Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United States and Romania

Name: Romania
Address: RO

For one person, living is cheaper in Romania: $1,133 a month against $2,734 in the United States, rent and utilities included – about $19,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

131

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

Cost of Living Index in Romania
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Romania Living Index

Jump to prices

🇺🇸 United States

$2,734

/mo nomad

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,133

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the United States 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 States and in Romania actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,734 in the United States versus $1,133 in Romania.

United States $2,734
Romania $1,133

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,985 in the United States versus $1,691 in Romania.

United States $3,985
Romania $1,691

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,235 in the United States versus $2,250 in Romania.

United States $5,235
Romania $2,250

Internal cost variation is higher in the United States: monthly costs span $979 to $5,160, compared to $742–$1,423 in Romania. City choice carries more weight in the United States.

Living in the United States is roughly 141% more expensive than in Romania on average.

The United States (101% above) and Romania (17% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.03 $20.03

$10.41 RON 49.74

92.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.0 $80.0

$41.28 RON 197

93.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.80 $11.80

$7.27 RON 34.73

62.31%

Cappuccino

$5.55 $5.55

$2.72 RON 13.00

104.04%

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

$2.66 $2.66

$2.02 RON 9.63

31.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.67 RON 7.97

29.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.12 $6.12

$2.25 RON 10.75

172.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 $7.94

$3.21 RON 15.33

147.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.53 RON 7.30

-32.03%

White Bread (500g)

$3.59 $3.59

$1.15 RON 5.49

212.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$1.59 RON 7.59

184.28%

Eggs

$4.28 $4.28

$3.23 RON 15.45

32.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.22 $13.22

$8.03 RON 38.38

64.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.60 $12.60

$6.39 RON 30.52

97.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.60 $17.60

$10.22 RON 48.85

72.21%

Apples (1kg)

$5.30 $5.30

$1.21 RON 5.80

338.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.54 RON 7.34

9.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$1.54 RON 7.38

188.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$2.10 RON 10.05

127.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.97 $2.97

$0.78 RON 3.75

280.77%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$0.86 RON 4.13

266.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 $2.20

$0.84 RON 4.03

161.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.84 RON 4.01

179.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.98 $10.98

$6.05 RON 28.91

81.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

$6.11 RON 29.22

146.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.10 RON 5.23

87.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.79 $3.79

$1.57 RON 7.50

141.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$0.72 RON 3.42

169.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.4 $59.4

$23.15 RON 111

156.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 $3.58

$0.80 RON 3.81

347.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 $1.88

$0.72 RON 3.46

161.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.84 $29.84

$7.00 RON 33.46

326.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.78 RON 8.52

-42.70%

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

$28.8K $28.8K

$28.7K RON 137.3K

0.07%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$25.3K RON 121.1K

3.39%

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

$218 $218

$160 RON 762

36.63%

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

$62.5 $62.5

$7.98 RON 38.12

682.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.5 $74.5

$8.83 RON 42.22

743.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.86 $41.86

$40.42 RON 193

3.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.81 $22.81

$18.47 RON 88.3

23.50%

Cinema Ticket

$14.70 $14.70

$7.35 RON 35.13

100.00%

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

$1,489 $1,489

$473 RON 2,262

214.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.3K $25.3K

$8,477 RON 40.5K

197.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 $54.3

$69.5 RON 332

-21.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.71 $42.71

$37.71 RON 180

13.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.1 $94.1

$79.6 RON 380

18.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$84.3 RON 403

34.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,659 $1,659

$503 RON 2,405

229.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,348 $1,348

$375 RON 1,794

258.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,682 $2,682

$776 RON 3,708

245.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,169 $2,169

$579 RON 2,765

274.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,283 $3,283

$2,539 RON 12.1K

29.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,482 $2,482

$1,819 RON 8,691

36.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,296 $4,296

$1,001 RON 4,782

329.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

6.98

-6.16%

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

Last update for the United States: October 25, 2026

Last update for Romania: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United States

$1.3K 49.3%

Romania

$375 33.2% 72.1% $972

Groceries & Markets

United States

$415 15.2%

Romania

$203 17.9% 51.1% $212

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United States

$355 13%

Romania

$176 15.6% 50.3% $179

Eating Out

United States

$328 12%

Romania

$170 15% 48.1% $158

Clothing & Footwear

United States

$137 5%

Romania

$122 10.8% 11% $15

Getting Around

United States

$80 2.9%

Romania

$30 2.7% 62% $50

Sport & Entertainment

United States

$71 2.6%

Romania

$55 4.9% 22.7% $16

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,620 in the United States, $387 in Romania. Capital cities: $2,768 in Washington, DC vs $711 in Bucharest.

National salary averages: $4,549 in the United States, $857 in Romania. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 319% higher in the United States.

Dining out costs 83% more in the United States.

Public transport is 186% more expensive in the United States.

Salaries are about 5.3 times higher in the United States, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United States.

Good to know

🇺🇸 United States

🇷🇴 Romania

🕒 Local time

02:54 2:54 AM

09:54 9:54 AM

7 h ahead of the United States

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

340,110,988

19,053,815

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 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).

RON to USD in detail →

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Between locations

United States Romania 8,860 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

United States
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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

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

At $1,133 per month in Romania and $2,734 in the United States, Romania comes out about 59% 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 $1,620 in the United States 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 States 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.