Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bacau and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Bacau: $916 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Bacau
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Bacau Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Bacau

🇷🇴 Romania

$916

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bacau and in Lisbon

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bacau and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $916 per month in Bacau vs $2,210 in Lisbon, rent included.

Bacau $916
Lisbon $2,210

A couple spends around $1,552 per month in Bacau vs $3,275 in Lisbon, rent included.

Bacau $1,552
Lisbon $3,275

A family of three spends $2,189 per month in Bacau vs $4,341 in Lisbon, rent included.

Bacau $2,189
Lisbon $4,341

Bacau is about 59% cheaper than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Bacau sits 33% below the global median, while Lisbon is 62% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.19 RON 67.8

$16.65 €14.91

-14.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 RON 404

$61.7 €55.3

36.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.24 RON 34.60

$11.36 €10.17

-36.27%

Cappuccino

$2.04 RON 9.76

$2.97 €2.66

-31.31%

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

$2.01 RON 9.58

$2.29 €2.05

-12.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 RON 8.93

$1.74 €1.56

7.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 RON 11.81

$3.40 €3.05

-27.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 RON 15.94

$3.31 €2.96

0.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 RON 5.65

$1.16 €1.04

1.72%

White Bread (500g)

$0.70 RON 3.33

$1.91 €1.71

-63.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 RON 8.07

$1.51 €1.35

11.92%

Eggs

$3.47 RON 16.57

$4.02 €3.60

-13.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.68 RON 36.70

$12.94 €11.59

-40.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.33 RON 25.47

$7.77 €6.96

-31.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.30 RON 39.65

$17.76 €15.91

-53.27%

Apples (1kg)

$1.10 RON 5.24

$2.30 €2.06

-52.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 RON 7.08

$1.73 €1.55

-14.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.10

$1.86 €1.66

-19.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 RON 8.75

$2.59 €2.32

-29.34%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 RON 3.46

$1.82 €1.63

-60.44%

Onion (1kg)

$0.68 RON 3.27

$1.97 €1.76

-65.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 RON 3.56

$1.47 €1.32

-48.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 RON 3.43

$0.72 €0.65

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 RON 25.56

$6.58 €5.90

-18.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.25 RON 25.10

$5.61 €5.02

-6.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 RON 4.87

$1.36 €1.22

-25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 RON 5.61

$2.14 €1.91

-45.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 RON 3.33

$2.33 €2.09

-69.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.15 RON 139

$44.68 €40.01

-34.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 RON 2.92

$3.85 €3.45

-84.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 RON 3.10

$1.07 €0.96

-39.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.72 RON 32.13

$16.46 €14.74

-59.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 RON 8.50

$2.20 €1.97

-19.09%

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

$28.9K RON 138.1K

$34.2K €30.6K

-15.49%

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

$24.8K RON 118.7K

$38.7K €34.7K

-35.85%

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

$106 RON 506

$161 €144

-34.28%

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

$7.47 RON 35.70

$18.41 €16.49

-59.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$4.63 RON 22.12

$32.74 €29.32

-85.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.29 RON 121

$44.55 €39.90

-43.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.98 RON 76.4

$19.10 €17.10

-16.34%

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 RON 29.09

$9.60 €8.60

-36.56%

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

$589 RON 2,814

$668 €598

-11.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,986 RON 23.8K

$17.6K €15.8K

-71.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 RON 406

$102 €91.4

-16.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.98 RON 153

$44.46 €39.82

-28.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.3 RON 288

$98.5 €88.2

-38.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.2 RON 398

$124 €111

-32.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$416 RON 1,988

$1,608 €1,440

-74.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$236 RON 1,129

$1,190 €1,066

-80.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$549 RON 2,621

$2,812 €2,519

-80.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$405 RON 1,934

$2,013 €1,803

-79.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,805 RON 8,624

$7,839 €7,021

-76.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,229 RON 5,872

$4,576 €4,098

-73.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$936 RON 4,475

$1,575 €1,411

-40.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.97

3.85

81.04%

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

Last update for Bacau: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bacau

$236 25.8%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 404% $954

Eating Out

Bacau

$194 21.2%

Lisbon

$243 11% 24.9% $48

Groceries & Markets

Bacau

$177 19.3%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 54.2% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bacau

$118 12.9%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 79.9% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Bacau

$117 12.8%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 41.6% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Bacau

$37 4.1%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 70.1% $26

Getting Around

Bacau

$36 3.9%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 76.6% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $416 in Bacau versus $1,608 in Lisbon. 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 68% higher in Lisbon, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85 in Bacau versus $62 in Lisbon. Groceries tell a different story – $177 in Bacau vs $272 in Lisbon – so Bacau wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bacau

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

15:05 3:05 PM

13:05 1:05 PM

2 h behind Bacau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

144,307

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 4.78 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bacau Lisbon 3,050 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bacau
Lisbon

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

Bacau vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lisbon is pricier by about 141%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,373 per month in Bacau and $3,315 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bacau, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $416 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85 in Bacau and $62 in Lisbon. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $916 in Bacau and $2,210 in Lisbon. That makes Bacau about 59% cheaper.

Families tend to lean toward Bacau – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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