

-22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.47 €11.98

$6.31 RON 29.86

113.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.73 €5.10

$6.20 RON 29.34

-7.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.19 RON 5.63

13.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.73

$1.57 RON 7.45

24.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.18 €1.94

$0.86 RON 4.08

153.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.6 €77.9

$21.10 RON 99.8

315.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 €3.01

$0.64 RON 3.05

428.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.44 €3.06

$0.60 RON 2.86

473.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.47 €19.98

$6.43 RON 30.43

249.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.96 RON 9.25

21.43%

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

$41.4K €36.8K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

42.67%

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

$39.1K €34.8K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

46.66%

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

$277 €246

$196 RON 927

41.38%

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

$16.53 €14.71

$8.04 RON 38.04

105.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.9 €48.87

$9.35 RON 44.21

487.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.61 €24.56

$50.2 RON 238

-45.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.98 €21.33

$25.33 RON 120

-5.33%

Cinema Ticket

$15.36 €13.66

$8.15 RON 38.55

88.47%

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

$1,760 €1,566

$628 RON 2,971

180.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K €10.3K

$14.1K RON 66.6K

-17.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$117 €104

$89.6 RON 424

30.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.66 €31.72

$38.32 RON 181

-6.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 €100

$79.3 RON 375

41.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 €122

$90.4 RON 428

51.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,628 €1,448

$678 RON 3,209

139.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,166 €1,037

$448 RON 2,121

160.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,355 €2,094

$1,083 RON 5,125

117.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,930 €1,717

$725 RON 3,430

166.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,639 €5,016

$3,751 RON 17.7K

50.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,030 €3,584

$2,195 RON 10.4K

83.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,420 €2,152

$1,329 RON 6,290

82.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.8

6.75

-58.52%

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

Last update for Schiedam: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Schiedam

$1.2K 46.3%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 61.5% $717

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Schiedam

$348 13.8%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 38.8% $135

Eating Out

Schiedam

$327 13%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 31.1% $102

Groceries & Markets

Schiedam

$320 12.7%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 29.7% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Schiedam

$181 7.2%

Bucharest

$134 10% 26% $47

Getting Around

Schiedam

$117 4.6%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 75.9% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Schiedam

$58 2.3%

Bucharest

$67 5% 14.1% $8.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,628 in Schiedam and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Schiedam pays 82% 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: $88.0 in Schiedam vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $225 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Schiedam

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

16:30 4:30 PM

17:30 5:30 PM

1 h ahead of Schiedam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,730

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Schiedam Bucharest 1,800 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Schiedam
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

Schiedam vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Schiedam and Bucharest differ by about 88% in total monthly costs ($2,517 vs $1,340 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 82% higher in Schiedam, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,628 in Schiedam versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,517 per month in Schiedam versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 88% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 315% less than in Schiedam. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $2,517 in Schiedam, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Schiedam. The gap between the two cities makes Bucharest 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.

Safety-wise, Schiedam 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.

Expats usually find Bucharest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 88% less than in Schiedam. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.