Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Szekesfehervar and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Szekesfehervar: $1,092 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Szekesfehervar
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Szekesfehervar Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Szekesfehervar

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,092

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,092 in Szekesfehervar versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Szekesfehervar $1,092
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,793 in Szekesfehervar versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Szekesfehervar $1,793
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,494 in Szekesfehervar versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Szekesfehervar $2,494
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Szekesfehervar costs roughly 19% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Szekesfehervar 19% lower, Bucharest 1% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.28 Ft 2,998

$14.49 RON 68.6

-35.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.0 Ft 18.4K

$58.1 RON 275

-1.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.35 Ft 2,696

$7.48 RON 35.40

11.63%

Cappuccino

$2.15 Ft 695

$3.44 RON 16.29

-37.50%

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

$1.42 Ft 458

$2.37 RON 11.22

-40.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 Ft 346

$2.30 RON 10.88

-53.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.01 Ft 650

$3.70 RON 17.51

-45.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 Ft 717

$4.16 RON 19.69

-46.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 Ft 394

$1.67 RON 7.90

-26.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 Ft 435

$1.37 RON 6.50

-1.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 Ft 812

$1.72 RON 8.14

45.93%

Eggs

$3.37 Ft 1,089

$3.64 RON 17.22

-7.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 Ft 3,476

$9.08 RON 42.98

18.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.18 Ft 1,997

$6.84 RON 32.35

-9.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.27 Ft 5,256

$12.00 RON 56.8

35.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 Ft 696

$1.23 RON 5.80

74.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 Ft 728

$1.63 RON 7.73

38.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 Ft 640

$1.57 RON 7.45

26.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.15 Ft 1,018

$2.54 RON 12.01

24.02%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 Ft 318

$0.79 RON 3.75

24.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 Ft 350

$0.77 RON 3.66

40.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 Ft 533

$0.87 RON 4.13

89.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 Ft 157

$0.99 RON 4.70

-50.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.40 Ft 2,067

$6.31 RON 29.86

1.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.07 Ft 993

$6.20 RON 29.34

-50.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 Ft 405

$1.19 RON 5.63

5.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 Ft 653

$1.57 RON 7.45

28.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.23 Ft 399

$0.86 RON 4.08

43.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.59 Ft 8,589

$21.10 RON 99.8

26.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.97 Ft 960

$0.64 RON 3.05

364.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.73 Ft 558

$0.60 RON 2.86

188.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.60 Ft 6,011

$6.43 RON 30.43

189.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 Ft 613

$1.96 RON 9.25

-3.06%

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

$29.7K Ft 9.6M

$29.0K RON 137.2K

2.30%

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

$30.8K Ft 10.0M

$26.6K RON 126.0K

15.69%

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

$129 Ft 41.5K

$196 RON 927

-34.35%

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

$26.81 Ft 8,662

$8.04 RON 38.04

233.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.60 Ft 6,333

$9.35 RON 44.21

109.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.64 Ft 15.1K

$50.2 RON 238

-7.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

Cinema Ticket

$8.73 Ft 2,819

$8.15 RON 38.55

7.12%

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

$244 Ft 78.9K

$628 RON 2,971

-61.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,665 Ft 2.2M

$14.1K RON 66.6K

-52.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.1 Ft 22.6K

$89.6 RON 424

-21.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.67 Ft 7,970

$38.32 RON 181

-35.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.5 Ft 24.7K

$79.3 RON 375

-3.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.0 Ft 27.5K

$90.4 RON 428

-5.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$395 Ft 127.7K

$678 RON 3,209

-41.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$302 Ft 97.5K

$448 RON 2,121

-32.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$614 Ft 198.5K

$1,083 RON 5,125

-43.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$653 Ft 210.9K

$725 RON 3,430

-9.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,394 Ft 1.1M

$3,751 RON 17.7K

-9.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,080 Ft 995.0K

$2,195 RON 10.4K

40.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,456 Ft 470.5K

$1,329 RON 6,290

9.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

6.75

-1.19%

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

Last update for Szekesfehervar: 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

Szekesfehervar

$302 27.6%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 48.6% $147

Groceries & Markets

Szekesfehervar

$243 22.3%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 7.5% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Szekesfehervar

$175 16%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 21.9% $38

Eating Out

Szekesfehervar

$150 13.7%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 50.6% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Szekesfehervar

$115 10.6%

Bucharest

$134 10% 16.1% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Szekesfehervar

$64 5.9%

Bucharest

$67 5% 3.8% $2.4

Getting Around

Szekesfehervar

$43 4%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 34.6% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $395 in Szekesfehervar and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Szekesfehervar pays 10% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $57.0 in Szekesfehervar vs $58.0 in Bucharest. Groceries flip the comparison at $243 vs $225, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Szekesfehervar

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

20:47 8:47 PM

21:47 9:47 PM

1 h ahead of Szekesfehervar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

96,024

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Szekesfehervar Bucharest 670 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Szekesfehervar
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

Szekesfehervar vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Szekesfehervar and Bucharest differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($1,092 vs $1,340 including rent). Szekesfehervar is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 10% higher in Szekesfehervar, 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: $395 in Szekesfehervar versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,092 per month in Szekesfehervar versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Szekesfehervar runs roughly 26% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,092 in Szekesfehervar versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Szekesfehervar but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Szekesfehervar 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, Szekesfehervar 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 Szekesfehervar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.