Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stevenage and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $2,570 in Stevenage, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Stevenage
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Stevenage Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Stevenage

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,570

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,570 in Stevenage versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Stevenage $2,570
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,826 in Stevenage versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Stevenage $3,826
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,081 in Stevenage versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Stevenage $5,081
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Stevenage is roughly 92% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Stevenage is 90% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.49 £19.88

$14.49 RON 68.6

82.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.2 £60.2

$58.1 RON 275

38.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.65 £7.99

$7.48 RON 35.40

42.38%

Cappuccino

$5.06 £3.80

$3.44 RON 16.29

47.09%

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

$1.89 £1.42

$2.37 RON 11.22

-20.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 £1.22

$2.30 RON 10.88

-29.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.77 £4.33

$3.70 RON 17.51

55.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.33 £4.00

$4.16 RON 19.69

28.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 £1.27

$1.67 RON 7.90

1.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 £1.12

$1.37 RON 6.50

9.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 £1.44

$1.72 RON 8.14

11.63%

Eggs

$3.97 £2.98

$3.64 RON 17.22

9.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.48 £6.36

$9.08 RON 42.98

-6.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.10 £6.07

$6.84 RON 32.35

18.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.84 £10.39

$12.00 RON 56.8

15.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 £2.54

$1.23 RON 5.80

174.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 £1.11

$1.63 RON 7.73

-9.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 £2.35

$1.57 RON 7.45

99.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.77 £2.07

$2.54 RON 12.01

9.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 £0.87

$0.79 RON 3.75

46.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 £1.29

$0.77 RON 3.66

124.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.94

$0.87 RON 4.13

43.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 £0.71

$0.99 RON 4.70

-5.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.82 £17.87

$6.31 RON 29.86

277.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 £7.36

$6.20 RON 29.34

58.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 £2.11

$1.19 RON 5.63

136.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 £2.18

$1.57 RON 7.45

85.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.50 £2.62

$0.86 RON 4.08

306.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$103 £77.5

$21.10 RON 99.8

389.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.77 £2.83

$0.64 RON 3.05

489.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 £1.38

$0.60 RON 2.86

206.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.20 £15.15

$6.43 RON 30.43

214.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 £1.43

$1.96 RON 9.25

-2.55%

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

$37.5K £28.2K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

29.44%

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

$39.9K £30.0K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

49.91%

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

$230 £173

$196 RON 927

17.65%

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

$21.97 £16.48

$8.04 RON 38.04

173.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.62 £32.72

$9.35 RON 44.21

366.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.85 £35.90

$50.2 RON 238

-4.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

Cinema Ticket

$13.34 £10.01

$8.15 RON 38.55

63.68%

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

$1,042 £782

$628 RON 2,971

65.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.0 £58.5

$89.6 RON 424

-12.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.94 £28.46

$38.32 RON 181

-0.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.9 £48.68

$79.3 RON 375

-18.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.1 £65.4

$90.4 RON 428

-3.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,631 £1,224

$678 RON 3,209

140.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,313 £985

$448 RON 2,121

192.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,020 £2,266

$1,083 RON 5,125

178.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,294 £1,721

$725 RON 3,430

216.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,291 £2,469

$1,329 RON 6,290

147.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.51

6.75

-18.37%

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

Last update for Stevenage: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stevenage

$1.3K 51.1%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 65.9% $864

Eating Out

Stevenage

$358 13.9%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 37.1% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stevenage

$296 11.5%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 28% $83

Groceries & Markets

Stevenage

$278 10.8%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 19% $53

Getting Around

Stevenage

$130 5.1%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 78.4% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Stevenage

$121 4.7%

Bucharest

$134 10% 11% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Stevenage

$75 2.9%

Bucharest

$67 5% 10.7% $8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,631 in Stevenage and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stevenage 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: $80.0 in Stevenage vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $278 vs $225 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Stevenage

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

08:35 8:35 AM

10:35 10:35 AM

2 h ahead of Stevenage

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

89,663

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Stevenage Bucharest 2,110 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Stevenage
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

Stevenage vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Stevenage and Bucharest differ by about 92% in total monthly costs ($2,570 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 148% higher in Stevenage, 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: $1,631 in Stevenage versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,570 per month in Stevenage versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 92% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 390% less than in Stevenage. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $2,570 in Stevenage, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Stevenage. 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.

Expats usually find Bucharest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 92% less than in Stevenage. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.