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Bucharest is way undervalued. The internet speed can easily be 1Gb/s for around 15$ I think, while the montly costs for living should be around 1000$ at most in

Bucharest is way undervalued. The internet speed can easily be 1Gb/s for around 15$ I think, while the montly costs for living should be around 1000$ at most in my opionion.

oblio 12y ago
Renting a decent 1 bedroom apartment is about 350 dollars. 1Gbps costs 20 dollars, and it includes TV subscription (I think it includes HBO too), a fixed phone line and a 3G SIM card and/or USB stick. The cost of living is definitely less than 1000 dollars. After all the average salary in Bucharest is probably less than 1000 dollars per month, so we wouldn't be able to live here if it cost more, would we? :)
- zapu 12y ago
  Same with Wrocław on this page.
  - adambard 12y ago
    I think a big difference in cost-of-living is paying a premium for short-term accommodation. There are definitely places to live here in Kraków for 900zł per month, but I'm paying significantly more for the privilege of staying for a short time (and the convenience of AirBnB).
- ghiculescu 12y ago
  Bucharest confuses me. Walking around the city you see more luxury cars (mostly BMWs) per capita than almost any other European capital. But the median wage is 1000 Euros. None of the locals I've asked (friends, family, etc.) ever have a solid answer, so maybe the internet can help.
  - csomar 12y ago
    Luxury cars are not that expensive if they are very high on your list. Tunisia is poorer than Romania, and if you visit the streets, you'll see tons of Mercedes, BMWs, Porsches... The local just want to have one and that is the reason.
    - salih 12y ago
      Funny, I was about to post the exact same remark about Tunisia. As a tunisian, this always confuse me. the average salary is WAY less than $1000, the tax on imported cars is very high, yet the number of luxury cars is too damn high.
      - nikster 12y ago
        Usually this is just a sign of a society with no middle class. Lots of poor, a fair number of truly rich, and not much in-between. Expensive cars are all over Phnom Penh too, even though the country is dirt poor. They belong to the rich elite.
  - dublinben 12y ago
    The cars are stolen. They've been brought in from more western parts of Europe.
    - oblio 12y ago
      Not all of them. I'd say that the majority are just second hand purchases. Of course, they can't afford to really maintain them, so once a major component breaks down... they're probably out of luck and have to sell the car for parts or something.
  - ximi 12y ago
    I would say there are several reasons for that: * While the median wage is a 1000 euro there are a lot of people that make a lot less than that ( < 500) and also quite a few that make a lot more. * Expensive cars are the number one status symbol in Bucharest and Romania. People will often still live with their parents or in a run down apartment, as long as they can drive through the streets with an expensive car, so their budgeting priorities are a bit different from what you expect. * There is a lot of unreported income and tax evasion in Romania as well as criminal activity, so on top of the high income inequality mentioned above, there are also a lot of people with high incomes that never figure into statistics and such but can afford luxurious cars.
  - notahacker 12y ago
    Is it really more luxury cars per capita, or simply a higher proportion of the overall car fleet (poorer people being very unlikely to have cars at all, and richer people having low costs of living in other areas)? I didn't even realise Lexus made 4x4s until I visited Phnom Penh.

Bucharest is way undervalued. The internet speed can easily be 1Gb/s for around 15$ I think, while the montly costs for living should be around 1000$ at most in my opionion.

oblio 12y ago

Renting a decent 1 bedroom apartment is about 350 dollars. 1Gbps costs 20 dollars, and it includes TV subscription (I think it includes HBO too), a fixed phone line and a 3G SIM card and/or USB stick. The cost of living is definitely less than 1000 dollars. After all the average salary in Bucharest is probably less than 1000 dollars per month, so we wouldn't be able to live here if it cost more, would we? :)

zapu 12y ago
Same with Wrocław on this page.
- adambard 12y ago
  I think a big difference in cost-of-living is paying a premium for short-term accommodation. There are definitely places to live here in Kraków for 900zł per month, but I'm paying significantly more for the privilege of staying for a short time (and the convenience of AirBnB).
ghiculescu 12y ago
Bucharest confuses me. Walking around the city you see more luxury cars (mostly BMWs) per capita than almost any other European capital. But the median wage is 1000 Euros. None of the locals I've asked (friends, family, etc.) ever have a solid answer, so maybe the internet can help.
- csomar 12y ago
  Luxury cars are not that expensive if they are very high on your list. Tunisia is poorer than Romania, and if you visit the streets, you'll see tons of Mercedes, BMWs, Porsches... The local just want to have one and that is the reason.
  - salih 12y ago
    Funny, I was about to post the exact same remark about Tunisia. As a tunisian, this always confuse me. the average salary is WAY less than $1000, the tax on imported cars is very high, yet the number of luxury cars is too damn high.
    - nikster 12y ago
      Usually this is just a sign of a society with no middle class. Lots of poor, a fair number of truly rich, and not much in-between. Expensive cars are all over Phnom Penh too, even though the country is dirt poor. They belong to the rich elite.
- dublinben 12y ago
  The cars are stolen. They've been brought in from more western parts of Europe.
  - oblio 12y ago
    Not all of them. I'd say that the majority are just second hand purchases. Of course, they can't afford to really maintain them, so once a major component breaks down... they're probably out of luck and have to sell the car for parts or something.
- ximi 12y ago
  I would say there are several reasons for that: * While the median wage is a 1000 euro there are a lot of people that make a lot less than that ( < 500) and also quite a few that make a lot more. * Expensive cars are the number one status symbol in Bucharest and Romania. People will often still live with their parents or in a run down apartment, as long as they can drive through the streets with an expensive car, so their budgeting priorities are a bit different from what you expect. * There is a lot of unreported income and tax evasion in Romania as well as criminal activity, so on top of the high income inequality mentioned above, there are also a lot of people with high incomes that never figure into statistics and such but can afford luxurious cars.
- notahacker 12y ago
  Is it really more luxury cars per capita, or simply a higher proportion of the overall car fleet (poorer people being very unlikely to have cars at all, and richer people having low costs of living in other areas)? I didn't even realise Lexus made 4x4s until I visited Phnom Penh.