Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Barcelos

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.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Barcelos
Learn more

Barcelos Living Index

Jump to prices

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Barcelos

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Barcelos

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

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

Bucharest $1,340
Barcelos $1,190

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

Bucharest $2,037
Barcelos $1,885

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

Bucharest $2,734
Barcelos $2,579

Living in Bucharest is roughly 13% more expensive than in Barcelos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$11.09 €9.86

30.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$48.16 €42.84

20.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$8.85 €7.87

-15.48%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$1.84 €1.63

86.96%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$1.93 €1.72

22.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$1.32 €1.18

74.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$3.37 €3.00

9.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$2.84 €2.52

46.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$1.11 €0.99

50.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$1.85 €1.65

-25.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$1.79 €1.59

-3.91%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$3.30 €2.94

10.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$11.93 €10.61

-23.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$8.04 €7.15

-14.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$14.83 €13.19

-19.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$1.98 €1.76

-37.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$1.37 €1.22

18.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.86 €1.65

-15.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$2.52 €2.25

0.79%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$1.72 €1.53

-54.07%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$1.84 €1.63

-58.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$1.54 €1.37

-43.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$0.97 €0.87

2.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$6.56 €5.84

-3.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$4.58 €4.08

35.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.19 €1.05

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$2.20 €1.95

-28.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$2.29 €2.03

-62.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$22.15 €19.70

-4.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$4.27 €3.80

-85.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$1.43 €1.27

-58.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$16.25 €14.46

-60.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$2.15 €1.91

-8.84%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$33.2K €29.5K

-12.63%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$37.8K €33.7K

-29.60%

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

$196 RON 927

$111 €98.8

76.40%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$17.73 €15.77

-54.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$44.28 €39.39

-78.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$38.52 €34.27

30.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$6.57 €5.84

285.54%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$9.12 €8.11

-10.64%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$339 €302

85.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$6,374 €5,670

120.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$72.5 €64.5

23.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$37.75 €33.58

1.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$78.7 €70.0

0.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$105 €93.4

-13.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$494 €439

37.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$357 €318

25.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$895 €796

20.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$696 €619

4.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$2,651 €2,358

41.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$1,510 €1,343

45.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$1,072 €954

23.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

3.7

82.43%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Barcelos: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Barcelos

$357 30% 20.3% $91

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Barcelos

$173 14.5% 23.3% $52

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Barcelos

$255 21.4% 13.2% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Barcelos

$173 14.6% 18.9% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Barcelos

$132 11.1% 1.2% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Barcelos

$57 4.8% 14.7% $9.8

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Barcelos

$43 3.6% 51.4% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $494 in Barcelos. 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: $58.0 in Bucharest vs $48.00 in Barcelos. Groceries flip the comparison at $225 vs $255, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇵🇹 Barcelos

🕒 Local time

23:41 11:41 PM

21:41 9:41 PM

2 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

116,766

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 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 October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bucharest Barcelos 2,820 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Barcelos

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

Bucharest vs Barcelos: 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.

Average pay runs 24% higher in Bucharest, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $678 in Bucharest versus $494 in Barcelos. 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, Bucharest and Barcelos 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.