Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zabljak and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Zabljak: $1,128 a month against $1,337 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Zabljak
Learn more

Zabljak Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index

Jump to prices

Zabljak

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,128

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,337

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,128 in Zabljak versus $1,337 in Bucharest.

Zabljak $1,128
Bucharest $1,337

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,769 in Zabljak versus $2,029 in Bucharest.

Zabljak $1,769
Bucharest $2,029

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,410 in Zabljak versus $2,721 in Bucharest.

Zabljak $2,410
Bucharest $2,721

Living in Zabljak costs roughly 16% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Zabljak 17% lower, Bucharest 1% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.95 €7.08

$14.45 RON 68.4

-44.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.82 €28.30

$58.1 RON 275

-45.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.55 €5.82

$7.53 RON 35.65

-13.01%

Cappuccino

$1.63 €1.45

$3.45 RON 16.33

-52.75%

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

$2.24 €2.00

$2.46 RON 11.65

-8.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.23 RON 10.54

-34.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.00 €2.66

$3.76 RON 17.78

-20.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 €3.15

$4.19 RON 19.84

-15.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.62 RON 7.67

-21.60%

White Bread (500g)

$0.65 €0.57

$1.30 RON 6.13

-50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.70 RON 8.05

-22.94%

Eggs

$2.97 €2.64

$3.79 RON 17.93

-21.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.08 €6.30

$8.86 RON 41.90

-20.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.22 €6.42

$6.90 RON 32.67

4.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.23 €10.88

$12.14 RON 57.4

0.74%

Apples (1kg)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.30 RON 6.17

1.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 €1.49

$1.60 RON 7.55

4.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.51 €1.34

$1.57 RON 7.42

-3.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.68 RON 12.67

-47.39%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 €0.58

$0.81 RON 3.82

-19.75%

Onion (1kg)

$0.70 €0.62

$0.79 RON 3.73

-11.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 €0.81

$0.91 RON 4.30

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 €0.86

$0.97 RON 4.58

-1.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.01 €3.57

$6.41 RON 30.34

-37.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.41 €3.92

$6.18 RON 29.24

-28.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.95

$1.23 RON 5.83

-13.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.67 RON 7.91

3.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.63 €1.45

$0.87 RON 4.10

87.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.55 €35.18

$20.98 RON 99.3

88.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 €1.02

$0.66 RON 3.10

72.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$0.60 RON 2.85

6.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.00 €15.12

$6.19 RON 29.28

174.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.93 RON 9.15

-8.29%

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

$29.3K €26.1K

$28.7K RON 135.9K

2.05%

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

$25.6K €22.7K

$26.3K RON 124.6K

-2.93%

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

$113 €101

$196 RON 926

-42.12%

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

$15.02 €13.36

$8.49 RON 40.19

76.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.02 €19.58

$9.05 RON 42.84

143.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.30 €41.18

$49.54 RON 234

-6.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.72 €13.10

$25.03 RON 118

-41.19%

Cinema Ticket

$6.21 €5.53

$8.24 RON 39.01

-24.64%

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

$392 €349

$636 RON 3,007

-38.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,812 €8,728

$14.6K RON 69.0K

-32.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.65 €20.15

$88.5 RON 419

-74.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.47 €24.43

$38.77 RON 183

-29.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.0 €48.89

$78.8 RON 373

-30.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.7 €60.2

$90.6 RON 428

-25.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$645 €573

$695 RON 3,288

-7.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$455 €405

$446 RON 2,109

2.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 €1,135

$1,084 RON 5,130

17.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$937 €834

$712 RON 3,368

31.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,324 €2,956

$3,797 RON 18.0K

-12.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,357 €2,097

$2,202 RON 10.4K

7.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$801 €713

$1,354 RON 6,406

-40.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.95

6.75

-11.85%

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

Last update for Zabljak: October 18, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zabljak

$455 40.3%

Bucharest

$446 33.3% 2% $9.2

Groceries & Markets

Zabljak

$196 17.4%

Bucharest

$225 16.9% 14.9% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zabljak

$150 13.3%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 41.9% $63

Eating Out

Zabljak

$140 12.4%

Bucharest

$226 16.9% 61.4% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Zabljak

$78 6.9%

Bucharest

$133 10% 71.6% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Zabljak

$59 5.2%

Bucharest

$66 4.9% 12.4% $7.3

Getting Around

Zabljak

$50 4.5%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 44.2% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $645 in Zabljak and $695 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 69% 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: $32.00 in Zabljak vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $196 vs $225 per month, with Zabljak cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇪 Zabljak

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

22:22 10:22 PM

23:22 11:22 PM

1 h ahead of Zabljak

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,900

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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Zabljak Bucharest 580 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Zabljak
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

Zabljak vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zabljak and Bucharest differ by about 19% in total monthly costs ($1,128 vs $1,337 including rent). Zabljak is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 69% 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: $645 in Zabljak versus $695 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,128 per month in Zabljak versus $1,337 in Bucharest – a 19% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Zabljak runs roughly 89% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,128 in Zabljak versus $1,337 in Bucharest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Zabljak but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Zabljak 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, Zabljak 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 Zabljak gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.