Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sfantu Gheorghe and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Sfantu Gheorghe: $813 a month against $1,337 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Sfantu Gheorghe
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Sfantu Gheorghe Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Sfantu Gheorghe

🇷🇴 Romania

$813

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,337

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $813 in Sfantu Gheorghe versus $1,337 in Bucharest.

Sfantu Gheorghe $813
Bucharest $1,337

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,297 in Sfantu Gheorghe versus $2,029 in Bucharest.

Sfantu Gheorghe $1,297
Bucharest $2,029

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,781 in Sfantu Gheorghe versus $2,721 in Bucharest.

Sfantu Gheorghe $1,781
Bucharest $2,721

Living in Sfantu Gheorghe costs roughly 39% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sfantu Gheorghe 40% lower, Bucharest 1% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.56 RON 40.51

$14.45 RON 68.4

-40.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.50 RON 196

$58.1 RON 275

-28.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.21 RON 34.10

$7.53 RON 35.65

-4.25%

Cappuccino

$2.54 RON 12.04

$3.45 RON 16.33

-26.38%

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

$1.23 RON 5.81

$2.46 RON 11.65

-50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 RON 5.06

$2.23 RON 10.54

-52.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 RON 11.74

$3.76 RON 17.78

-34.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 RON 10.20

$4.19 RON 19.84

-48.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 RON 6.55

$1.62 RON 7.67

-14.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 RON 5.36

$1.30 RON 6.13

-13.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 RON 6.64

$1.70 RON 8.05

-17.65%

Eggs

$3.28 RON 15.52

$3.79 RON 17.93

-13.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.81 RON 36.97

$8.86 RON 41.90

-11.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 RON 21.83

$6.90 RON 32.67

-33.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.72 RON 36.51

$12.14 RON 57.4

-36.41%

Apples (1kg)

$1.08 RON 5.11

$1.30 RON 6.17

-16.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 RON 7.14

$1.60 RON 7.55

-5.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.17 RON 5.52

$1.57 RON 7.42

-25.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.52 RON 11.92

$2.68 RON 12.67

-5.97%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 RON 3.27

$0.81 RON 3.82

-14.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.60 RON 2.84

$0.79 RON 3.73

-24.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 RON 4.86

$0.91 RON 4.30

13.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 RON 3.81

$0.97 RON 4.58

-16.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.90 RON 23.17

$6.41 RON 30.34

-23.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 RON 35.10

$6.18 RON 29.24

20.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 RON 4.56

$1.23 RON 5.83

-21.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 RON 5.05

$1.67 RON 7.91

-35.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 RON 4.10

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.61 RON 73.9

$20.98 RON 99.3

-25.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.00 RON 4.72

$0.66 RON 3.10

51.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.88 RON 4.17

$0.60 RON 2.85

46.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.38 RON 39.63

$6.19 RON 29.28

35.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 RON 7.68

$1.93 RON 9.15

-16.06%

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

$28.9K RON 136.9K

$28.7K RON 135.9K

0.69%

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

$24.9K RON 117.8K

$26.3K RON 124.6K

-5.45%

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

$113 RON 536

$196 RON 926

-42.07%

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

$9.41 RON 44.53

$8.49 RON 40.19

10.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.23 RON 57.9

$9.05 RON 42.84

35.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.71 RON 193

$49.54 RON 234

-17.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.72 RON 98.0

$25.03 RON 118

-17.22%

Cinema Ticket

$3.13 RON 14.80

$8.24 RON 39.01

-62.01%

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

$444 RON 2,102

$636 RON 3,007

-30.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,646 RON 31.4K

$14.6K RON 69.0K

-54.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.88 RON 122

$88.5 RON 419

-70.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.62 RON 64.4

$38.77 RON 183

-64.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$39.45 RON 187

$78.8 RON 373

-49.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.3 RON 299

$90.6 RON 428

-30.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$294 RON 1,389

$695 RON 3,288

-57.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$212 RON 1,003

$446 RON 2,109

-52.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$524 RON 2,479

$1,084 RON 5,130

-51.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$401 RON 1,897

$712 RON 3,368

-43.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,843 RON 8,718

$3,797 RON 18.0K

-51.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,362 RON 6,445

$2,202 RON 10.4K

-38.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$691 RON 3,271

$1,354 RON 6,406

-48.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

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

Last update for Sfantu Gheorghe: October 17, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sfantu Gheorghe

$212 26.1%

Bucharest

$446 33.3% 110% $234

Groceries & Markets

Sfantu Gheorghe

$184 22.6%

Bucharest

$225 16.9% 22.5% $41

Eating Out

Sfantu Gheorghe

$147 18%

Bucharest

$226 16.9% 53.9% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sfantu Gheorghe

$135 16.6%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 58% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Sfantu Gheorghe

$64 7.9%

Bucharest

$133 10% 109% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Sfantu Gheorghe

$47 5.8%

Bucharest

$66 4.9% 40.6% $19

Getting Around

Sfantu Gheorghe

$24 3%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 14.9% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $294 in Sfantu Gheorghe and $695 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 96% 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: $41.00 in Sfantu Gheorghe vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $184 vs $225 per month, with Sfantu Gheorghe cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Sfantu Gheorghe

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

02:25 2:25 AM

Same time as Sfantu Gheorghe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,006

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Sfantu Gheorghe vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sfantu Gheorghe and Bucharest differ by about 64% in total monthly costs ($813 vs $1,337 including rent). Sfantu Gheorghe is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 96% lower in Bucharest. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $294 in Sfantu Gheorghe versus $695 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $813 per month in Sfantu Gheorghe versus $1,337 in Bucharest – a 64% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Sfantu Gheorghe runs roughly 34% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $813 in Sfantu Gheorghe versus $1,337 in Bucharest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sfantu Gheorghe but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Sfantu Gheorghe 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, Sfantu Gheorghe 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 Sfantu Gheorghe gentler on the wallet – expenses run 64% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.