Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tarnow and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Tarnow: $1,177 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Tarnow
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Tarnow Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Tarnow

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,177

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,177 in Tarnow versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Tarnow $1,177
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,635 in Tarnow versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Tarnow $1,635
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,092 in Tarnow versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Tarnow $2,092
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Tarnow costs roughly 12% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tarnow 13% lower, Bucharest 1% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.26 zł 39.87

$14.49 RON 68.6

-29.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.56 zł 99.3

$58.1 RON 275

-56.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.35 zł 24.66

$7.48 RON 35.40

-15.11%

Cappuccino

$2.47 zł 9.58

$3.44 RON 16.29

-28.20%

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

$2.14 zł 8.32

$2.37 RON 11.22

-9.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 zł 5.05

$2.30 RON 10.88

-43.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 zł 14.56

$3.70 RON 17.51

1.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.87 zł 15.05

$4.16 RON 19.69

-6.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 zł 3.91

$1.67 RON 7.90

-39.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 zł 4.60

$1.37 RON 6.50

-13.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 zł 4.83

$1.72 RON 8.14

-27.91%

Eggs

$2.37 zł 9.21

$3.64 RON 17.22

-34.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.56 zł 29.38

$9.08 RON 42.98

-16.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.61 zł 21.79

$6.84 RON 32.35

-17.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.74 zł 37.84

$12.00 RON 56.8

-18.83%

Apples (1kg)

$0.77 zł 3.00

$1.23 RON 5.80

-37.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 zł 5.89

$1.63 RON 7.73

-6.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.24 zł 4.84

$1.57 RON 7.45

-21.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.93 zł 7.49

$2.54 RON 12.01

-24.02%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 zł 2.81

$0.79 RON 3.75

-8.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 zł 3.91

$0.77 RON 3.66

31.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 zł 3.87

$0.87 RON 4.13

14.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 zł 3.09

$0.99 RON 4.70

-20.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.22 zł 16.40

$6.31 RON 29.86

-33.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.50 zł 25.25

$6.20 RON 29.34

4.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 zł 3.46

$1.19 RON 5.63

-25.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 zł 5.43

$1.57 RON 7.45

-10.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 zł 3.59

$0.86 RON 4.08

6.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.92 zł 120

$21.10 RON 99.8

46.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 zł 4.99

$0.64 RON 3.05

100.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 zł 2.90

$0.60 RON 2.86

25.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.13 zł 39.35

$6.43 RON 30.43

57.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 zł 6.23

$1.96 RON 9.25

-18.37%

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

$30.3K zł 117.6K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

4.39%

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

$24.4K zł 94.6K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

-8.55%

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

$243 zł 944

$196 RON 927

24.05%

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

$9.09 zł 35.30

$8.04 RON 38.04

13.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.23 zł 63.1

$9.35 RON 44.21

73.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.28 zł 98.2

$50.2 RON 238

-49.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 zł 44.10

$25.33 RON 120

-55.19%

Cinema Ticket

$4.68 zł 18.18

$8.15 RON 38.55

-42.58%

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

$285 zł 1,108

$628 RON 2,971

-54.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,499 zł 9,711

$14.1K RON 66.6K

-82.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.4 zł 308

$89.6 RON 424

-11.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.23 zł 98.0

$38.32 RON 181

-34.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.9 zł 295

$79.3 RON 375

-4.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 zł 443

$90.4 RON 428

26.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$430 zł 1,669

$678 RON 3,209

-36.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$349 zł 1,357

$448 RON 2,121

-22.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$601 zł 2,337

$1,083 RON 5,125

-44.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$466 zł 1,810

$725 RON 3,430

-35.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,648 zł 10.3K

$3,751 RON 17.7K

-29.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,745 zł 6,781

$2,195 RON 10.4K

-20.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,019 zł 3,960

$1,329 RON 6,290

-23.32%

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 Tarnow: 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

Tarnow

$349 29.7%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 28.4% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tarnow

$268 22.8%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 20.5% $55

Groceries & Markets

Tarnow

$182 15.5%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 23.8% $43

Eating Out

Tarnow

$171 14.5%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 31.7% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Tarnow

$133 11.3%

Bucharest

$134 10% 1% $1.4

Getting Around

Tarnow

$40 3.4%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 28.8% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Tarnow

$35 2.9%

Bucharest

$67 5% 92.1% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $430 in Tarnow and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 30% 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: $26.00 in Tarnow vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $182 vs $225 per month, with Tarnow cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Tarnow

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

21:48 9:48 PM

22:48 10:48 PM

1 h ahead of Tarnow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

106,748

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 17, 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 17, 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

Tarnow Bucharest 730 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Tarnow
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

Tarnow vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tarnow and Bucharest differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($1,177 vs $1,340 including rent). Tarnow is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 30% 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: $430 in Tarnow versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,177 per month in Tarnow versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Tarnow runs roughly 47% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,177 in Tarnow versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tarnow but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Tarnow 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, Tarnow 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 Tarnow gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.