Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varese and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $2,082 in Varese, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in Varese
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Varese Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Varese

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,082

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,082 in Varese versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Varese $2,082
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,466 in Varese versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Varese $3,466
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,849 in Varese versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Varese $4,849
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Varese is roughly 55% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Varese is 54% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.07 €19.63

$14.49 RON 68.6

52.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 €89.9

$58.1 RON 275

74.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.91 €12.37

$7.48 RON 35.40

85.96%

Cappuccino

$2.20 €1.95

$3.44 RON 16.29

-36.05%

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

$3.50 €3.11

$2.37 RON 11.22

47.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 €1.51

$2.30 RON 10.88

-26.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.56 €5.84

$3.70 RON 17.51

77.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.60 €5.87

$4.16 RON 19.69

58.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.67 RON 7.90

2.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.59 €2.30

$1.37 RON 6.50

89.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.44 €3.06

$1.72 RON 8.14

100.00%

Eggs

$5.11 €4.55

$3.64 RON 17.22

40.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$31.18 €27.73

$9.08 RON 42.98

243.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.83 €11.41

$6.84 RON 32.35

87.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$27.34 €24.32

$12.00 RON 56.8

127.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$1.23 RON 5.80

129.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.79 €2.48

$1.63 RON 7.73

71.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.94 €2.62

$1.57 RON 7.45

87.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 €2.91

$2.54 RON 12.01

28.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.60 €2.31

$0.79 RON 3.75

229.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 €1.98

$0.77 RON 3.66

189.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 €2.05

$0.87 RON 4.13

165.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 €0.56

$0.99 RON 4.70

-36.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.01 €7.12

$6.31 RON 29.86

26.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.74 €7.78

$6.20 RON 29.34

40.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 €1.48

$1.19 RON 5.63

40.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 €1.44

$1.57 RON 7.45

3.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.57 €2.29

$0.86 RON 4.08

198.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.71 €44.21

$21.10 RON 99.8

135.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.60 €4.98

$0.64 RON 3.05

775.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.28 €2.03

$0.60 RON 2.86

280.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.25 €34.92

$6.43 RON 30.43

510.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 €1.90

$1.96 RON 9.25

9.18%

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

$36.5K €32.5K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

25.99%

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

$34.4K €30.6K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

29.17%

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

$220 €196

$196 RON 927

12.44%

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

$12.94 €11.51

$8.04 RON 38.04

60.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.30 €28.73

$9.35 RON 44.21

245.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.0 €48.89

$50.2 RON 238

9.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.63 €21.91

$25.33 RON 120

-2.76%

Cinema Ticket

$11.17 €9.94

$8.15 RON 38.55

37.06%

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

$733 €652

$628 RON 2,971

16.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,069 €6,288

$14.1K RON 66.6K

-49.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 €95.3

$89.6 RON 424

19.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 €50.5

$38.32 RON 181

48.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 €117

$79.3 RON 375

65.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$166 €148

$90.4 RON 428

83.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$942 €838

$678 RON 3,209

38.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$709 €631

$448 RON 2,121

58.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,718 €1,528

$1,083 RON 5,125

58.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,603 €1,426

$725 RON 3,430

121.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,525 €2,246

$3,751 RON 17.7K

-32.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,707 €1,519

$2,195 RON 10.4K

-22.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,391 €2,127

$1,329 RON 6,290

79.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.73

6.75

-44.74%

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

Last update for Varese: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Varese

$709 34.1%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 36.8% $261

Groceries & Markets

Varese

$434 20.8%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 48.1% $209

Eating Out

Varese

$311 15%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 27.7% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varese

$266 12.8%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 19.7% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Varese

$208 10%

Bucharest

$134 10% 35.5% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Varese

$77 3.7%

Bucharest

$67 5% 13.9% $11

Getting Around

Varese

$77 3.7%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 63.4% $49

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $942 in Varese and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Varese pays 80% 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: $101 in Varese vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $434 vs $225 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Varese

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

18:13 6:13 PM

19:13 7:13 PM

1 h ahead of Varese

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

80,511

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Varese Bucharest 1,360 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

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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

Varese vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Varese and Bucharest differ by about 55% in total monthly costs ($2,082 vs $1,340 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 80% higher in Varese, 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: $942 in Varese versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,082 per month in Varese versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 55% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 136% less than in Varese. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $2,082 in Varese, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Varese. The gap between the two cities makes Bucharest 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.

Safety-wise, Varese and Bucharest 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 Bucharest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Varese. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.