Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Costa da Caparica

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $1,599 in Costa da Caparica, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Costa da Caparica
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Costa da Caparica Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Costa da Caparica

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Costa da Caparica

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 Costa da Caparica actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,599 in Costa da Caparica.

Bucharest $1,340
Costa da Caparica $1,599

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $2,356 in Costa da Caparica.

Bucharest $2,037
Costa da Caparica $2,356

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $3,114 in Costa da Caparica.

Bucharest $2,734
Costa da Caparica $3,114

Living in Bucharest costs roughly 16% less than in Costa da Caparica, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% below, Costa da Caparica is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 69.2

$11.55 €10.31

25.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 277

$45.52 €40.66

27.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.72

$8.99 €8.03

-16.80%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.43

$2.06 €1.84

66.99%

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

$2.37 RON 11.32

$1.90 €1.70

24.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.98

$1.42 €1.27

61.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.66

$2.30 €2.05

60.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.87

$3.51 €3.14

18.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.97

$1.10 €0.99

51.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.56

$1.53 €1.37

-10.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.21

$1.63 €1.45

5.52%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.37

$2.99 €2.67

21.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 43.36

$11.44 €10.22

-20.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.64

$7.52 €6.71

-9.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 57.3

$14.11 €12.60

-14.95%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.85

$2.30 €2.05

-46.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.80

$1.49 €1.33

9.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.52

$1.87 €1.67

-16.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.12

$2.58 €2.31

-1.55%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.78

$1.45 €1.29

-45.52%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.69

$1.85 €1.65

-58.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.16

$1.54 €1.38

-43.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.74

$0.79 €0.71

25.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 30.12

$5.98 €5.34

5.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.61

$5.23 €4.67

18.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.68

$1.31 €1.17

-9.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.52

$2.41 €2.15

-34.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.11

$2.30 €2.05

-62.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 101

$42.40 €37.87

-50.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.07

$4.06 €3.62

-84.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.88

$0.85 €0.76

-29.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.71

$17.45 €15.59

-63.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.34

$2.00 €1.79

-2.00%

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

$29.0K RON 138.4K

$34.6K €30.9K

-16.18%

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

$26.6K RON 127.2K

$39.5K €35.3K

-32.55%

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

$196 RON 935

$137 €123

42.63%

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

$8.04 RON 38.38

$21.03 €18.79

-61.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.61

$41.59 €37.15

-77.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 240

$44.83 €40.04

12.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 121

$17.22 €15.38

47.10%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.89

$8.19 €7.32

-0.49%

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

$628 RON 2,998

$459 €410

36.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 67.2K

$8,307 €7,420

69.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 428

$73.6 €65.8

21.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 183

$38.27 €34.18

0.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 378

$91.6 €81.8

-13.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 431

$90.9 €81.2

-0.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,238

$932 €832

-27.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,140

$724 €647

-38.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,170

$1,462 €1,306

-25.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,461

$1,172 €1,047

-38.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.9K

$3,048 €2,723

23.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.5K

$2,285 €2,041

-3.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,346

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

5.01

34.73%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Costa da Caparica: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Costa da Caparica

$724 45.3% 61.6% $276

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Costa da Caparica

$176 11% 21.9% $49

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Costa da Caparica

$245 15.3% 9% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Costa da Caparica

$200 12.5% 6.2% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Costa da Caparica

$132 8.3% 1.1% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Costa da Caparica

$61 3.8% 8% $5.3

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Costa da Caparica

$60 3.8% 112% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $932 in Costa da Caparica. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $58.0 in Bucharest vs $46.00 in Costa da Caparica. Groceries flip the comparison at $225 vs $245, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇵🇹 Costa da Caparica

🕒 Local time

16:03 4:03 PM

14:03 2:03 PM

2 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

13,972

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 4.77 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 0.893 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Costa da Caparica 2,990 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Costa da Caparica

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 Costa da Caparica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Costa da Caparica differ by about 19% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $1,599 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,011 in Bucharest and $2,399 in Costa da Caparica to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $678 in Bucharest versus $932 in Costa da Caparica. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,340 per month in Bucharest versus $1,599 in Costa da Caparica – a 19% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 101% less than in Costa da Caparica. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,599 in Costa da Caparica, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Costa da Caparica. The gap between the two cities makes Bucharest 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.

Safety-wise, Bucharest and Costa da Caparica 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 Bucharest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Costa da Caparica. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.