Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Timisoara and Buzau

For one person, living is cheaper in Buzau: $979 a month against $1,197 in Timisoara, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Timisoara
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Timisoara Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Buzau
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Buzau Living Index

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Timisoara

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,197

/mo nomad

Buzau

🇷🇴 Romania

$979

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Timisoara and in Buzau

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 Buzau actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,197 in Timisoara versus $979 in Buzau.

Timisoara $1,197
Buzau $979

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,776 in Timisoara versus $1,447 in Buzau.

Timisoara $1,776
Buzau $1,447

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,354 in Timisoara versus $1,916 in Buzau.

Timisoara $2,354
Buzau $1,916

Living in Timisoara is roughly 22% more expensive than in Buzau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Timisoara 12% lower, Buzau 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.64 RON 50.7

$10.50 RON 50.0

1.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.12 RON 220

$24.73 RON 118

86.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.44 RON 40.21

$6.34 RON 30.21

33.12%

Cappuccino

$3.02 RON 14.39

$1.95 RON 9.29

54.87%

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

$2.20 RON 10.50

$1.92 RON 9.15

14.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 RON 7.82

$1.45 RON 6.90

13.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.70 RON 12.88

$1.71 RON 8.15

57.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.55

$1.70 RON 8.12

141.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 RON 6.54

$1.66 RON 7.93

-17.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 RON 5.71

$1.28 RON 6.09

-6.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 RON 6.57

$1.43 RON 6.82

-3.50%

Eggs

$2.92 RON 13.90

$3.03 RON 14.45

-3.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.40 RON 40.04

$7.26 RON 34.57

15.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.88 RON 28.03

$6.39 RON 30.44

-7.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.89 RON 51.9

$10.93 RON 52.1

-0.37%

Apples (1kg)

$1.15 RON 5.48

$0.96 RON 4.55

19.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 RON 6.96

$1.70 RON 8.09

-14.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 RON 6.67

$1.10 RON 5.22

27.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.37 RON 11.30

$1.21 RON 5.77

95.87%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.67

$0.64 RON 3.05

20.31%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 RON 4.58

$0.78 RON 3.73

23.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$0.49 RON 2.35

30.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 RON 3.74

$0.67 RON 3.18

16.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.25 RON 29.76

$6.29 RON 29.95

-0.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 RON 35.57

$6.34 RON 30.21

17.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 RON 5.41

$0.79 RON 3.78

44.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 RON 8.34

$1.45 RON 6.92

20.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 RON 5.10

$0.60 RON 2.87

78.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.33 RON 159

$21.71 RON 103

53.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.84 RON 4.02

$0.53 RON 2.54

58.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 RON 4.14

$0.52 RON 2.50

67.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.40 RON 40.02

$6.19 RON 29.50

35.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 RON 9.06

$1.65 RON 7.84

15.15%

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

$28.9K RON 137.6K

$18.9K RON 90.3K

52.45%

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

$24.8K RON 117.9K

$21.1K RON 100.5K

17.30%

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

$168 RON 799

$121 RON 575

39.04%

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

$6.72 RON 32.02

$7.70 RON 36.68

-12.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.47 RON 40.35

$7.63 RON 36.35

11.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.08 RON 191

$32.68 RON 156

22.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.65 RON 74.5

$17.61 RON 83.9

-11.13%

Cinema Ticket

$7.86 RON 37.46

$6.94 RON 33.06

13.26%

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

$583 RON 2,777

$293 RON 1,397

98.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,900 RON 42.4K

$6,804 RON 32.4K

30.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.7 RON 361

$55.3 RON 263

36.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.89 RON 185

$59.4 RON 283

-34.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 RON 359

$97.8 RON 466

-22.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 RON 426

$82.8 RON 394

7.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$568 RON 2,705

$353 RON 1,680

61.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$404 RON 1,923

$292 RON 1,391

38.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$802 RON 3,820

$605 RON 2,883

32.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$600 RON 2,856

$425 RON 2,027

40.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,656 RON 12.7K

$1,478 RON 7,041

79.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,847 RON 8,800

$1,166 RON 5,554

58.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,151 RON 5,485

$854 RON 4,071

34.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.88

6.97

-1.29%

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

Last update for Timisoara: October 25, 2026

Last update for Buzau: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Timisoara

$404 33.7%

Buzau

$292 29.8% 27.7% $112

Groceries & Markets

Timisoara

$202 16.9%

Buzau

$192 19.6% 5.1% $10

Eating Out

Timisoara

$184 15.4%

Buzau

$152 15.5% 17.4% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Timisoara

$183 15.3%

Buzau

$136 13.9% 25.7% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Timisoara

$126 10.5%

Buzau

$133 13.6% 5.6% $7.1

Sport & Entertainment

Timisoara

$56 4.7%

Buzau

$47 4.8% 16.6% $9.3

Getting Around

Timisoara

$43 3.6%

Buzau

$27 2.8% 36.3% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $568 in Timisoara and $353 in Buzau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Timisoara pays 35% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $46 in Timisoara vs $25 in Buzau for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $202 vs $192 per month, with Buzau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Timisoara

🇷🇴 Buzau

🕒 Local time

23:00 11:00 PM

Same time as Timisoara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

319,279

115,494

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Timisoara Buzau 440 km

From you

Timisoara
Buzau

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 Buzau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,197 in Timisoara and $979 in Buzau, so Buzau is about 18% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 35% higher in Timisoara, 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: $568 in Timisoara versus $353 in Buzau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Timisoara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Buzau – a meal for two runs $25 versus $46 in Timisoara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

Expats usually find Buzau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Timisoara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.