Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Madrid

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $2,311 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 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
112

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,311

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Madrid

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,351 in Bucharest versus $2,311 in Madrid.

Bucharest $1,351
Madrid $2,311

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,033 in Bucharest versus $3,324 in Madrid.

Bucharest $2,033
Madrid $3,324

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,715 in Bucharest versus $4,337 in Madrid.

Bucharest $2,715
Madrid $4,337

Living in Bucharest costs roughly 42% less than in Madrid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bucharest 1% above, Madrid 72% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 RON 68.9

$18.11 €16.14

-20.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 275

$67.7 €60.4

-14.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 RON 35.72

$11.16 €9.95

-32.80%

Cappuccino

$3.43 RON 16.32

$3.10 €2.76

10.65%

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

$2.46 RON 11.72

$3.25 €2.90

-24.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.09

$2.25 €2.01

3.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 RON 18.10

$3.87 €3.45

-1.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.56

$4.98 €4.44

-17.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.85

$1.43 €1.27

15.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.44

$1.60 €1.43

-15.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.48

$1.68 €1.50

5.95%

Eggs

$3.66 RON 17.46

$4.24 €3.78

-13.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 RON 40.84

$17.07 €15.22

-49.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RON 32.41

$9.08 €8.10

-25.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 RON 55.8

$17.61 €15.70

-33.45%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.16

$2.52 €2.24

-48.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.43

$2.18 €1.95

-28.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.34

$2.59 €2.31

-40.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 RON 11.84

$2.53 €2.26

-1.98%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.95

$2.21 €1.97

-62.44%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.80

$2.18 €1.94

-63.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 4.01

$1.57 €1.40

-46.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 RON 4.42

$1.05 €0.93

-11.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 RON 30.68

$6.65 €5.93

-3.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 RON 30.13

$7.78 €6.94

-18.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.99

$1.17 €1.04

7.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 RON 7.65

$2.26 €2.01

-29.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.88

$1.71 €1.52

-52.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.13 RON 101

$37.14 €33.11

-43.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.88

$3.74 €3.33

-83.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.93

$1.49 €1.33

-59.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.41

$30.16 €26.89

-79.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.34

$1.84 €1.64

6.52%

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

$28.1K RON 134.2K

$34.8K €31.1K

-19.19%

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

$26.3K RON 125.3K

$33.4K €29.7K

-21.18%

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

$197 RON 938

$185 €165

6.18%

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

$8.34 RON 39.74

$18.51 €16.50

-54.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.19 RON 43.80

$34.78 €31.01

-73.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.87 RON 238

$49.99 €44.57

-0.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 119

$18.11 €16.14

37.99%

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 RON 40.31

$11.24 €10.03

-24.73%

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

$639 RON 3,046

$666 €594

-4.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.6K

$18.1K €16.1K

-20.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 RON 432

$85.5 €76.3

5.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 RON 181

$43.61 €38.88

-12.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 RON 380

$109 €96.8

-26.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 RON 444

$112 €99.6

-16.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 RON 3,209

$1,524 €1,359

-55.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 RON 2,139

$1,193 €1,063

-62.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 RON 5,234

$2,708 €2,414

-59.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 RON 3,474

$1,799 €1,604

-59.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,740 RON 17.8K

$9,164 €8,171

-59.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 RON 10.4K

$4,169 €3,717

-47.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,323 RON 6,306

$2,478 €2,209

-46.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

3.08

118.83%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Last update for Madrid: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$449 33.5%

Madrid

$1.2K 52.1% 166% $744

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.8%

Madrid

$267 11.7% 18.2% $41

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$222 16.5%

Madrid

$308 13.4% 38.8% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 16%

Madrid

$239 10.4% 11.3% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$136 10.1%

Madrid

$157 6.9% 15.9% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Madrid

$72 3.2% 8.5% $5.7

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Madrid

$55 2.4% 96.5% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $673 in Bucharest and $1,524 in Madrid. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 87% 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 $68.0 in Madrid for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $308 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇪🇸 Madrid

🕒 Local time

07:50 7:50 AM

06:50 6:50 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

3,332,035 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.77 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Madrid 2,470 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Madrid

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 Madrid: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Madrid differ by about 71% in total monthly costs ($1,351 vs $2,311 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 87% lower in Madrid. 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 $1,524 in Madrid. 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 $2,311 in Madrid – a 71% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 76% less than in Madrid. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $2,311 in Madrid, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Madrid. 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 Madrid 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 71% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.