Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Windhoek and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Windhoek: $1,171 a month against $1,351 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Windhoek
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Windhoek Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Windhoek

🇳🇦 Namibia

$1,171

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,171 in Windhoek versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

Windhoek $1,171
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,979 in Windhoek versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

Windhoek $1,979
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,787 in Windhoek versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

Windhoek $2,787
Bucharest $2,715

Living in Windhoek costs roughly 13% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Windhoek is 13% below, Bucharest is 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.46 NAD 189

$14.46 RON 68.4

-20.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.0 NAD 1,040

$57.7 RON 273

9.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.84 NAD 96.4

$7.50 RON 35.46

-22.13%

Cappuccino

$2.35 NAD 38.73

$3.43 RON 16.20

-31.49%

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

$0.87 NAD 14.32

$2.46 RON 11.63

-64.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 NAD 14.41

$2.33 RON 11.01

-62.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 NAD 32.67

$3.80 RON 17.97

-47.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 NAD 34.95

$4.10 RON 19.41

-48.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 NAD 25.27

$1.65 RON 7.79

-7.27%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 NAD 15.62

$1.35 RON 6.39

-29.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 NAD 31.81

$1.78 RON 8.42

8.43%

Eggs

$3.17 NAD 52.3

$3.66 RON 17.33

-13.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.47 NAD 156

$8.57 RON 40.54

10.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.63 NAD 109

$6.80 RON 32.17

-2.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 NAD 125

$11.72 RON 55.4

-35.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 NAD 35.47

$1.29 RON 6.11

66.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 NAD 31.21

$1.56 RON 7.37

21.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 NAD 31.07

$1.54 RON 7.28

22.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 NAD 32.61

$2.48 RON 11.75

-20.16%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 NAD 33.07

$0.83 RON 3.92

140.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 NAD 30.00

$0.80 RON 3.77

127.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 NAD 32.14

$0.84 RON 3.98

132.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 NAD 17.64

$0.93 RON 4.39

15.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.32 NAD 54.8

$6.44 RON 30.45

-48.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.78 NAD 112

$6.32 RON 29.91

7.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 NAD 23.19

$1.26 RON 5.94

11.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 NAD 23.47

$1.60 RON 7.59

-11.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 NAD 12.25

$0.81 RON 3.85

-8.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.69 NAD 803

$21.13 RON 99.9

130.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 NAD 13.50

$0.60 RON 2.86

36.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 NAD 14.34

$0.61 RON 2.91

42.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.56 NAD 257

$6.17 RON 29.19

152.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 NAD 22.10

$1.96 RON 9.27

-31.63%

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

$24.3K NAD 400.3K

$28.1K RON 133.1K

-13.82%

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

$27.1K NAD 447.1K

$26.3K RON 124.3K

3.08%

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

$139 NAD 2,287

$197 RON 931

-29.60%

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

$25.91 NAD 428

$8.34 RON 39.44

210.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 NAD 847

$9.19 RON 43.47

458.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.58 NAD 620

$49.87 RON 236

-24.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.56 NAD 174

$24.99 RON 118

-57.74%

Cinema Ticket

$5.32 NAD 87.7

$8.46 RON 40.01

-37.12%

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

$209 NAD 3,445

$639 RON 3,023

-67.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,376 NAD 88.7K

$14.4K RON 68.1K

-62.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 NAD 890

$90.6 RON 429

-40.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.95 NAD 560

$38.05 RON 180

-10.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.0 NAD 1,501

$79.7 RON 377

14.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.4 NAD 1,574

$93.2 RON 441

2.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 NAD 8,120

$673 RON 3,184

-26.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 NAD 5,885

$449 RON 2,123

-20.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,138 NAD 18.8K

$1,098 RON 5,195

3.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$868 NAD 14.3K

$729 RON 3,448

19.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,615 NAD 26.6K

$3,740 RON 17.7K

-56.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$601 NAD 9,922

$2,189 RON 10.4K

-72.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$989 NAD 16.3K

$1,323 RON 6,259

-25.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

6.74

69.44%

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

Last update for Windhoek: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Windhoek

$357 30.2%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 25.9% $92

Groceries & Markets

Windhoek

$223 18.8%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 0.5% $1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Windhoek

$216 18.3%

Bucharest

$214 16% 0.7% $1.5

Eating Out

Windhoek

$159 13.4%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 42.4% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Windhoek

$123 10.4%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 10% $12

Getting Around

Windhoek

$57 4.8%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 50.6% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Windhoek

$48 4.1%

Bucharest

$67 5% 38.5% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $492 in Windhoek and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 34% 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: $63.0 in Windhoek vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $223 vs $222 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇦 Windhoek

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

05:45 5:45 AM

06:45 6:45 AM

1 h ahead of Windhoek

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

322,500 Capital

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Namibian Dollar NAD $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 NAD = 6.06 USD

100 NAD = 5.4 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to NAD – Namibian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇦 Namibian Dollar ($)

Namibian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 NAD (100 NAD = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.51 NAD (100 NAD = 5.4 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

USD to NAD in detail →

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Between locations

Windhoek Bucharest 7,500 km ≈ 10 h 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

Windhoek vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Windhoek and Bucharest differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($1,171 vs $1,351 including rent). Windhoek is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 34% lower in Bucharest. 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: $492 in Windhoek versus $673 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,171 per month in Windhoek versus $1,351 in Bucharest – a 15% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Windhoek runs roughly 130% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,171 in Windhoek versus $1,351 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Windhoek but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Windhoek 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 Windhoek gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.