Cost of living comparison

compared to

Bucharest vs. China Cost of Living Summary

Bucharest is 2.1 times more expensive than China overall.

Restaurants
pay 4.7 times more in Bucharest
Groceries
pay 44.4% more in Bucharest
Transportation
pay 41.9% more in Bucharest
Housing
pay 2.2 times more in Bucharest
Childcare
pay 32.2% more in Bucharest
Entertainment and Sports
pay 85.4% more in Bucharest
Clothing
pay 51.2% more in Bucharest

The cost of restaurants, housing, entertainment and sports, clothing, groceries, and transportation in Bucharest are more expensive than in China. Notably, restaurants, housing, and entertainment and sports are significantly more expensive in Bucharest.

Bucharest vs. China Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Bucharest instead of China, you would:

pay 4.7 times more for restaurants

 
China
Bucharest
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $2.90
CN¥20.40
$13.80
RON59.82
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$5.02
CN¥35.32
$8.05
RON34.89
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.47
CN¥3.34
$2.27
RON9.86

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pay 44.4% more for groceries

 
China
Bucharest
Bread
1 loaf
$1.63
CN¥11.46
$1.44
RON6.26
Local cheese (8 oz) $6.32
CN¥44.49
$4.98
RON21.61
Milk (1 gallon) $6.70
CN¥47.21
$6.67
RON28.91

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pay 41.9% more for transportation

 
China
Bucharest
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.34
CN¥30.53
$6.36
RON27.56
Monthly public transit pass $20.32
CN¥143.09
$23.00
RON99.70
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $19,143.98
CN¥134,794.71
$28,745.54
RON124,623.43

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pay 2.2 times more for housing

 
China
Bucharest
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$11.18
CN¥78.70
$11.39
RON49.37
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $304.90
CN¥2,146.80
$647.24
RON2,806.06
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $195.65
CN¥1,377.56
$432.85
RON1,876.60

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pay 32.2% more for childcare

 
China
Bucharest
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $390.25
CN¥2,747.78
$664.86
RON2,882.45
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $15,493.57
CN¥109,091.78
$14,582.52
RON63,221.05

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pay 85.4% more for entertainment and sports

 
China
Bucharest
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $1.04
CN¥7.33
$3.45
RON14.95
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.84
CN¥19.97
$3.28
RON14.23
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$3.36
CN¥23.65
$6.67
RON28.91

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pay 51.2% more for clothing

 
China
Bucharest
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$45.93
CN¥323.38
$80.54
RON349.17
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$30.93
CN¥217.79
$45.47
RON197.14
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$71.26
CN¥501.74
$93.98
RON407.43

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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