Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brazil and Romania

Name: Romania
Address: RO

For one person, living is cheaper in Brazil: $909 a month against $1,116 in Romania, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Brazil
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Brazil Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Romania
Learn more

Romania Living Index

Jump to prices

🇧🇷 Brazil

$909

/mo nomad

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,116

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brazil and in Romania

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

A single person spends $909 per month in Brazil vs $1,116 in Romania, rent included.

Brazil $909
Romania $1,116

A couple spends around $1,446 per month in Brazil vs $1,692 in Romania, rent included.

Brazil $1,446
Romania $1,692

A family of three spends $1,983 per month in Brazil vs $2,268 in Romania, rent included.

Brazil $1,983
Romania $2,268

Cost ranges are similar: Brazil spans $608–$1,432, Romania $743–$1,413. City choice affects budget similarly in either country.

The cost of living in Brazil is roughly 19% lower than in Romania on average.

Both Brazil and Romania are more affordable than the global median – Brazil 33% lower, Romania 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.15 R$36.23

$10.52 RON 49.76

-32.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.99 R$172

$42.49 RON 201

-20.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.03 R$40.72

$7.43 RON 35.16

8.08%

Cappuccino

$2.11 R$10.69

$2.74 RON 12.96

-22.99%

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

$1.28 R$6.47

$1.93 RON 9.11

-33.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 R$3.71

$1.73 RON 8.20

-57.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 R$10.30

$2.31 RON 10.92

-12.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 R$15.30

$3.19 RON 15.09

-5.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 R$5.49

$1.52 RON 7.22

-28.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 R$8.60

$1.21 RON 5.74

40.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.36

$1.62 RON 7.69

-22.84%

Eggs

$2.25 R$11.42

$3.18 RON 15.04

-29.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.68 R$49.06

$8.52 RON 40.30

13.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.26 R$21.60

$6.57 RON 31.10

-35.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.22 R$41.69

$10.18 RON 48.18

-19.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 R$11.76

$1.22 RON 5.76

90.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.89

$1.51 RON 7.16

-9.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$1.55 RON 7.32

-17.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 R$7.86

$2.23 RON 10.56

-30.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 R$5.98

$0.78 RON 3.71

51.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 R$5.73

$0.86 RON 4.05

31.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.81 R$4.13

$0.90 RON 4.24

-10.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 R$3.88

$0.79 RON 3.75

-2.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.45 R$12.40

$5.97 RON 28.24

-58.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 R$39.69

$6.21 RON 29.36

26.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 R$6.79

$1.10 RON 5.22

21.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 R$11.88

$1.58 RON 7.50

48.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 R$4.99

$0.73 RON 3.44

34.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.03 R$243

$23.25 RON 110

106.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.26 R$6.40

$0.77 RON 3.62

63.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 R$5.21

$0.72 RON 3.42

43.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.89 R$40.00

$6.97 RON 32.97

13.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 R$6.35

$1.79 RON 8.46

-30.17%

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

$23.1K R$117.3K

$28.7K RON 135.6K

-19.24%

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

$32.7K R$165.8K

$25.3K RON 119.9K

29.03%

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

$82.9 R$420

$158 RON 747

-47.52%

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

$12.87 R$65.3

$8.07 RON 38.19

59.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.04 R$107

$9.03 RON 42.72

133.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.13 R$127

$40.80 RON 193

-38.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.63 R$135

$18.79 RON 88.9

41.72%

Cinema Ticket

$7.60 R$38.51

$7.55 RON 35.74

0.66%

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

$340 R$1,724

$475 RON 2,246

-28.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,119 R$46.2K

$8,756 RON 41.4K

4.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 R$272

$68.8 RON 325

-21.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.57 R$246

$37.35 RON 177

30.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 R$458

$79.4 RON 376

13.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.6 R$363

$86.4 RON 409

-17.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$391 R$1,980

$476 RON 2,251

-17.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$249 R$1,260

$354 RON 1,676

-29.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$725 R$3,677

$800 RON 3,785

-9.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$486 R$2,462

$579 RON 2,738

-16.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,896 R$9,612

$2,519 RON 11.9K

-24.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,302 R$6,602

$1,830 RON 8,659

-28.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$538 R$2,727

$965 RON 4,564

-44.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.19

6.98

60.32%

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

Last update for Brazil: October 18, 2026

Last update for Romania: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brazil

$249 27.4%

Romania

$354 31.7% 42.5% $106

Groceries & Markets

Brazil

$195 21.4%

Romania

$206 18.5% 5.9% $12

Eating Out

Brazil

$131 14.4%

Romania

$172 15.4% 31.4% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Brazil

$119 13.1%

Romania

$122 11% 3% $3.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brazil

$117 12.9%

Romania

$175 15.7% 49.9% $58

Getting Around

Brazil

$58 6.4%

Romania

$31 2.7% 47.7% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Brazil

$40 4.4%

Romania

$56 5% 38.6% $16

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $349 in Brazil vs $370 in Romania. For reference, capital cities sit at $494 in Brasilia and $695 in Bucharest.

Average salary: $499 in Brazil vs $857 in Romania. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 6% higher in Romania.

Dining out costs 32% more in Romania.

Public transport is 105% more expensive in Brazil.

Salaries are 72% higher in Romania, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Romania.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brazil

🇷🇴 Romania

🕒 Local time

14:00 2:00 PM

20:00 8:00 PM

6 h ahead of Brazil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

203,062,512

19,053,815

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Brazil Romania 10,010 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Brazil
Romania

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

Brazil vs Romania: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brazil is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 23% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Romania: a central one-bedroom averages $370 versus $349 in Brazil.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Brazil, but in Romania it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Brazil is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.