Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sfax and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Sfax: $620 a month against $1,351 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Sfax
Learn more

Sfax Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index

Jump to prices

Sfax

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$620

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $620 in Sfax versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

Sfax $620
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $975 in Sfax versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

Sfax $975
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,329 in Sfax versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

Sfax $1,329
Bucharest $2,715

Living in Sfax costs roughly 54% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sfax is 54% below, Bucharest is 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.43 TND 10.24

$14.46 RON 68.9

-76.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.82 TND 59.1

$57.7 RON 275

-65.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.03 TND 15.02

$7.50 RON 35.72

-32.93%

Cappuccino

$0.71 TND 2.10

$3.43 RON 16.32

-79.30%

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

$0.58 TND 1.73

$2.46 RON 11.72

-76.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 TND 0.81

$2.33 RON 11.09

-88.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.56 TND 4.66

$3.80 RON 18.10

-58.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 TND 6.03

$4.10 RON 19.56

-50.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.50 TND 1.49

$1.65 RON 7.85

-69.70%

White Bread (500g)

$0.24 TND 0.72

$1.35 RON 6.44

-82.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 TND 4.12

$1.78 RON 8.48

-22.47%

Eggs

$1.56 TND 4.64

$3.66 RON 17.46

-57.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.32 TND 36.76

$8.57 RON 40.84

43.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.76 TND 17.18

$6.80 RON 32.41

-15.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 TND 41.70

$11.72 RON 55.8

19.20%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 TND 5.29

$1.29 RON 6.16

37.21%

Banana (1kg)

$3.08 TND 9.18

$1.56 RON 7.43

97.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.04 TND 3.11

$1.54 RON 7.34

-32.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.68 TND 2.04

$2.48 RON 11.84

-72.58%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 TND 2.42

$0.83 RON 3.95

-2.41%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 TND 2.29

$0.80 RON 3.80

-3.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 TND 1.72

$0.84 RON 4.01

-30.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.35 TND 1.03

$0.93 RON 4.42

-62.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 TND 11.53

$6.44 RON 30.68

-39.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.51 TND 19.41

$6.32 RON 30.13

3.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 TND 3.56

$1.26 RON 5.99

-5.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.04 TND 3.10

$1.60 RON 7.65

-35.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 TND 0.55

$0.81 RON 3.88

-77.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.98 TND 29.77

$21.13 RON 101

-52.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.33 TND 1.00

$0.60 RON 2.88

-45.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 TND 1.03

$0.61 RON 2.93

-44.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.56 TND 22.56

$6.17 RON 29.41

22.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 TND 2.47

$1.96 RON 9.34

-57.65%

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

$36.5K TND 109.0K

$28.1K RON 134.2K

29.82%

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

$34.9K TND 104.2K

$26.3K RON 125.3K

32.81%

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

$44.47 TND 133

$197 RON 938

-77.41%

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

$9.43 TND 28.14

$8.34 RON 39.74

13.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.85 TND 44.31

$9.19 RON 43.80

61.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.37 TND 81.7

$49.87 RON 238

-45.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.32 TND 21.85

$24.99 RON 119

-70.71%

Cinema Ticket

$4.46 TND 13.30

$8.46 RON 40.31

-47.28%

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

$98.6 TND 294

$639 RON 3,046

-84.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,470 TND 7,370

$14.4K RON 68.6K

-82.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.94 TND 128

$90.6 RON 432

-52.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.43 TND 109

$38.05 RON 181

-4.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 TND 340

$79.7 RON 380

42.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.2 TND 198

$93.2 RON 444

-28.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$194 TND 579

$673 RON 3,209

-71.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$135 TND 404

$449 RON 2,139

-69.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$340 TND 1,013

$1,098 RON 5,234

-69.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$217 TND 649

$729 RON 3,474

-70.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,020 TND 3,043

$3,740 RON 17.8K

-72.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$745 TND 2,224

$2,189 RON 10.4K

-65.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$327 TND 976

$1,323 RON 6,306

-75.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.6

6.74

101.78%

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

Last update for Sfax: October 4, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sfax

$193 30.7%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 14.8% $29

Accommodation & Living

Sfax

$135 21.5%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 231% $313

Clothing & Footwear

Sfax

$117 18.6%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 16.2% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sfax

$69 10.9%

Bucharest

$214 16% 212% $146

Eating Out

Sfax

$66 10.5%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 240% $159

Sport & Entertainment

Sfax

$36 5.8%

Bucharest

$67 5% 84.1% $31

Getting Around

Sfax

$13 2%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 120% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $194 in Sfax and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 305% 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: $20.00 in Sfax vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $193 vs $222 per month, with Sfax cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇳 Sfax

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

06:24 6:24 AM

08:24 8:24 AM

2 h ahead of Sfax

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

955,421

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 TND = 0.335 USD

1 TND = 0.299 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to TND – Tunisian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇳 Tunisian Dinar (د.ت)

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.98 TND (1 TND = 0.335 USD). 1 EUR = 3.35 TND (1 TND = 0.299 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.77 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to TND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sfax Bucharest 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sfax
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

Sfax vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sfax and Bucharest differ by about 118% in total monthly costs ($620 vs $1,351 including rent). Sfax is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 305% 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: $194 in Sfax versus $673 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $620 per month in Sfax versus $1,351 in Bucharest – a 118% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Sfax runs roughly 112% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $620 in Sfax versus $1,351 in Bucharest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sfax but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Sfax 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.

Expats usually find Sfax gentler on the wallet – expenses run 118% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.