Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shimla and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Shimla: $306 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

15

Cost of Living Index in Shimla
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Shimla Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Shimla

🇮🇳 India

$306

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $306 in Shimla versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Shimla $306
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $500 in Shimla versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Shimla $500
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $694 in Shimla versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Shimla $694
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Shimla costs roughly 77% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shimla 77% lower, Bucharest 1% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.53 ₹145

$14.49 RON 68.6

-89.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.60 ₹1,006

$58.1 RON 275

-81.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.11 ₹295

$7.48 RON 35.40

-58.42%

Cappuccino

$0.90 ₹85.3

$3.44 RON 16.29

-73.84%

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

$0.35 ₹33.46

$2.37 RON 11.22

-85.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.11 ₹10.75

$2.30 RON 10.88

-95.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.60 ₹152

$3.70 RON 17.51

-56.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 ₹197

$4.16 RON 19.69

-50.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.64 ₹60.5

$1.67 RON 7.90

-61.68%

White Bread (500g)

$0.42 ₹40.15

$1.37 RON 6.50

-69.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.62 ₹59.2

$1.72 RON 8.14

-63.95%

Eggs

$0.85 ₹80.3

$3.64 RON 17.22

-76.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.28 ₹406

$9.08 RON 42.98

-52.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.28 ₹311

$6.84 RON 32.35

-52.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₹171

$1.23 RON 5.80

46.34%

Banana (1kg)

$0.70 ₹66.8

$1.63 RON 7.73

-57.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.67 ₹64.0

$1.57 RON 7.45

-57.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.48 ₹45.27

$2.54 RON 12.01

-81.10%

Potato (1kg)

$0.28 ₹26.57

$0.79 RON 3.75

-64.56%

Onion (1kg)

$0.36 ₹34.28

$0.77 RON 3.66

-53.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.22 ₹20.91

$0.87 RON 4.13

-74.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.27 ₹25.62

$0.99 RON 4.70

-72.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.49 ₹331

$6.31 RON 29.86

-44.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.35 ₹793

$6.20 RON 29.34

34.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 ₹140

$1.19 RON 5.63

24.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ₹192

$1.57 RON 7.45

28.66%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$3.77 ₹358

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₹20.92

$0.86 RON 4.08

-74.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.72 ₹733

$21.10 RON 99.8

-63.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 ₹102

$0.64 RON 3.05

68.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 ₹28.25

$0.60 RON 2.86

-50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 ₹102

$6.43 RON 30.43

-83.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ₹102

$1.96 RON 9.25

-45.41%

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

$8,473 ₹804.6K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

-70.78%

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

$17.4K ₹1.7M

$26.6K RON 126.0K

-34.49%

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

$18.12 ₹1,721

$196 RON 927

-90.75%

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

$3.04 ₹289

$8.04 RON 38.04

-62.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.76 ₹642

$9.35 RON 44.21

-27.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.89 ₹1,319

$50.2 RON 238

-72.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.41 ₹988

$25.33 RON 120

-58.90%

Cinema Ticket

$3.07 ₹291

$8.15 RON 38.55

-62.33%

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

$40.81 ₹3,875

$628 RON 2,971

-93.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,117 ₹201.1K

$14.1K RON 66.6K

-84.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.09 ₹2,383

$89.6 RON 424

-72.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.45 ₹2,037

$38.32 RON 181

-44.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$38.68 ₹3,674

$79.3 RON 375

-51.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$25.67 ₹2,438

$90.4 RON 428

-71.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$84.2 ₹7,992

$678 RON 3,209

-87.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$53.0 ₹5,037

$448 RON 2,121

-88.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$199 ₹18.9K

$1,083 RON 5,125

-81.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$127 ₹12.1K

$725 RON 3,430

-82.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$552 ₹52.4K

$3,751 RON 17.7K

-85.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$553 ₹52.5K

$2,195 RON 10.4K

-74.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$607 ₹57.7K

$1,329 RON 6,290

-54.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.25

6.75

22.22%

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

Last update for Shimla: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Shimla

$98 31.9%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 130% $127

Accommodation & Living

Shimla

$53 17.3%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 745% $395

Clothing & Footwear

Shimla

$50 16.3%

Bucharest

$134 10% 168% $84

Eating Out

Shimla

$46 15.1%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 386% $179

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shimla

$28 9.1%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 664% $185

Sport & Entertainment

Shimla

$20 6.5%

Bucharest

$67 5% 232% $47

Getting Around

Shimla

$11 3.7%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 153% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $84.2 in Shimla and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 119% 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: $11.00 in Shimla vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $98.0 vs $225 per month, with Shimla cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Shimla

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

20:24 8:24 PM

17:54 5:54 PM

2 h 30 min behind Shimla

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

170,000

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Shimla Bucharest 4,640 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Shimla
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

Shimla vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shimla and Bucharest differ by about 338% in total monthly costs ($306 vs $1,340 including rent). Shimla is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 119% 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: $84.2 in Shimla versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $306 per month in Shimla versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 338% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Shimla runs roughly 173% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $306 in Shimla versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shimla but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Shimla 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, Shimla 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 Shimla gentler on the wallet – expenses run 338% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.