Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Timisoara and Ploiesti

For one person, living is cheaper in Ploiesti: $1,088 a month against $1,158 in Timisoara, rent and utilities included – about $840 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Timisoara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

56

Cost of Living Index in Timisoara
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Timisoara Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Ploiesti
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Ploiesti Living Index

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Timisoara

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,158

/mo nomad

Ploiesti

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,088

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Timisoara and in Ploiesti

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,158 in Timisoara versus $1,088 in Ploiesti.

Timisoara $1,158
Ploiesti $1,088

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,757 in Timisoara versus $1,663 in Ploiesti.

Timisoara $1,757
Ploiesti $1,663

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,355 in Timisoara versus $2,238 in Ploiesti.

Timisoara $2,355
Ploiesti $2,238

Living in Timisoara is roughly 6% more expensive than in Ploiesti, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Timisoara 15% lower, Ploiesti 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.56 RON 49.97

$11.59 RON 54.8

-8.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.44 RON 215

$46.97 RON 222

-3.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.35 RON 39.51

$7.85 RON 37.15

6.37%

Cappuccino

$2.93 RON 13.87

$2.97 RON 14.07

-1.35%

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

$2.14 RON 10.11

$2.13 RON 10.07

0.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 RON 7.85

$2.12 RON 10.01

-21.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.70 RON 12.77

$2.50 RON 11.81

8.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 RON 20.22

$3.32 RON 15.71

28.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 RON 6.58

$1.58 RON 7.46

-12.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 RON 5.71

$1.17 RON 5.54

3.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 RON 6.31

$1.50 RON 7.11

-11.33%

Eggs

$2.81 RON 13.32

$3.24 RON 15.31

-13.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.37 RON 39.61

$7.85 RON 37.15

6.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.09 RON 28.81

$6.60 RON 31.21

-7.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.02 RON 52.2

$9.28 RON 43.90

18.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.15 RON 5.42

$1.30 RON 6.16

-11.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 RON 6.86

$1.73 RON 8.17

-16.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 RON 6.94

$1.38 RON 6.55

6.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 RON 11.07

$2.00 RON 9.47

17.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 RON 3.50

$0.78 RON 3.71

-5.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 RON 4.44

$0.78 RON 3.67

20.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 RON 3.17

$0.69 RON 3.28

-2.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$0.78 RON 3.68

-1.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.17 RON 29.17

$6.44 RON 30.46

-4.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.52 RON 35.58

$6.67 RON 31.58

12.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 RON 5.44

$0.99 RON 4.69

16.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 RON 8.31

$1.40 RON 6.63

25.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 RON 4.85

$0.82 RON 3.90

24.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.21 RON 162

$21.31 RON 101

60.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 RON 4.10

$0.62 RON 2.93

40.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 RON 3.87

$0.64 RON 3.05

28.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.54 RON 40.39

$6.38 RON 30.18

33.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.88 RON 8.90

$1.85 RON 8.77

1.62%

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

$28.8K RON 136.3K

$28.8K RON 136.4K

-0.07%

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

$24.7K RON 116.8K

$25.2K RON 119.1K

-1.94%

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

$168 RON 793

$167 RON 792

0.08%

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

$6.42 RON 30.37

$6.27 RON 29.67

2.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.59 RON 40.62

$8.86 RON 41.91

-3.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.76 RON 183

$43.37 RON 205

-10.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.71 RON 74.3

$21.38 RON 101

-26.52%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 RON 39.10

$8.66 RON 40.98

-4.62%

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

$583 RON 2,757

$399 RON 1,889

45.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,838 RON 41.8K

$5,802 RON 27.5K

52.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.7 RON 349

$73.4 RON 347

0.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.19 RON 190

$42.40 RON 201

-5.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.1 RON 360

$93.5 RON 442

-18.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 RON 419

$97.3 RON 460

-8.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$534 RON 2,528

$421 RON 1,990

27.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$366 RON 1,731

$290 RON 1,371

26.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$843 RON 3,987

$568 RON 2,685

48.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 RON 2,872

$459 RON 2,170

32.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,572 RON 12.2K

$1,967 RON 9,305

30.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,886 RON 8,924

$1,226 RON 5,802

53.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,147 RON 5,427

$993 RON 4,698

15.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.88

7.85

-12.36%

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

Last update for Timisoara: October 17, 2026

Last update for Ploiesti: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Timisoara

$366 31.6%

Ploiesti

$290 26.6% 20.8% $76

Groceries & Markets

Timisoara

$204 17.6%

Ploiesti

$200 18.4% 1.6% $3.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Timisoara

$183 15.8%

Ploiesti

$183 16.8% 0% $0

Eating Out

Timisoara

$182 15.7%

Ploiesti

$188 17.3% 3.4% $6.1

Clothing & Footwear

Timisoara

$125 10.8%

Ploiesti

$138 12.7% 10.1% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Timisoara

$55 4.8%

Ploiesti

$61 5.6% 9.8% $5.4

Getting Around

Timisoara

$43 3.7%

Ploiesti

$28 2.6% 34.2% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $534 in Timisoara and $421 in Ploiesti. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Timisoara pays 16% 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: $45.00 in Timisoara vs $47.00 in Ploiesti. Groceries flip the comparison at $204 vs $200, with Ploiesti cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Timisoara

🇷🇴 Ploiesti

🕒 Local time

19:05 7:05 PM

Same time as Timisoara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

319,279

224,406

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Timisoara Ploiesti 390 km

From you

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 Ploiesti: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ploiesti wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Timisoara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ploiesti the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 16% 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: $534 in Timisoara versus $421 in Ploiesti. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Ploiesti – a meal for two runs $47.00 versus $45.00 in Timisoara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,158 per month in Timisoara versus $1,088 in Ploiesti – a 6% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,088 in Ploiesti versus $1,158 in Timisoara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ploiesti but tight or insufficient in Timisoara. The gap between the two cities makes Ploiesti the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ploiesti delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,088 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ploiesti hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Timisoara and Ploiesti 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 Ploiesti gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Timisoara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.