Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Suwalki and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $1,460 in Suwalki, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Suwalki outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

71

Cost of Living Index in Suwalki
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Suwalki Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Suwalki

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,460

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,460 in Suwalki versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Suwalki $1,460
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,030 in Suwalki versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Suwalki $2,030
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,599 in Suwalki versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Suwalki $2,599
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Suwalki is roughly 9% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Suwalki is 8% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.22 zł 20.30

$14.49 RON 68.6

-63.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.41 zł 79.3

$58.1 RON 275

-64.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 zł 35.51

$7.48 RON 35.40

22.19%

Cappuccino

$3.21 zł 12.48

$3.44 RON 16.29

-6.69%

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

$0.88 zł 3.40

$2.37 RON 11.22

-62.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 zł 8.79

$2.30 RON 10.88

-1.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 zł 18.26

$3.70 RON 17.51

27.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.11 zł 19.83

$4.16 RON 19.69

22.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 zł 3.72

$1.67 RON 7.90

-42.51%

White Bread (500g)

$0.90 zł 3.51

$1.37 RON 6.50

-34.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.07 zł 4.16

$1.72 RON 8.14

-37.79%

Eggs

$2.69 zł 10.44

$3.64 RON 17.22

-26.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.79 zł 30.26

$9.08 RON 42.98

-14.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.24 zł 20.37

$6.84 RON 32.35

-23.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.23 zł 24.21

$12.00 RON 56.8

-48.08%

Apples (1kg)

$0.77 zł 3.01

$1.23 RON 5.80

-37.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 zł 6.46

$1.63 RON 7.73

1.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.74 zł 6.76

$1.57 RON 7.45

10.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.96 zł 15.39

$2.54 RON 12.01

55.91%

Potato (1kg)

$0.53 zł 2.07

$0.79 RON 3.75

-32.91%

Onion (1kg)

$0.86 zł 3.33

$0.77 RON 3.66

11.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 zł 4.33

$0.87 RON 4.13

28.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.37 zł 1.43

$0.99 RON 4.70

-62.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.23 zł 24.21

$6.31 RON 29.86

-1.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.19 zł 24.05

$6.20 RON 29.34

-0.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 zł 4.31

$1.19 RON 5.63

-6.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 zł 6.35

$1.57 RON 7.45

3.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.05 zł 4.06

$0.86 RON 4.08

22.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.22 zł 117

$21.10 RON 99.8

43.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.57 zł 9.98

$0.64 RON 3.05

301.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 zł 4.86

$0.60 RON 2.86

108.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.84 zł 49.87

$6.43 RON 30.43

99.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 zł 6.90

$1.96 RON 9.25

-9.18%

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

$30.6K zł 118.9K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

5.50%

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

$30.6K zł 118.8K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

14.79%

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

$341 zł 1,326

$196 RON 927

74.27%

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

$9.21 zł 35.78

$8.04 RON 38.04

14.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 zł 61.7

$9.35 RON 44.21

69.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.37 zł 149

$50.2 RON 238

-23.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.80 zł 96.4

$25.33 RON 120

-2.09%

Cinema Ticket

$8.98 zł 34.89

$8.15 RON 38.55

10.18%

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

$588 zł 2,283

$628 RON 2,971

-6.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.5K zł 56.4K

$14.1K RON 66.6K

2.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 zł 423

$89.6 RON 424

21.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.37 zł 153

$38.32 RON 181

2.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 zł 412

$79.3 RON 375

33.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 zł 434

$90.4 RON 428

23.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$606 zł 2,354

$678 RON 3,209

-10.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 zł 1,942

$448 RON 2,121

11.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,002 zł 3,891

$1,083 RON 5,125

-7.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$825 zł 3,207

$725 RON 3,430

13.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,067 zł 11.9K

$3,751 RON 17.7K

-18.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,388 zł 9,276

$2,195 RON 10.4K

8.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,459 zł 5,669

$1,329 RON 6,290

9.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.68

6.75

-1.04%

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

Last update for Suwalki: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Suwalki

$500 34.2%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 10.3% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Suwalki

$366 25.1%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 41.8% $153

Groceries & Markets

Suwalki

$176 12%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 27.9% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Suwalki

$165 11.3%

Bucharest

$134 10% 18.7% $31

Eating Out

Suwalki

$154 10.6%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 46.2% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Suwalki

$56 3.9%

Bucharest

$67 5% 18.1% $10

Getting Around

Suwalki

$43 3%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 34.7% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $606 in Suwalki and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Suwalki pays 10% 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 Suwalki vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $176 vs $225 per month, with Suwalki cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Suwalki

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

02:26 2:26 AM

03:26 3:26 AM

1 h ahead of Suwalki

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

69,575

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.257 USD

1 PLN = 0.229 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to PLN – Polish Złoty Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇱 Polish Złoty (zł)

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3.89 PLN (1 PLN = 0.257 USD). 1 EUR = 4.37 PLN (1 PLN = 0.229 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 PLN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Suwalki Bucharest 1,100 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Suwalki
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

Suwalki vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Suwalki and Bucharest differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($1,460 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 10% higher in Suwalki, 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: $606 in Suwalki versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,460 per month in Suwalki versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 43% less than in Suwalki. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,460 in Suwalki, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Suwalki. 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, Suwalki 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 9% less than in Suwalki. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.