Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bacau and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Bacau: $916 a month against $1,183 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index

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Bacau

🇷🇴 Romania

$916

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,183

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bacau and in Sao Paulo

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 Sao Paulo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $916 per month in Bacau vs $1,183 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Bacau $916
Sao Paulo $1,183

A couple spends around $1,552 per month in Bacau vs $1,948 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Bacau $1,552
Sao Paulo $1,948

A family of three spends $2,189 per month in Bacau vs $2,713 in Sao Paulo, rent included.

Bacau $2,189
Sao Paulo $2,713

Bacau is about 23% cheaper than Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bacau and Sao Paulo are more affordable than the global median – Bacau 33% lower, Sao Paulo 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.19 RON 67.8

$8.15 R$44.36

74.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 RON 404

$46.78 R$254

80.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.24 RON 34.60

$8.24 R$44.84

-12.14%

Cappuccino

$2.04 RON 9.76

$2.41 R$13.12

-15.35%

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

$2.01 RON 9.58

$1.32 R$7.18

52.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 RON 8.93

$0.85 R$4.60

120.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 RON 11.81

$2.78 R$15.11

-11.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 RON 15.94

$4.16 R$22.61

-19.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 RON 5.65

$1.15 R$6.24

2.61%

White Bread (500g)

$0.70 RON 3.33

$1.69 R$9.18

-58.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 RON 8.07

$1.35 R$7.33

25.19%

Eggs

$3.47 RON 16.57

$2.69 R$14.64

29.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.68 RON 36.70

$11.78 R$64.1

-34.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.33 RON 25.47

$4.97 R$27.02

7.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.30 RON 39.65

$10.10 R$54.9

-17.82%

Apples (1kg)

$1.10 RON 5.24

$2.56 R$13.93

-57.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 RON 7.08

$1.74 R$9.48

-14.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.10

$1.44 R$7.84

3.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 RON 8.75

$1.83 R$9.93

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 RON 3.46

$1.29 R$7.02

-44.19%

Onion (1kg)

$0.68 RON 3.27

$1.17 R$6.35

-41.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 RON 3.56

$1.22 R$6.65

-38.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 RON 3.43

$0.89 R$4.84

-19.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 RON 25.56

$2.75 R$14.97

94.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.25 RON 25.10

$9.27 R$50.4

-43.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 RON 4.87

$1.73 R$9.39

-41.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 RON 5.61

$2.38 R$12.93

-50.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 RON 3.33

$1.02 R$5.57

-31.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.15 RON 139

$45.02 R$245

-35.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 RON 2.92

$1.72 R$9.33

-64.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 RON 3.10

$0.89 R$4.86

-26.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.72 RON 32.13

$9.52 R$51.8

-29.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 RON 8.50

$1.23 R$6.69

44.72%

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

$28.9K RON 138.1K

$22.3K R$121.4K

29.48%

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

$24.8K RON 118.7K

$32.5K R$176.7K

-23.54%

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

$106 RON 506

$98.2 R$534

7.94%

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

$7.47 RON 35.70

$15.47 R$84.2

-51.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$4.63 RON 22.12

$20.73 R$113

-77.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.29 RON 121

$31.85 R$173

-20.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.98 RON 76.4

$44.21 R$241

-63.85%

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 RON 29.09

$9.07 R$49.35

-32.86%

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

$589 RON 2,814

$512 R$2,787

14.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,986 RON 23.8K

$15.8K R$86.1K

-68.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 RON 406

$60.2 R$327

41.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.98 RON 153

$57.2 R$311

-44.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.3 RON 288

$92.8 R$505

-35.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.2 RON 398

$86.0 R$468

-3.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$416 RON 1,988

$632 R$3,435

-34.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$236 RON 1,129

$433 R$2,358

-45.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$549 RON 2,621

$1,354 R$7,365

-59.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$405 RON 1,934

$957 R$5,208

-57.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,805 RON 8,624

$2,480 R$13.5K

-27.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,229 RON 5,872

$1,909 R$10.4K

-35.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$936 RON 4,475

$818 R$4,449

14.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.97

11.68

-40.33%

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

Last update for Bacau: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bacau

$236 25.8%

Sao Paulo

$433 36.6% 83.5% $197

Eating Out

Bacau

$194 21.2%

Sao Paulo

$150 12.7% 22.9% $44

Groceries & Markets

Bacau

$177 19.3%

Sao Paulo

$227 19.2% 28.4% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bacau

$118 12.9%

Sao Paulo

$134 11.4% 13.8% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Bacau

$117 12.8%

Sao Paulo

$133 11.3% 13.7% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Bacau

$37 4.1%

Sao Paulo

$50 4.2% 33.4% $13

Getting Around

Bacau

$36 3.9%

Sao Paulo

$55 4.7% 54.5% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $416 in Bacau versus $632 in Sao Paulo. 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 15% higher in Bacau, 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 $85 in Bacau versus $47 in Sao Paulo. Groceries tell a different story – $177 in Bacau vs $227 in Sao Paulo – so Bacau wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bacau

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

01:14 1:14 AM

20:14 8:14 PM

5 h behind Bacau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

144,307

11,451,999

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.165 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR 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).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 5.44 BRL (1 BRL = 0.184 USD). 1 EUR = 6.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.165 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bacau Sao Paulo 10,720 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Bacau
Sao Paulo

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 Sao Paulo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sao Paulo is pricier by about 29%, 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 $1,775 in Sao Paulo. 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 $632 in Sao Paulo.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85 in Bacau and $47 in Sao Paulo. 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 $1,183 in Sao Paulo. That makes Bacau about 23% cheaper.

It depends on your priorities. Sao Paulo has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $916 in Bacau to $1,183 in Sao Paulo. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.