Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Timisoara and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Timisoara: $1,197 a month against $1,354 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Timisoara
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Timisoara Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Timisoara

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,197

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,354

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,197 in Timisoara versus $1,354 in Bucharest.

Timisoara $1,197
Bucharest $1,354

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,776 in Timisoara versus $2,043 in Bucharest.

Timisoara $1,776
Bucharest $2,043

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,354 in Timisoara versus $2,733 in Bucharest.

Timisoara $2,354
Bucharest $2,733

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.64 RON 51.2

$14.66 RON 70.5

-27.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.12 RON 222

$57.7 RON 277

-20.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.44 RON 40.57

$7.52 RON 36.14

12.23%

Cappuccino

$3.02 RON 14.52

$3.56 RON 17.09

-15.17%

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

$2.20 RON 10.59

$2.47 RON 11.88

-10.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 RON 7.89

$2.18 RON 10.50

-24.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.70 RON 13.00

$3.69 RON 17.73

-26.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.72

$4.28 RON 20.57

-4.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 RON 6.60

$1.67 RON 8.04

-17.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 RON 5.76

$1.35 RON 6.49

-11.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 RON 6.63

$1.78 RON 8.53

-22.47%

Eggs

$2.92 RON 14.02

$3.56 RON 17.12

-17.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.40 RON 40.40

$9.12 RON 43.86

-7.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.88 RON 28.28

$6.82 RON 32.77

-13.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.89 RON 52.3

$12.13 RON 58.3

-10.22%

Apples (1kg)

$1.15 RON 5.53

$1.26 RON 6.08

-8.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 RON 7.02

$1.62 RON 7.80

-9.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 RON 6.73

$1.56 RON 7.49

-10.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.37 RON 11.40

$2.54 RON 12.21

-6.69%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.71

$0.78 RON 3.76

-1.28%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 RON 4.62

$0.77 RON 3.72

24.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 RON 3.08

$0.89 RON 4.27

-28.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 RON 3.77

$0.90 RON 4.32

-13.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.25 RON 30.03

$6.55 RON 31.49

-4.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 RON 35.89

$6.37 RON 30.60

17.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 RON 5.46

$1.24 RON 5.98

-8.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 RON 8.41

$1.62 RON 7.80

8.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 RON 5.14

$0.85 RON 4.11

25.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.33 RON 160

$20.71 RON 99.6

60.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.84 RON 4.06

$0.61 RON 2.95

37.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 RON 4.18

$0.61 RON 2.95

42.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.40 RON 40.38

$6.16 RON 29.62

36.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 RON 9.15

$2.00 RON 9.60

-5.00%

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

$28.9K RON 138.8K

$27.9K RON 134.4K

3.33%

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

$24.8K RON 119.0K

$25.3K RON 121.7K

-2.27%

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

$168 RON 806

$192 RON 923

-12.66%

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

$6.72 RON 32.30

$7.92 RON 38.06

-15.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.47 RON 40.71

$8.96 RON 43.06

-5.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.08 RON 193

$49.99 RON 240

-19.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.65 RON 75.2

$24.81 RON 119

-36.92%

Cinema Ticket

$7.86 RON 37.80

$8.51 RON 40.90

-7.64%

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

$583 RON 2,802

$686 RON 3,297

-15.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,900 RON 42.8K

$14.4K RON 69.3K

-38.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.7 RON 364

$90.2 RON 434

-16.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.89 RON 187

$38.74 RON 186

0.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 RON 363

$78.9 RON 379

-4.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 RON 429

$92.1 RON 443

-2.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$568 RON 2,729

$711 RON 3,419

-20.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$404 RON 1,941

$462 RON 2,220

-12.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$802 RON 3,855

$1,053 RON 5,064

-23.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$600 RON 2,882

$723 RON 3,474

-17.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,656 RON 12.8K

$3,634 RON 17.5K

-26.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,847 RON 8,879

$2,173 RON 10.4K

-14.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,151 RON 5,534

$1,354 RON 6,508

-14.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.88

6.75

1.93%

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

Last update for Timisoara: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Timisoara

$404 33.7%

Bucharest

$462 34.1% 14.4% $58

Groceries & Markets

Timisoara

$202 16.9%

Bucharest

$225 16.6% 11% $22

Eating Out

Timisoara

$184 15.4%

Bucharest

$228 16.9% 24.1% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Timisoara

$183 15.3%

Bucharest

$209 15.4% 14.2% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Timisoara

$126 10.5%

Bucharest

$135 10% 7.4% $9.3

Sport & Entertainment

Timisoara

$56 4.7%

Bucharest

$67 5% 20.1% $11

Getting Around

Timisoara

$43 3.6%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 35% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $568 in Timisoara and $711 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 18% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $46 in Timisoara vs $58 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $202 vs $225 per month, with Timisoara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Timisoara

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

12:49 12:49 PM

Same time as Timisoara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

319,279

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Timisoara Bucharest 410 km

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Timisoara
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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

Timisoara vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Timisoara and Bucharest differ by about 13% in total monthly costs ($1,197 vs $1,354 including rent). Timisoara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 15% lower in Timisoara. 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: $568 in Timisoara versus $711 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,197 per month in Timisoara versus $1,354 in Bucharest – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 38% less than in Timisoara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Timisoara gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Timisoara wins on affordability, Bucharest on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.