Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Luanda

For one person, living is cheaper in Luanda: $1,002 a month against $1,351 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bucharest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Luanda
Learn more

Luanda Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Luanda

🇦🇴 Angola

$1,002

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Luanda

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,351 in Bucharest versus $1,002 in Luanda.

Bucharest $1,351
Luanda $1,002

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,033 in Bucharest versus $1,894 in Luanda.

Bucharest $2,033
Luanda $1,894

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,715 in Bucharest versus $2,787 in Luanda.

Bucharest $2,715
Luanda $2,787

Living in Bucharest is roughly 35% more expensive than in Luanda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% above, Luanda is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 RON 68.4

$5.32 AOA 4,859

171.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 273

$36.65 AOA 33.5K

57.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 RON 35.46

$6.69 AOA 6,110

12.11%

Cappuccino

$3.43 RON 16.20

$2.65 AOA 2,417

29.43%

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

$2.46 RON 11.63

$1.35 AOA 1,231

82.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.01

$1.15 AOA 1,046

102.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 RON 17.97

$1.68 AOA 1,533

126.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.41

$1.63 AOA 1,487

151.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.79

$1.92 AOA 1,750

-14.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.39

$0.98 AOA 890

37.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.42

$1.62 AOA 1,479

9.88%

Eggs

$3.66 RON 17.33

$1.89 AOA 1,729

93.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 RON 40.54

$9.22 AOA 8,417

-7.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RON 32.17

$3.34 AOA 3,047

103.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 RON 55.4

$7.81 AOA 7,130

50.06%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.11

$2.25 AOA 2,056

-42.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.37

$0.92 AOA 841

69.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.28

$2.76 AOA 2,519

-44.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 RON 11.75

$1.82 AOA 1,664

36.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.92

$1.52 AOA 1,389

-45.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.77

$1.50 AOA 1,366

-46.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 3.98

$1.68 AOA 1,537

-50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 RON 4.39

$0.36 AOA 332

158.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 RON 30.45

$1.69 AOA 1,539

281.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 RON 29.91

$6.15 AOA 5,614

2.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.94

$0.43 AOA 388

193.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 RON 7.59

$0.92 AOA 840

73.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.85

$0.32 AOA 291

153.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.13 RON 99.9

$33.30 AOA 30.4K

-36.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$1.11 AOA 1,016

-45.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.91

$0.83 AOA 762

-26.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.19

$5.38 AOA 4,911

14.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.27

$0.32 AOA 289

512.50%

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

$28.1K RON 133.1K

$14.3K AOA 13.1M

96.71%

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

$26.3K RON 124.3K

$22.3K AOA 20.4M

17.69%

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

$197 RON 931

$101 AOA 92.2K

94.90%

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

$8.34 RON 39.44

$17.81 AOA 16.3K

-53.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.19 RON 43.47

$76.8 AOA 70.1K

-88.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.87 RON 236

$46.31 AOA 42.3K

7.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 118

$15.27 AOA 13.9K

63.65%

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 RON 40.01

$3.65 AOA 3,332

131.78%

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

$639 RON 3,023

$750 AOA 684.4K

-14.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.1K

$13.6K AOA 12.4M

6.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 RON 429

$110 AOA 100.4K

-17.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 RON 180

$63.6 AOA 58.1K

-40.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 RON 377

$96.3 AOA 87.9K

-17.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 RON 441

$196 AOA 179.0K

-52.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 RON 3,184

$382 AOA 348.9K

76.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 RON 2,123

$203 AOA 185.2K

121.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 RON 5,195

$2,087 AOA 1.9M

-47.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 RON 3,448

$1,039 AOA 948.5K

-29.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,740 RON 17.7K

$12.0K AOA 10.9M

-68.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 RON 10.4K

$868 AOA 792.2K

152.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,323 RON 6,259

$1,374 AOA 1.3M

-3.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

-67.90%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Last update for Luanda: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$449 33.5%

Luanda

$203 20.3% 54.8% $246

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.8%

Luanda

$116 11.6% 48.6% $110

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$222 16.5%

Luanda

$183 18.3% 17.6% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 16%

Luanda

$196 19.6% 8.8% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$136 10.1%

Luanda

$210 21% 54.5% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Luanda

$54 5.4% 19.7% $13

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Luanda

$40 4% 42.1% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $673 in Bucharest and $382 in Luanda. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Luanda pays 4% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $58.0 in Bucharest vs $37.00 in Luanda for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $183 per month, with Luanda cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇦🇴 Luanda

🕒 Local time

10:00 10:00 AM

08:00 8:00 AM

2 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

2,600,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Angolan Kwanza AOA Kz

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

10,000 AOA = 10.96 USD

10,000 AOA = 9.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AOA, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

Angolan Kwanza exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 913 AOA (1,000 AOA = 1.1 USD). 1 EUR = 1,024 AOA (10,000 AOA = 9.77 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Luanda 6,060 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Luanda

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 Luanda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Luanda differ by about 35% in total monthly costs ($1,351 vs $1,002 including rent). Luanda is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 4% lower in Luanda. 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: $673 in Bucharest versus $382 in Luanda. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,351 per month in Bucharest versus $1,002 in Luanda – a 35% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Luanda runs roughly 58% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,002 in Luanda versus $1,351 in Bucharest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Luanda but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Luanda 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.

Expats usually find Luanda gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.