Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Worms and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $1,924 in Worms, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Worms
🇩🇪 Germany
$1,924
/mo nomad
Bucharest
🇷🇴 Romania
$1,340
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,924 in Worms versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

  • Worms $1,924
  • Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,948 in Worms versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

  • Worms $2,948
  • Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,973 in Worms versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

  • Worms $3,973
  • Bucharest $2,734

Living in Worms is roughly 43% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Worms is 42% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Worms
Bucharest
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.80 €14.95
$14.49 RON 68.6
15.94%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$83.6 €74.4
$58.1 RON 275
43.98%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.46 €11.09
$7.48 RON 35.40
66.58%
Cappuccino
$3.99 €3.55
$3.44 RON 16.29
15.99%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.96 €3.53
$2.37 RON 11.22
67.09%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.36 €2.99
$2.30 RON 10.88
46.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.35 €4.76
$3.70 RON 17.51
44.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.26 €3.79
$4.16 RON 19.69
2.40%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Worms
Bucharest
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.49 €1.32
$1.67 RON 7.90
-10.78%
White Bread (500g)
$2.13 €1.90
$1.37 RON 6.50
55.47%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.00 €3.56
$1.72 RON 8.14
132.56%
Eggs
$3.34 €2.97
$3.64 RON 17.22
-8.24%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.77 €12.25
$9.08 RON 42.98
51.65%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.99 €8.88
$6.84 RON 32.35
46.05%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$26.24 €23.34
$12.00 RON 56.8
118.67%
Apples (1kg)
$3.20 €2.85
$1.23 RON 5.80
160.16%
Banana (1kg)
$2.19 €1.95
$1.63 RON 7.73
34.36%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.95 €1.73
$1.57 RON 7.45
24.20%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.79 €3.37
$2.54 RON 12.01
49.21%
Potato (1kg)
$1.18 €1.05
$0.79 RON 3.75
49.37%
Onion (1kg)
$1.24 €1.10
$0.77 RON 3.66
61.04%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.52 €1.35
$0.87 RON 4.13
74.71%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.11 €0.99
$0.99 RON 4.70
12.12%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.75 €8.67
$6.31 RON 29.86
54.52%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.71 €5.08
$6.20 RON 29.34
-7.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.13 €1.01
$1.19 RON 5.63
-5.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.48 €1.31
$1.57 RON 7.45
-5.73%
🚌 Getting Around
Worms
Bucharest
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.22 €2.87
$0.86 RON 4.08
274.42%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$67.2 €59.8
$21.10 RON 99.8
218.44%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.13 €3.67
$0.64 RON 3.05
545.31%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.26 €2.01
$0.60 RON 2.86
276.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$36.37 €32.35
$6.43 RON 30.43
465.63%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.21 €1.97
$1.96 RON 9.25
12.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.0K €29.3K
$29.0K RON 137.2K
13.67%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.8K €34.5K
$26.6K RON 126.0K
45.66%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Worms
Bucharest
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$277 €247
$196 RON 927
41.50%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.63 €23.68
$8.04 RON 38.04
231.22%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$38.89 €34.59
$9.35 RON 44.21
315.94%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Worms
Bucharest
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.29 €34.95
$50.2 RON 238
-21.78%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.54 €20.94
$25.33 RON 120
-7.07%
Cinema Ticket
$13.46 €11.97
$8.15 RON 38.55
65.15%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Worms
Bucharest
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$520 €463
$628 RON 2,971
-17.15%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.9K €15.9K
$14.1K RON 66.6K
26.76%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Worms
Bucharest
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$85.4 €76.0
$89.6 RON 424
-4.72%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.65 €30.82
$38.32 RON 181
-9.58%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$95.8 €85.2
$79.3 RON 375
20.80%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$137 €122
$90.4 RON 428
51.70%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Worms
Bucharest
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$796 €708
$678 RON 3,209
17.33%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$639 €569
$448 RON 2,121
42.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,471 €1,308
$1,083 RON 5,125
35.78%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,113 €990
$725 RON 3,430
53.56%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,421 €4,822
$3,751 RON 17.7K
44.51%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,771 €3,354
$2,195 RON 10.4K
71.78%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Worms
Bucharest
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,990 €2,660
$1,329 RON 6,290
124.94%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.62
6.75
-46.37%

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

Last update for Worms: 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
Worms
$639
Bucharest
$448 29.9% $191
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Worms
$343
Bucharest
$213 37.8% $129
Groceries & Markets
Worms
$337
Bucharest
$225 33.2% $112
Eating Out
Worms
$284
Bucharest
$225 20.8% $59
Clothing & Footwear
Worms
$159
Bucharest
$134 15.7% $25
Getting Around
Worms
$96
Bucharest
$28 70.5% $67
Sport & Entertainment
Worms
$66
Bucharest
$67 0.5% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $796 in Worms and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Worms pays 125% 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: $84.0 in Worms vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $337 vs $225 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇩🇪 Worms
🇷🇴 Bucharest
🕒 Local time
00:16 12:16 AM
01:16 1:16 AM
1 h ahead of Worms
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
86,283
1,883,425 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Worms Bucharest 1,460 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Worms
  • 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
Worms vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Worms and in Bucharest?
Worms and Bucharest differ by about 43% in total monthly costs ($1,924 vs $1,340 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Worms or Bucharest?
Average pay runs 125% higher in Worms, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Worms and in Bucharest?
Rent for a central apartment: $796 in Worms versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city is more expensive overall: Worms or Bucharest?
All in, you'll spend $1,924 per month in Worms versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 43% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
How do commuting costs compare in Worms and in Bucharest?
A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 218% less than in Worms. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,924 in Worms, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Worms. The gap between the two cities makes Bucharest the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Worms and Bucharest?
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.
Is Worms or Bucharest safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Worms 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.
Where should expats move: Worms or Bucharest?
Expats usually find Bucharest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Worms. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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