Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zgorzelec and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,337 a month against $1,412 in Zgorzelec, rent and utilities included – about $900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Zgorzelec outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

69

Cost of Living Index in Zgorzelec
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Zgorzelec Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Zgorzelec

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,412

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,337

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,412 in Zgorzelec versus $1,337 in Bucharest.

Zgorzelec $1,412
Bucharest $1,337

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,062 in Zgorzelec versus $2,029 in Bucharest.

Zgorzelec $2,062
Bucharest $2,029

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,712 in Zgorzelec versus $2,721 in Bucharest.

Zgorzelec $2,712
Bucharest $2,721

Living in Zgorzelec is roughly 6% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Zgorzelec is 4% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.96 zł 34.83

$14.45 RON 68.4

-37.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.8 zł 197

$58.1 RON 275

-12.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.65 zł 29.70

$7.53 RON 35.65

1.59%

Cappuccino

$3.09 zł 12.02

$3.45 RON 16.33

-10.43%

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

$0.88 zł 3.40

$2.46 RON 11.65

-64.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 zł 6.09

$2.23 RON 10.54

-29.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.49 zł 5.77

$3.76 RON 17.78

-60.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 zł 7.79

$4.19 RON 19.84

-52.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 zł 3.52

$1.62 RON 7.67

-43.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 zł 4.67

$1.30 RON 6.13

-7.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 zł 5.54

$1.70 RON 8.05

-15.88%

Eggs

$3.60 zł 13.97

$3.79 RON 17.93

-5.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.70 zł 33.79

$8.86 RON 41.90

-1.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.13 zł 23.83

$6.90 RON 32.67

-11.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 zł 51.2

$12.14 RON 57.4

8.57%

Apples (1kg)

$0.86 zł 3.32

$1.30 RON 6.17

-33.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 zł 6.04

$1.60 RON 7.55

-3.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 zł 6.53

$1.57 RON 7.42

7.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 zł 5.81

$2.68 RON 12.67

-44.03%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 zł 2.57

$0.81 RON 3.82

-18.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 zł 3.91

$0.79 RON 3.73

27.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 zł 4.76

$0.91 RON 4.30

35.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 zł 2.68

$0.97 RON 4.58

-28.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.72 zł 18.35

$6.41 RON 30.34

-26.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.56 zł 29.36

$6.18 RON 29.24

22.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 zł 3.39

$1.23 RON 5.83

-29.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 zł 5.45

$1.67 RON 7.91

-16.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.05 zł 4.07

$0.87 RON 4.10

20.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.83 zł 120

$20.98 RON 99.3

46.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.23 zł 8.66

$0.66 RON 3.10

237.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 zł 3.85

$0.60 RON 2.85

65.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.86 zł 49.96

$6.19 RON 29.28

107.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.67 zł 6.47

$1.93 RON 9.15

-13.47%

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

$30.9K zł 119.9K

$28.7K RON 135.9K

7.38%

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

$26.7K zł 103.9K

$26.3K RON 124.6K

1.59%

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

$295 zł 1,147

$196 RON 926

50.98%

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

$7.65 zł 29.71

$8.49 RON 40.19

-9.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.94 zł 73.6

$9.05 RON 42.84

109.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.09 zł 148

$49.54 RON 234

-23.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.82 zł 84.8

$25.03 RON 118

-12.82%

Cinema Ticket

$7.55 zł 29.35

$8.24 RON 39.01

-8.37%

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

$483 zł 1,875

$636 RON 3,007

-24.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,429 zł 28.9K

$14.6K RON 69.0K

-49.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.2 zł 300

$88.5 RON 419

-12.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.43 zł 145

$38.77 RON 183

-3.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.4 zł 332

$78.8 RON 373

8.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 zł 420

$90.6 RON 428

19.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$603 zł 2,341

$695 RON 3,288

-13.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$498 zł 1,935

$446 RON 2,109

11.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 zł 3,860

$1,084 RON 5,130

-8.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$815 zł 3,168

$712 RON 3,368

14.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,924 zł 11.4K

$3,797 RON 18.0K

-22.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,192 zł 8,515

$2,202 RON 10.4K

-0.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,356 zł 5,270

$1,354 RON 6,406

0.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

6.75

-1.78%

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

Last update for Zgorzelec: October 19, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zgorzelec

$498 35.3%

Bucharest

$446 33.3% 10.5% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zgorzelec

$322 22.8%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 33.8% $109

Groceries & Markets

Zgorzelec

$205 14.5%

Bucharest

$225 16.9% 10.2% $21

Eating Out

Zgorzelec

$153 10.8%

Bucharest

$226 16.9% 47.4% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Zgorzelec

$139 9.8%

Bucharest

$133 10% 3.7% $5.2

Sport & Entertainment

Zgorzelec

$53 3.8%

Bucharest

$66 4.9% 24.1% $13

Getting Around

Zgorzelec

$42 3%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 33.4% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $603 in Zgorzelec and $695 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zgorzelec pays 0% 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: $51.0 in Zgorzelec vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $205 vs $225 per month, with Zgorzelec cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Zgorzelec

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

18:50 6:50 PM

19:50 7:50 PM

1 h ahead of Zgorzelec

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,534

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.257 USD

1 PLN = 0.229 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to PLN – Polish Złoty Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇱 Polish Złoty (zł)

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3.89 PLN (1 PLN = 0.257 USD). 1 EUR = 4.37 PLN (1 PLN = 0.229 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to PLN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Zgorzelec Bucharest 1,110 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Zgorzelec
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

Zgorzelec vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zgorzelec and Bucharest differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($1,412 vs $1,337 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 0% higher in Zgorzelec, 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: $603 in Zgorzelec versus $695 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,412 per month in Zgorzelec versus $1,337 in Bucharest – a 6% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 47% less than in Zgorzelec. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,337 in Bucharest versus $1,412 in Zgorzelec, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Zgorzelec. 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, Zgorzelec 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 6% less than in Zgorzelec. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.