Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Andrews and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $2,255 in St. Andrews, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in St. Andrews
Learn more

St. Andrews Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index

Jump to prices

St. Andrews

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,255

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,255 in St. Andrews versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

St. Andrews $2,255
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,874 in St. Andrews versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

St. Andrews $3,874
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,492 in St. Andrews versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

St. Andrews $5,492
Bucharest $2,715

Living in St. Andrews is roughly 67% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: St. Andrews 68% above, Bucharest 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.47 £16.22

$14.46 RON 68.4

48.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.5 £63.9

$57.7 RON 273

46.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.62 £8.03

$7.50 RON 35.46

41.60%

Cappuccino

$4.67 £3.53

$3.43 RON 16.20

36.15%

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

$2.81 £2.13

$2.46 RON 11.63

14.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 £1.63

$2.33 RON 11.01

-7.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.51 £4.92

$3.80 RON 17.97

71.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.59 £4.98

$4.10 RON 19.41

60.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 £1.19

$1.65 RON 7.79

-4.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 £1.31

$1.35 RON 6.39

28.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 £1.52

$1.78 RON 8.42

13.48%

Eggs

$4.45 £3.37

$3.66 RON 17.33

21.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.40 £5.59

$8.57 RON 40.54

-13.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.44 £7.13

$6.80 RON 32.17

38.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.43 £11.66

$11.72 RON 55.4

31.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.44 £1.85

$1.29 RON 6.11

89.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 £1.00

$1.56 RON 7.37

-15.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.84 £2.14

$1.54 RON 7.28

84.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 £2.15

$2.48 RON 11.75

14.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 £1.33

$0.83 RON 3.92

112.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 £1.13

$0.80 RON 3.77

86.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.95

$0.84 RON 3.98

48.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 £1.85

$0.93 RON 4.39

163.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.65 £17.12

$6.44 RON 30.45

251.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.91 £8.25

$6.32 RON 29.91

72.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 £2.06

$1.26 RON 5.94

116.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 £2.28

$1.60 RON 7.59

88.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.65 £3.52

$0.81 RON 3.85

474.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.13 RON 99.9

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 £2.98

$0.60 RON 2.86

558.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.44 £1.84

$0.61 RON 2.91

300.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.22 £18.30

$6.17 RON 29.19

292.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 £1.58

$1.96 RON 9.27

6.63%

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

$37.5K £28.4K

$28.1K RON 133.1K

33.28%

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

$41.2K £31.2K

$26.3K RON 124.3K

56.80%

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

$239 £180

$197 RON 931

21.32%

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

$12.98 £9.81

$8.34 RON 39.44

55.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.73 £32.29

$9.19 RON 43.47

364.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$92.2 £69.7

$49.87 RON 236

84.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 118

Cinema Ticket

$13.16 £9.94

$8.46 RON 40.01

55.56%

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

$1,773 £1,340

$639 RON 3,023

177.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.2K £17.6K

$14.4K RON 68.1K

61.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.7 £71.6

$90.6 RON 429

4.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.10 £36.35

$38.05 RON 180

26.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 £78.7

$79.7 RON 377

30.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.5 £66.1

$93.2 RON 441

-6.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,354 £1,023

$673 RON 3,184

101.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 £777

$449 RON 2,123

129.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,082 £2,329

$1,098 RON 5,195

180.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,706 £2,045

$729 RON 3,448

271.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,113 £4,620

$3,740 RON 17.7K

63.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,693 £2,035

$2,189 RON 10.4K

23.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,284 £2,482

$1,323 RON 6,259

148.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.41

6.74

-19.73%

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

Last update for St. Andrews: October 6, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

St. Andrews

$1K 45.6%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 56.3% $580

Eating Out

St. Andrews

$325 14.4%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 30.6% $100

Groceries & Markets

St. Andrews

$305 13.5%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 27.2% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. Andrews

$295 13.1%

Bucharest

$214 16% 27.2% $80

Clothing & Footwear

St. Andrews

$151 6.7%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 9.8% $15

Sport & Entertainment

St. Andrews

$119 5.3%

Bucharest

$67 5% 43.7% $52

Getting Around

St. Andrews

$35 * 1.5%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 19.3% $6.7

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,354 in St. Andrews and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

St. Andrews pays 148% 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: $84.0 in St. Andrews vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $305 vs $222 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 St. Andrews

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

02:53 2:53 AM

04:53 4:53 AM

2 h ahead of St. Andrews

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,460

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

St. Andrews Bucharest 2,410 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

St. Andrews
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

St. Andrews vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

St. Andrews and Bucharest differ by about 67% in total monthly costs ($2,255 vs $1,351 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 148% higher in St. Andrews, 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: $1,354 in St. Andrews versus $673 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in St. Andrews. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,255 per month in St. Andrews versus $1,351 in Bucharest – a 67% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $2,255 in St. Andrews, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in St. Andrews. 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, St. Andrews 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 67% less than in St. Andrews. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.