Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelos and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelos: $1,190 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bucharest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

57

Cost of Living Index in Barcelos
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Barcelos Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Barcelos

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,190

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,190 in Barcelos versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Barcelos $1,190
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,885 in Barcelos versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Barcelos $1,885
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,579 in Barcelos versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Barcelos $2,579
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Barcelos costs roughly 11% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Barcelos 12% lower, Bucharest 1% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.09 €9.86

$14.49 RON 68.6

-23.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.16 €42.84

$58.1 RON 275

-17.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.85 €7.87

$7.48 RON 35.40

18.32%

Cappuccino

$1.84 €1.63

$3.44 RON 16.29

-46.51%

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

$1.93 €1.72

$2.37 RON 11.22

-18.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 €1.18

$2.30 RON 10.88

-42.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.37 €3.00

$3.70 RON 17.51

-8.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 €2.52

$4.16 RON 19.69

-31.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.67 RON 7.90

-33.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.37 RON 6.50

35.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.72 RON 8.14

4.07%

Eggs

$3.30 €2.94

$3.64 RON 17.22

-9.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.93 €10.61

$9.08 RON 42.98

31.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.15

$6.84 RON 32.35

17.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.83 €13.19

$12.00 RON 56.8

23.58%

Apples (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.23 RON 5.80

60.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.63 RON 7.73

-15.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.57 RON 7.45

18.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.52 €2.25

$2.54 RON 12.01

-0.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$0.79 RON 3.75

117.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 €1.63

$0.77 RON 3.66

138.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.37

$0.87 RON 4.13

77.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.87

$0.99 RON 4.70

-2.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.84

$6.31 RON 29.86

3.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.58 €4.08

$6.20 RON 29.34

-26.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 €1.05

$1.19 RON 5.63

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 €1.95

$1.57 RON 7.45

40.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.29 €2.03

$0.86 RON 4.08

166.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.15 €19.70

$21.10 RON 99.8

4.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.27 €3.80

$0.64 RON 3.05

567.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.60 RON 2.86

138.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.25 €14.46

$6.43 RON 30.43

152.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.96 RON 9.25

9.69%

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

$33.2K €29.5K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

14.46%

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

$37.8K €33.7K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

42.04%

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

$111 €98.8

$196 RON 927

-43.31%

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

$17.73 €15.77

$8.04 RON 38.04

120.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.28 €39.39

$9.35 RON 44.21

373.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.52 €34.27

$50.2 RON 238

-23.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.57 €5.84

$25.33 RON 120

-74.06%

Cinema Ticket

$9.12 €8.11

$8.15 RON 38.55

11.90%

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

$339 €302

$628 RON 2,971

-45.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,374 €5,670

$14.1K RON 66.6K

-54.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.5 €64.5

$89.6 RON 424

-19.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.75 €33.58

$38.32 RON 181

-1.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.7 €70.0

$79.3 RON 375

-0.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 €93.4

$90.4 RON 428

16.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 €439

$678 RON 3,209

-27.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 €318

$448 RON 2,121

-20.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$895 €796

$1,083 RON 5,125

-17.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$696 €619

$725 RON 3,430

-4.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,651 €2,358

$3,751 RON 17.7K

-29.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,510 €1,343

$2,195 RON 10.4K

-31.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,072 €954

$1,329 RON 6,290

-19.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.7

6.75

-45.19%

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

Last update for Barcelos: October 10, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelos

$357 30%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 25.5% $91

Groceries & Markets

Barcelos

$255 21.4%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 11.7% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelos

$173 14.6%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 23.2% $40

Eating Out

Barcelos

$173 14.5%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 30.3% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelos

$132 11.1%

Bucharest

$134 10% 1.2% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelos

$57 4.8%

Bucharest

$67 5% 17.2% $9.8

Getting Around

Barcelos

$43 3.6%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 33.9% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $494 in Barcelos and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 24% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $48.00 in Barcelos vs $58.0 in Bucharest. Groceries flip the comparison at $255 vs $225, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Barcelos

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

20:48 8:48 PM

22:48 10:48 PM

2 h ahead of Barcelos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

116,766

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

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Barcelos Bucharest 2,820 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

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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

Barcelos vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelos is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. The 13% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 24% lower in Bucharest. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $494 in Barcelos versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Bucharest pay roughly 13% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelos – a meal for two runs $48.00 versus $58.0 in Bucharest. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,190 in Barcelos versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Barcelos but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Barcelos the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Barcelos is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Bucharest, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Barcelos and Bucharest are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Barcelos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.