Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Szczecinek and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $1,468 in Szczecinek, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Szczecinek outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

72

Cost of Living Index in Szczecinek
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Szczecinek Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index

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Szczecinek

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,468

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,468 in Szczecinek versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Szczecinek $1,468
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,118 in Szczecinek versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Szczecinek $2,118
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,769 in Szczecinek versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Szczecinek $2,769
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Szczecinek is roughly 10% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Szczecinek is 9% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.62 zł 45.14

$14.49 RON 68.6

-19.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.81 zł 166

$58.1 RON 275

-26.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.07 zł 35.22

$7.48 RON 35.40

21.26%

Cappuccino

$3.48 zł 13.51

$3.44 RON 16.29

1.16%

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

$1.16 zł 4.51

$2.37 RON 11.22

-51.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 zł 3.38

$2.30 RON 10.88

-62.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 zł 12.05

$3.70 RON 17.51

-16.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 zł 5.34

$4.16 RON 19.69

-67.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 zł 3.51

$1.67 RON 7.90

-46.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 zł 4.89

$1.37 RON 6.50

-8.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 zł 5.28

$1.72 RON 8.14

-20.93%

Eggs

$3.53 zł 13.70

$3.64 RON 17.22

-3.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.64 zł 29.69

$9.08 RON 42.98

-15.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 zł 23.23

$6.84 RON 32.35

-12.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.19 zł 51.3

$12.00 RON 56.8

9.92%

Apples (1kg)

$1.19 zł 4.64

$1.23 RON 5.80

-3.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.13 zł 4.41

$1.63 RON 7.73

-30.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 zł 6.38

$1.57 RON 7.45

4.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.43 zł 9.44

$2.54 RON 12.01

-4.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 zł 2.94

$0.79 RON 3.75

-3.80%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 zł 3.12

$0.77 RON 3.66

3.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 zł 4.96

$0.87 RON 4.13

47.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 zł 2.65

$0.99 RON 4.70

-31.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 zł 21.70

$6.31 RON 29.86

-11.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.53 zł 29.26

$6.20 RON 29.34

21.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 zł 4.36

$1.19 RON 5.63

-5.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 zł 5.71

$1.57 RON 7.45

-6.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.06 zł 4.13

$0.86 RON 4.08

23.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.13 zł 105

$21.10 RON 99.8

28.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.28 zł 8.86

$0.64 RON 3.05

256.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 zł 4.02

$0.60 RON 2.86

73.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.56 zł 44.92

$6.43 RON 30.43

79.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 zł 5.77

$1.96 RON 9.25

-24.49%

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

$31.0K zł 120.3K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

6.76%

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

$27.8K zł 108.0K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

4.37%

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

$290 zł 1,126

$196 RON 927

47.97%

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

$7.77 zł 30.20

$8.04 RON 38.04

-3.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.34 zł 71.3

$9.35 RON 44.21

96.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.27 zł 149

$50.2 RON 238

-23.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.63 zł 80.2

$25.33 RON 120

-18.56%

Cinema Ticket

$7.59 zł 29.49

$8.15 RON 38.55

-6.87%

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

$206 zł 800

$628 RON 2,971

-67.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,398 zł 28.7K

$14.1K RON 66.6K

-47.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.3 zł 304

$89.6 RON 424

-12.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.84 zł 143

$38.32 RON 181

-3.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.3 zł 339

$79.3 RON 375

10.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 zł 421

$90.4 RON 428

19.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$559 zł 2,173

$678 RON 3,209

-17.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$526 zł 2,045

$448 RON 2,121

17.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,019 zł 3,959

$1,083 RON 5,125

-5.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$850 zł 3,303

$725 RON 3,430

17.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,303 zł 12.8K

$3,751 RON 17.7K

-11.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,012 zł 7,816

$2,195 RON 10.4K

-8.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,300 zł 5,049

$1,329 RON 6,290

-2.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.2

6.75

-37.78%

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

Last update for Szczecinek: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Szczecinek

$526 35.8%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 14.8% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Szczecinek

$316 21.5%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 32.5% $103

Groceries & Markets

Szczecinek

$206 14%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 9.3% $19

Eating Out

Szczecinek

$188 12.8%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 19.6% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Szczecinek

$140 9.5%

Bucharest

$134 10% 4.2% $5.9

Sport & Entertainment

Szczecinek

$53 3.6%

Bucharest

$67 5% 24.5% $13

Getting Around

Szczecinek

$39 2.6%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 27.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $559 in Szczecinek and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 2% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43.00 in Szczecinek vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $225 per month, with Szczecinek cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Szczecinek

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

02:27 2:27 AM

03:27 3:27 AM

1 h ahead of Szczecinek

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,705

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

Szczecinek Bucharest 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Szczecinek
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

Szczecinek vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Szczecinek and Bucharest differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($1,468 vs $1,340 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 2% 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: $559 in Szczecinek versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,468 per month in Szczecinek versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 10% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 29% less than in Szczecinek. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,468 in Szczecinek, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Szczecinek. 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, Szczecinek 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 10% less than in Szczecinek. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.