Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tulcea and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Tulcea: $986 a month against $1,354 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Tulcea
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Tulcea Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Tulcea

🇷🇴 Romania

$986

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,354

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $986 in Tulcea versus $1,354 in Bucharest.

Tulcea $986
Bucharest $1,354

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,559 in Tulcea versus $2,043 in Bucharest.

Tulcea $1,559
Bucharest $2,043

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,132 in Tulcea versus $2,733 in Bucharest.

Tulcea $2,132
Bucharest $2,733

Living in Tulcea costs roughly 27% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.70 RON 56.2

$14.66 RON 70.5

-20.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.31 RON 223

$57.7 RON 277

-19.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.87 RON 37.83

$7.52 RON 36.13

4.65%

Cappuccino

$2.07 RON 9.93

$3.56 RON 17.09

-41.85%

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

$2.12 RON 10.17

$2.47 RON 11.88

-14.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 RON 5.10

$2.18 RON 10.50

-51.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.07 RON 9.95

$3.69 RON 17.72

-43.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 RON 9.81

$4.28 RON 20.57

-52.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 RON 7.75

$1.67 RON 8.04

-3.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 RON 4.99

$1.35 RON 6.49

-22.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 RON 6.91

$1.78 RON 8.53

-19.10%

Eggs

$3.16 RON 15.17

$3.56 RON 17.12

-11.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.51 RON 36.11

$9.12 RON 43.84

-17.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 RON 33.10

$6.82 RON 32.76

1.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.10 RON 43.73

$12.13 RON 58.3

-24.98%

Apples (1kg)

$1.35 RON 6.48

$1.26 RON 6.08

7.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 RON 7.86

$1.62 RON 7.80

1.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.42 RON 6.84

$1.56 RON 7.49

-8.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 RON 9.59

$2.54 RON 12.21

-21.65%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 RON 3.54

$0.78 RON 3.76

-5.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.70 RON 3.36

$0.77 RON 3.72

-9.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 RON 3.24

$0.89 RON 4.27

-24.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 RON 3.70

$0.90 RON 4.32

-14.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.42 RON 30.87

$6.55 RON 31.48

-1.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.33 RON 30.44

$6.37 RON 30.60

-0.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 RON 4.83

$1.24 RON 5.97

-19.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 RON 6.83

$1.62 RON 7.79

-12.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 RON 5.14

$0.85 RON 4.10

25.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.84 RON 85.8

$20.71 RON 99.6

-13.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.09

$0.61 RON 2.95

4.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 RON 2.96

$0.61 RON 2.95

1.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.36 RON 30.57

$6.16 RON 29.62

3.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 RON 8.36

$2.00 RON 9.60

-13.00%

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

$28.1K RON 135.1K

$27.9K RON 134.3K

0.61%

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

$24.9K RON 119.6K

$25.3K RON 121.7K

-1.71%

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

$134 RON 643

$192 RON 923

-30.33%

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

$7.76 RON 37.29

$7.92 RON 38.05

-2.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.60 RON 41.32

$8.96 RON 43.05

-4.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.52 RON 151

$49.99 RON 240

-36.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.60 RON 79.8

$24.81 RON 119

-33.09%

Cinema Ticket

$8.32 RON 40.00

$8.51 RON 40.88

-2.23%

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

$319 RON 1,532

$686 RON 3,296

-53.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,187 RON 15.3K

$14.4K RON 69.3K

-77.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.0 RON 250

$90.2 RON 434

-42.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.54 RON 152

$38.74 RON 186

-18.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.1 RON 438

$78.9 RON 379

15.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.8 RON 460

$92.1 RON 442

4.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$343 RON 1,650

$711 RON 3,418

-51.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$274 RON 1,315

$462 RON 2,220

-40.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$585 RON 2,813

$1,053 RON 5,063

-44.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$499 RON 2,397

$723 RON 3,473

-30.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$990 RON 4,759

$3,634 RON 17.5K

-72.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$856 RON 4,112

$2,173 RON 10.4K

-60.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 RON 3,115

$1,354 RON 6,506

-52.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

6.75

1.48%

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

Last update for Tulcea: 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

Tulcea

$274 27.8%

Bucharest

$462 34.1% 68.8% $188

Groceries & Markets

Tulcea

$197 20%

Bucharest

$225 16.6% 13.9% $27

Eating Out

Tulcea

$169 17.2%

Bucharest

$228 16.9% 34.8% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tulcea

$150 15.2%

Bucharest

$209 15.4% 39.1% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Tulcea

$122 12.3%

Bucharest

$135 10% 10.9% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Tulcea

$48 4.9%

Bucharest

$67 5% 39.1% $19

Getting Around

Tulcea

$26 2.6%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 7.6% $2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $343 in Tulcea and $711 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $46 in Tulcea vs $58 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $197 vs $225 per month, with Tulcea cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Tulcea

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

19:13 7:13 PM

Same time as Tulcea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

73,707

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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Between locations

Tulcea Bucharest 230 km

From you

Tulcea
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

Tulcea vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tulcea and Bucharest differ by about 37% in total monthly costs ($986 vs $1,354 including rent). Tulcea is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 52% lower in Tulcea. 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: $343 in Tulcea versus $711 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $986 per month in Tulcea versus $1,354 in Bucharest – a 37% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Tulcea runs roughly 14% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

At $986 in Tulcea versus $1,354 in Bucharest, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Tulcea but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Tulcea 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.

Expats usually find Tulcea gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.