Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almada and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $1,834 in Almada, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Almada
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Almada Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Almada

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,834

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,834 per month in Almada vs $1,340 in Bucharest, rent included.

Almada $1,834
Bucharest $1,340

A couple spends around $2,675 per month in Almada vs $2,037 in Bucharest, rent included.

Almada $2,675
Bucharest $2,037

A family of three spends $3,517 per month in Almada vs $2,734 in Bucharest, rent included.

Almada $3,517
Bucharest $2,734

Almada costs about 37% more than Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Almada sits 36% above the global median, while Bucharest is 1% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.72 €14.88

$14.49 RON 68.6

15.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.5 €50.3

$58.1 RON 275

-2.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 €10.07

$7.48 RON 35.40

51.34%

Cappuccino

$2.47 €2.20

$3.44 RON 16.29

-28.20%

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

$1.54 €1.37

$2.37 RON 11.22

-35.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 €1.05

$2.30 RON 10.88

-48.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 €2.96

$3.70 RON 17.51

-10.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.94

$4.16 RON 19.69

-20.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.67 RON 7.90

-38.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 €1.08

$1.37 RON 6.50

-10.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.34

$1.72 RON 8.14

-12.21%

Eggs

$3.81 €3.39

$3.64 RON 17.22

4.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.09 €10.75

$9.08 RON 42.98

33.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.71 €6.86

$6.84 RON 32.35

12.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.27 €13.58

$12.00 RON 56.8

27.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 €1.99

$1.23 RON 5.80

82.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 €1.15

$1.63 RON 7.73

-20.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.57 RON 7.45

17.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.53 €2.25

$2.54 RON 12.01

-0.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$0.79 RON 3.75

135.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$0.77 RON 3.66

123.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.67 €1.48

$0.87 RON 4.13

91.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.99 RON 4.70

-23.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.27 €5.57

$6.31 RON 29.86

-0.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.46 €4.85

$6.20 RON 29.34

-11.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.19

$1.19 RON 5.63

12.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.57 RON 7.45

38.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.12 €1.88

$0.86 RON 4.08

146.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.21 €39.32

$21.10 RON 99.8

109.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 €3.53

$0.64 RON 3.05

520.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.60 RON 2.86

36.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.67

$6.43 RON 30.43

156.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.96 RON 9.25

6.12%

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

$33.3K €29.6K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

14.83%

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

$38.2K €34.0K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

43.32%

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

$110 €97.9

$196 RON 927

-43.84%

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

$19.05 €16.94

$8.04 RON 38.04

136.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.08 €28.53

$9.35 RON 44.21

243.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.54 €32.50

$50.2 RON 238

-27.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.87 €13.23

$25.33 RON 120

-41.29%

Cinema Ticket

$8.71 €7.74

$8.15 RON 38.55

6.87%

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

$603 €536

$628 RON 2,971

-3.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K €10.1K

$14.1K RON 66.6K

-19.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.5

$89.6 RON 424

16.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.91 €39.94

$38.32 RON 181

17.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 €75.2

$79.3 RON 375

6.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 €93.2

$90.4 RON 428

15.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,144 €1,017

$678 RON 3,209

68.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$924 €822

$448 RON 2,121

106.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,730 €1,539

$1,083 RON 5,125

59.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,401 €1,246

$725 RON 3,430

93.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,160 €4,590

$3,751 RON 17.7K

37.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,232 €2,875

$2,195 RON 10.4K

47.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,313 €1,168

$1,329 RON 6,290

-1.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.54

6.75

-47.56%

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

Last update for Almada: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almada

$924 50.4%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 51.5% $476

Groceries & Markets

Almada

$250 13.6%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 10.1% $25

Eating Out

Almada

$231 12.6%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 2.7% $6.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almada

$161 8.8%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 32.4% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Almada

$152 8.3%

Bucharest

$134 10% 12% $18

Getting Around

Almada

$61 3.3%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 53.5% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Almada

$54 2.9%

Bucharest

$67 5% 23.3% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,144 in Almada versus $678 in Bucharest. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 1% higher in Bucharest, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56.0 in Almada versus $58.0 in Bucharest. Groceries tell a different story – $250 in Almada vs $225 in Bucharest – so Bucharest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Almada

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

03:35 3:35 AM

05:35 5:35 AM

2 h ahead of Almada

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

177,268

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Almada Bucharest 2,980 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Almada
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

Almada vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,834 in Almada, $1,340 in Bucharest – roughly 37% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,751 per month in Almada and $2,011 in Bucharest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bucharest, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56.0 in Almada and $58.0 in Bucharest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,834 in Almada and $1,340 in Bucharest. That's a gap of about 37%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bucharest, where all-in costs run around $1,340, than in Almada at $1,834. In Bucharest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almada it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Bucharest has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,340 in Bucharest to $1,834 in Almada. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Bucharest. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Almada makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.