What are the prices in Bucharest? A breakdown of the costs to visit the capital of Romania

The prices in Bucharest are quite affordable compared with many parts of the world, especially to other European capital cities. In this post and video I share with you many of the common costs for tourists to visit Bucharest, Romania. Enjoy.

I spent the better part of three months in Romania in 2019, so I have a pretty firm grasp on the prices in Bucharest.  I thought it would be helpful to share the costs to visit this up-and-coming European capital city if you have plans to visit.

ROMANIAN CURRENCY

The currency in Romania is called the Leu or Lei. The conversation to USD is roughly 4 to 1, in other words, 4 lei would equal $1 USD. [Interesting side note, in 2005 Romania dropped 4 zeros from its currency]. 

Now that we have the currency sorted, let’s talk about how much lodging costs in Bucharest.

PRICES IN BUCHAREST FOR LODGING

Depending on the hotel property, accommodation level, season and availability:

• Starting rates for a 5-star hotel would run 400-600 lei per night, or $100-150, which is quite affordable for a capital city in Europe.
• A 4-star hotel will run about 250 to 350 lei, or $60-90.
• Airbnb will run about 100-175 lei per night, or $25-$40. This is the price for an entire apartment. BTW, Airbnb’s are plentiful in Bucharest.

RESTAURANT PRICES IN BUCHAREST

I tend to dine at higher-end restaurants, so the prices below are are a bit expensive, you can eat for much less at many restaurants. The most expensive meal I ever had in Romania was at The Artist, a Michelin level restaurant. For two people, with a wine paring and tip, was $175. Maybe half what you would pay in many other cities.

• An entree at a fine-dining restaurant will run 50-80 Lei, or $12-$18.
• Dessert will be around $5-7.
• A moderately priced bottle of wine will be between 50 and 100 lei, or $12 to $25 a bottle.
• A glass of wine will run around $5-$8.
• Local Beer such as Silva Dark, will run about 12 to 16 Lei, or $3/4 dollars bottle. The size will vary from 330ml to 500ml
• Tips for good service should be 10%.
• Water is one area that is very expensive at a restaurant, I have paid as much as $10 for just a 750ml bottle.
• A gourmet pizza in a restaurant will run around $6 to $8, around 25-30 lei.
• Two gourmet pizza’s delivered is only about $12-$14 or 50/60 lei.
• Sushi delivered is around 100 lei or $24.

• A Flat white coffee at a shop is 10 Lei, or about $2.50. Starbucks is about $.75 cents more, but a bit less than you would pay in the States.
• Street Food is about $2.50 cents per 100 grams.
• Fresh squeezed OJ, 14-20lei.

GROCERIES IN BUCHAREST

The next category are some general items from a small market in the city center.

• A bottle of Romanian wine will run 20 to 100 lei, or $5 to $25 a bottle.
• Local Beer (Silva) can be found as little as 3-4 lei for a bottle of good beer ($.75-$1), but you can buy a massive 2.5 liter bottle of cheep beer for about the same price.
• A large local candy bar is about 2-3 lei depending on the brand, or .50-.75 cents.
• 1.5 liter of water 2-3 lei.
• Coke/Pepsi 3 lei in a glass bottle with real sugar.
•  Fresh squeezed orange juice only 8 lei for 500ml.
• Bottled raw juice 8-10lei for 330ml.

TRANSPORTATION IN BUCHAREST

The prices in Bucharest for transportation are quite affordable as you can see below:

• You can get 5 rides on the subway, tram or bus for 20 lei, about $1 each.
• You can take a train all the way to Brasov for about the same price, 20lei
• Ride sharing (at least 4 options) like Uber are really affordable…you can go half way across town, maybe a 30 minute ride and it would be maybe 10-15 lei, $4 average.
• Car Rental so you can do a Romania road trip – Price really varies depending on size/model and dates. Maybe $150/weekly plus applicable fees and insurance.

MISCELLANEOUS COSTS IN BUCHAREST

• Concert at a nice theater, maybe $18.
• Walking tours $20/$35 per hour for private tour.
• Bucharest food tours – $65 to $75.
• Men’s haircut at a salon or a barbershop will run 50-80lei ($12-16).
• SIM Card – You can get a SIM card from a leading provider like Vodafone for just $17. You will have nearly unlimited calls, text and data within Romania. Even better, you can use it throughout Europe, however your data will be capped at 8 gigs, still and remarkable price.
• Museums will run 8 to 12 lei, about $2-$4)
• Loft of artisan bread will be about 10 lei ($2.50)

I hope this post and video has provided you an idea of what it costs to visit Bucharest. If you have any questions at all, please leave a comment below.

Until next time, we’ll see ya on the road…