Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zlin and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $1,757 in Zlin, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Zlin
Learn more

Zlin Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index

Jump to prices

Zlin

🇨🇿 Czech Republic

$1,757

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,757 in Zlin versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Zlin $1,757
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,402 in Zlin versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Zlin $2,402
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,047 in Zlin versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Zlin $3,047
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Zlin is roughly 31% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Zlin is 30% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.28 Kč 201

$14.49 RON 68.6

-35.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.10 Kč 781

$58.1 RON 275

-37.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.22 Kč 135

$7.48 RON 35.40

-16.84%

Cappuccino

$3.15 Kč 68.1

$3.44 RON 16.29

-8.43%

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

$2.01 Kč 43.36

$2.37 RON 11.22

-15.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 Kč 34.92

$2.30 RON 10.88

-30.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 Kč 50.8

$3.70 RON 17.51

-36.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 Kč 61.2

$4.16 RON 19.69

-31.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 Kč 21.93

$1.67 RON 7.90

-39.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 Kč 26.93

$1.37 RON 6.50

-8.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 Kč 48.10

$1.72 RON 8.14

29.07%

Eggs

$3.50 Kč 75.7

$3.64 RON 17.22

-3.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.53 Kč 293

$9.08 RON 42.98

49.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 Kč 209

$6.84 RON 32.35

41.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.95 Kč 302

$12.00 RON 56.8

16.25%

Apples (1kg)

$1.58 Kč 34.27

$1.23 RON 5.80

28.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 Kč 37.72

$1.63 RON 7.73

6.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 Kč 43.48

$1.57 RON 7.45

28.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.61 Kč 78.1

$2.54 RON 12.01

42.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 Kč 22.65

$0.79 RON 3.75

32.91%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 Kč 19.94

$0.77 RON 3.66

19.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 Kč 31.63

$0.87 RON 4.13

67.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 Kč 13.77

$0.99 RON 4.70

-35.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.24 Kč 157

$6.31 RON 29.86

14.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.59 Kč 143

$6.20 RON 29.34

6.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 Kč 18.13

$1.19 RON 5.63

-29.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 Kč 41.03

$1.57 RON 7.45

21.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.78 Kč 16.89

$0.86 RON 4.08

-9.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.60 Kč 597

$21.10 RON 99.8

30.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 Kč 58.0

$0.64 RON 3.05

318.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 Kč 34.22

$0.60 RON 2.86

163.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.53 Kč 336

$6.43 RON 30.43

141.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 Kč 38.44

$1.96 RON 9.25

-9.18%

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

$30.1K Kč 652.0K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

3.97%

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

$29.8K Kč 644.1K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

11.81%

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

$345 Kč 7,468

$196 RON 927

76.28%

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

$20.90 Kč 452

$8.04 RON 38.04

159.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.95 Kč 431

$9.35 RON 44.21

113.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.3 Kč 1,087

$50.2 RON 238

0.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.45 Kč 248

$25.33 RON 120

-54.80%

Cinema Ticket

$10.57 Kč 229

$8.15 RON 38.55

29.69%

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

$254 Kč 5,490

$628 RON 2,971

-59.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,344 Kč 115.6K

$14.1K RON 66.6K

-62.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$110 Kč 2,375

$89.6 RON 424

22.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.95 Kč 734

$38.32 RON 181

-11.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 Kč 2,779

$79.3 RON 375

62.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 Kč 2,394

$90.4 RON 428

22.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$791 Kč 17.1K

$678 RON 3,209

16.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$663 Kč 14.3K

$448 RON 2,121

47.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 Kč 24.8K

$1,083 RON 5,125

5.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$898 Kč 19.4K

$725 RON 3,430

23.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,936 Kč 106.7K

$3,751 RON 17.7K

31.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,422 Kč 74.0K

$2,195 RON 10.4K

55.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,466 Kč 31.7K

$1,329 RON 6,290

10.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

6.75

-21.04%

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

Last update for Zlin: October 10, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zlin

$663 37.7%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 32.4% $214

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zlin

$386 22%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 44.8% $173

Groceries & Markets

Zlin

$260 14.8%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 13.6% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Zlin

$172 9.8%

Bucharest

$134 10% 22.3% $38

Eating Out

Zlin

$163 9.3%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 38.6% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Zlin

$71 4.1%

Bucharest

$67 5% 6.8% $4.9

Getting Around

Zlin

$41 2.4%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 31.7% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $791 in Zlin and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zlin pays 10% 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: $36.00 in Zlin vs $58.0 in Bucharest. Groceries flip the comparison at $260 vs $225, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇿 Zlin

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

18:44 6:44 PM

19:44 7:44 PM

1 h ahead of Zlin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,870

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Czech Koruna CZK Kč

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 CZK = 4.62 USD

100 CZK = 4.11 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to CZK – Czech Koruna Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇿 Czech Koruna (Kč)

Czech Koruna exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 21.63 CZK (100 CZK = 4.62 USD). 1 EUR = 24.31 CZK (100 CZK = 4.11 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to CZK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Zlin Bucharest 830 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Zlin
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

Zlin vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zlin and Bucharest differ by about 31% in total monthly costs ($1,757 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 10% higher in Zlin, 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: $791 in Zlin versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,757 per month in Zlin versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 31% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 31% less than in Zlin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,757 in Zlin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Zlin. 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, Zlin 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 31% less than in Zlin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.