Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Bissau

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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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,371

/mo nomad

Bissau

🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau

$814

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Bissau

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

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

Bucharest $1,371
Bissau $814

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

Bucharest $2,067
Bissau $1,314

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

Bucharest $2,764
Bissau $1,813

Living in Bucharest is roughly 68% more expensive than in Bissau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.51 RON 69.0

$5.01 F CFA 2,923

189.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 RON 291

$25.78 F CFA 15.1K

137.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.46 RON 35.50

$9.31 F CFA 5,435

-19.87%

Cappuccino

$3.64 RON 17.33

$1.71 F CFA 1,001

112.87%

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

$2.62 RON 12.44

$1.05 F CFA 611

149.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 RON 11.24

$0.87 F CFA 509

171.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.78 RON 18.00

$0.71 F CFA 416

432.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 RON 19.54

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 RON 7.90

$1.68 F CFA 982

-1.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 RON 6.64

$0.91 F CFA 533

53.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 RON 8.54

$2.00 F CFA 1,168

-10.50%

Eggs

$3.63 RON 17.27

$5.08 F CFA 2,965

-28.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.92 RON 42.43

$14.22 F CFA 8,306

-37.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.86 RON 32.65

$13.39 F CFA 7,819

-48.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.99 RON 57.0

$13.77 F CFA 8,042

-12.93%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.17

$4.14 F CFA 2,415

-68.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.77

$1.04 F CFA 605

56.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.10

$4.27 F CFA 2,496

-65.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.09

$0.18 F CFA 104

1311.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 RON 3.86

$1.33 F CFA 777

-39.10%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.79

$1.37 F CFA 800

-41.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 RON 4.07

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RON 4.46

$1.26 F CFA 734

-25.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.60 RON 31.42

Wine (Bottle)

$6.33 RON 30.11

$6.78 F CFA 3,958

-6.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.64

$1.31 F CFA 766

-9.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 RON 7.54

$0.86 F CFA 504

83.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 RON 4.64

$0.52 F CFA 304

88.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.91 RON 99.5

$25.31 F CFA 14.8K

-17.38%

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)

$2.02 RON 9.63

$1.43 F CFA 833

41.26%

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

$28.2K RON 134.1K

$32.1K F CFA 18.8M

-12.26%

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

$26.3K RON 125.0K

$28.9K F CFA 16.9M

-9.16%

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

$196 RON 933

$103 F CFA 60.3K

90.10%

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

$8.60 RON 40.89

$34.08 F CFA 19.9K

-74.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.20 RON 43.74

$45.88 F CFA 26.8K

-79.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 RON 243

$42.15 F CFA 24.6K

21.07%

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)

$681 RON 3,237

$759 F CFA 443.4K

-10.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K RON 89.1K

$2,301 F CFA 1.3M

714.37%

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)

$731 RON 3,477

$516 F CFA 301.4K

41.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 RON 2,234

$168 F CFA 97.9K

180.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,110 RON 5,282

$843 F CFA 492.4K

31.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 RON 3,435

$431 F CFA 251.8K

67.44%

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)

$1,365 RON 6,494

$1,042 F CFA 608.6K

31.00%

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 Bucharest: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bissau: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$470 34.3%

Bissau

–

Eating Out

Bucharest

$229 16.7%

Bissau

–

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.4%

Bissau

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 15.6%

Bissau

–

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$137 10%

Bissau

–

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$68 4.9%

Bissau

–

Getting Around

Bucharest

$29 2.1%

Bissau

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $731 in Bucharest and $516 in Bissau. 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: $61 in Bucharest vs $26 in Bissau. Groceries flip the comparison at $225 vs $294, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇬🇼 Bissau

🕒 Local time

01:46 1:46 AM

23:46 11:46 PM

2 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

395,954 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XOF, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

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).

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).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Bissau 5,370 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Bissau

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 Bissau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 31% 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: $731 in Bucharest versus $516 in Bissau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $681 in Bucharest versus $759 in Bissau. 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.