Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bissau and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bissau: $814 a month against $1,371 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Bissau

🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau

$814

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,371

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $814 in Bissau versus $1,371 in Bucharest.

Bissau $814
Bucharest $1,371

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,314 in Bissau versus $2,067 in Bucharest.

Bissau $1,314
Bucharest $2,067

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,813 in Bissau versus $2,764 in Bucharest.

Bissau $1,813
Bucharest $2,764

Living in Bissau costs roughly 41% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.01 F CFA 2,923

$14.51 RON 69.0

-65.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.78 F CFA 15.1K

$61.2 RON 291

-57.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.31 F CFA 5,435

$7.46 RON 35.50

24.80%

Cappuccino

$1.71 F CFA 1,001

$3.64 RON 17.33

-53.02%

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

$1.05 F CFA 611

$2.62 RON 12.44

-59.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 F CFA 509

$2.36 RON 11.24

-63.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.71 F CFA 416

$3.78 RON 18.00

-81.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 RON 19.54

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 F CFA 982

$1.66 RON 7.90

1.20%

White Bread (500g)

$0.91 F CFA 533

$1.40 RON 6.64

-35.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.00 F CFA 1,168

$1.79 RON 8.54

11.73%

Eggs

$5.08 F CFA 2,965

$3.63 RON 17.27

39.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.22 F CFA 8,306

$8.92 RON 42.43

59.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.39 F CFA 7,819

$6.86 RON 32.65

95.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.77 F CFA 8,042

$11.99 RON 57.0

14.85%

Apples (1kg)

$4.14 F CFA 2,415

$1.30 RON 6.17

218.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 F CFA 605

$1.63 RON 7.77

-36.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.27 F CFA 2,496

$1.49 RON 7.10

186.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.18 F CFA 104

$2.54 RON 12.09

-92.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 F CFA 777

$0.81 RON 3.86

64.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 F CFA 800

$0.80 RON 3.79

71.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 RON 4.07

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 F CFA 734

$0.94 RON 4.46

34.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.60 RON 31.42

Wine (Bottle)

$6.78 F CFA 3,958

$6.33 RON 30.11

7.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 F CFA 766

$1.19 RON 5.64

10.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 F CFA 504

$1.58 RON 7.54

-45.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 F CFA 304

$0.98 RON 4.64

-46.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.31 F CFA 14.8K

$20.91 RON 99.5

21.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 RON 2.93

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.37 RON 30.28

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 F CFA 833

$2.02 RON 9.63

-29.21%

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

$32.1K F CFA 18.8M

$28.2K RON 134.1K

13.98%

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

$28.9K F CFA 16.9M

$26.3K RON 125.0K

10.08%

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

$103 F CFA 60.3K

$196 RON 933

-47.40%

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

$34.08 F CFA 19.9K

$8.60 RON 40.89

296.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.88 F CFA 26.8K

$9.20 RON 43.74

398.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.15 F CFA 24.6K

$51.0 RON 243

-17.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.04 RON 119

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 RON 39.31

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

$759 F CFA 443.4K

$681 RON 3,237

11.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,301 F CFA 1.3M

$18.7K RON 89.1K

-87.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 RON 444

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.87 RON 190

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 RON 381

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 RON 431

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$516 F CFA 301.4K

$731 RON 3,477

-29.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$168 F CFA 97.9K

$470 RON 2,234

-64.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$843 F CFA 492.4K

$1,110 RON 5,282

-24.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$431 F CFA 251.8K

$722 RON 3,435

-40.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 RON 17.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,233 RON 10.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,042 F CFA 608.6K

$1,365 RON 6,494

-23.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

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

Last update for Bissau: November 3, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bissau

–

Bucharest

$470 34.3%

Eating Out

Bissau

–

Bucharest

$229 16.7%

Groceries & Markets

Bissau

–

Bucharest

$225 16.4%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bissau

–

Bucharest

$214 15.6%

Clothing & Footwear

Bissau

–

Bucharest

$137 10%

Sport & Entertainment

Bissau

–

Bucharest

$68 4.9%

Getting Around

Bissau

–

Bucharest

$29 2.1%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $516 in Bissau and $731 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 31% 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: $26 in Bissau vs $61 in Bucharest. Groceries flip the comparison at $294 vs $225, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇼 Bissau

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

23:02 11:02 PM

01:02 1:02 AM

2 h ahead of Bissau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

395,954 Capital

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to XOF – West African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 West African CFA Franc (Fr)

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 584 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 4.76 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to XOF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bissau Bucharest 5,370 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Bissau
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

Bissau vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $814 in Bissau and $1,371 in Bucharest, so Bissau is about 41% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 24% lower in Bissau. 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: $516 in Bissau versus $731 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $759 in Bissau versus $681 in Bucharest. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Bucharest pay roughly 23% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $814 in Bissau versus $1,371 in Bucharest, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Bissau but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Bissau the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Bissau wins on affordability, Bucharest on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.