Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United Kingdom and Romania

Name: Romania
Address: RO

For one person, living is cheaper in Romania: $1,133 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Romania
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Romania Living Index

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🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,133

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the United Kingdom and in Romania

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in the United Kingdom and in Romania actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,462 in the United Kingdom versus $1,133 in Romania.

United Kingdom $2,462
Romania $1,133

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,600 in the United Kingdom versus $1,691 in Romania.

United Kingdom $3,600
Romania $1,691

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,738 in the United Kingdom versus $2,250 in Romania.

United Kingdom $4,738
Romania $2,250

Internal cost variation is higher in the United Kingdom: monthly costs span $1,126 to $4,646, compared to $742–$1,423 in Romania. City choice carries more weight in the United Kingdom.

Living in the United Kingdom is roughly 117% more expensive than in Romania on average.

The United Kingdom (81% above) and Romania (17% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.48 £16.04

$10.41 RON 49.74

106.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.7 £64.0

$41.28 RON 197

107.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 £7.92

$7.27 RON 34.73

45.94%

Cappuccino

$4.91 £3.67

$2.72 RON 13.00

80.51%

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

$2.66 £1.99

$2.02 RON 9.63

31.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.39

$1.67 RON 7.97

11.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.63 £4.95

$2.25 RON 10.75

194.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 £5.11

$3.21 RON 15.33

113.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.25

$1.53 RON 7.30

9.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 £1.28

$1.15 RON 5.49

49.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 £1.62

$1.59 RON 7.59

36.48%

Eggs

$4.00 £2.99

$3.23 RON 15.45

23.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 £7.03

$8.03 RON 38.38

17.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 £6.86

$6.39 RON 30.52

43.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 £11.03

$10.22 RON 48.85

44.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 £2.21

$1.21 RON 5.80

145.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 £1.21

$1.54 RON 7.34

5.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 £2.13

$1.54 RON 7.38

85.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 £2.63

$2.10 RON 10.05

67.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 £1.37

$0.78 RON 3.75

134.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 £1.20

$0.86 RON 4.13

87.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.93

$0.84 RON 4.03

48.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.24

$0.84 RON 4.01

97.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.65 £17.66

$6.05 RON 28.91

290.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 £7.84

$6.11 RON 29.22

71.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 £2.23

$1.10 RON 5.23

170.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 £2.62

$1.57 RON 7.50

123.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 £2.97

$0.72 RON 3.42

452.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 £80.2

$23.15 RON 111

364.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 £3.87

$0.80 RON 3.81

547.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 £1.75

$0.72 RON 3.46

226.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.84 £20.04

$7.00 RON 33.46

283.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.48

$1.78 RON 8.52

11.80%

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

$39.4K £29.5K

$28.7K RON 137.3K

37.29%

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

$40.5K £30.2K

$25.3K RON 121.1K

59.71%

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

$327 £244

$160 RON 762

105.09%

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

$18.21 £13.60

$7.98 RON 38.12

128.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.60 £32.56

$8.83 RON 42.22

393.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.36 £31.63

$40.42 RON 193

4.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.22 £13.60

$18.47 RON 88.3

-1.35%

Cinema Ticket

$13.85 £10.34

$7.35 RON 35.13

88.44%

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

$1,868 £1,395

$473 RON 2,262

294.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K £16.9K

$8,477 RON 40.5K

166.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 £69.4

$69.5 RON 332

33.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.92 £34.29

$37.71 RON 180

21.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £75.9

$79.6 RON 380

27.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 £76.3

$84.3 RON 403

21.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 £1,002

$503 RON 2,405

166.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,073 £801

$375 RON 1,794

185.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,231 £1,666

$776 RON 3,708

187.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,742 £1,301

$579 RON 2,765

201.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,601 £4,182

$2,539 RON 12.1K

120.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,265 £3,185

$1,819 RON 8,691

134.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,349 £2,501

$1,001 RON 4,782

234.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

6.98

-23.78%

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

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Last update for Romania: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6%

Romania

$375 33.2% 65% $698

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United Kingdom

$389 15.8%

Romania

$176 15.6% 54.7% $213

Eating Out

United Kingdom

$328 13.3%

Romania

$170 15% 48.1% $157

Groceries & Markets

United Kingdom

$307 12.5%

Romania

$203 17.9% 33.9% $104

Clothing & Footwear

United Kingdom

$154 6.3%

Romania

$122 10.8% 20.9% $32

Getting Around

United Kingdom

$140 5.7%

Romania

$30 2.7% 78.3% $110

Sport & Entertainment

United Kingdom

$70 2.9%

Romania

$55 4.9% 21.3% $15

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,287 in the United Kingdom, $387 in Romania. Capital cities: $2,811 in London vs $711 in Bucharest.

National salary averages: $3,251 in the United Kingdom, $857 in Romania. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 233% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 102% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 359% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are about 3.8 times higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇷🇴 Romania

🕒 Local time

16:09 4:09 PM

18:09 6:09 PM

2 h ahead of the United Kingdom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,326,569

19,053,815

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 4.78 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

United Kingdom Romania 2,090 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

United Kingdom
Romania

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

United Kingdom vs Romania: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,133 per month in Romania and $2,462 in the United Kingdom, Romania comes out about 54% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Romania: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,287 in the United Kingdom and $387 in Romania. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Romania, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in the United Kingdom it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you’re after: Romania wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.