Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Palma de Mallorca

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $2,239 in Palma de Mallorca, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 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
109

Cost of Living Index in Palma de Mallorca
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Palma de Mallorca Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Palma de Mallorca

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,239

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Palma de Mallorca

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 Palma de Mallorca actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,351 in Bucharest versus $2,239 in Palma de Mallorca.

Bucharest $1,351
Palma de Mallorca $2,239

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,033 in Bucharest versus $3,269 in Palma de Mallorca.

Bucharest $2,033
Palma de Mallorca $3,269

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,715 in Bucharest versus $4,300 in Palma de Mallorca.

Bucharest $2,715
Palma de Mallorca $4,300

Living in Bucharest costs roughly 40% less than in Palma de Mallorca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bucharest 1% above, Palma de Mallorca 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 RON 68.4

$18.64 €16.63

-22.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 273

$66.2 €59.1

-12.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 RON 35.46

$13.35 €11.91

-43.82%

Cappuccino

$3.43 RON 16.20

$3.20 €2.86

7.19%

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

$2.46 RON 11.63

$2.70 €2.41

-8.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.01

$2.71 €2.42

-14.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 RON 17.97

$4.61 €4.11

-17.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.41

$3.87 €3.46

5.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.79

$1.35 €1.21

22.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.39

$1.16 €1.03

16.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.42

$1.62 €1.45

9.88%

Eggs

$3.66 RON 17.33

$3.41 €3.04

7.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 RON 40.54

$14.56 €13.00

-41.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RON 32.17

$8.77 €7.83

-22.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 RON 55.4

$15.90 €14.19

-26.29%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.11

$2.57 €2.30

-49.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.37

$1.95 €1.74

-20.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.28

$1.76 €1.57

-12.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 RON 11.75

$2.87 €2.56

-13.59%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.92

$1.94 €1.73

-57.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.77

$2.18 €1.94

-63.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 3.98

$1.26 €1.12

-33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 RON 4.39

$0.64 €0.58

45.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 RON 30.45

$6.87 €6.13

-6.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 RON 29.91

$5.55 €4.95

13.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.94

$1.39 €1.24

-9.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 RON 7.59

$1.91 €1.71

-16.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.85

$2.26 €2.02

-64.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.13 RON 99.9

$40.95 €36.54

-48.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$5.09 €4.54

-88.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.91

$1.38 €1.23

-55.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.19

$24.04 €21.45

-74.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.27

$1.81 €1.62

8.29%

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

$28.1K RON 133.1K

$35.4K €31.6K

-20.40%

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

$26.3K RON 124.3K

$31.4K €28.0K

-16.23%

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

$197 RON 931

$253 €226

-22.30%

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

$8.34 RON 39.44

$23.84 €21.28

-65.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.19 RON 43.47

$42.93 €38.31

-78.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.87 RON 236

$62.0 €55.3

-19.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 118

$27.84 €24.85

-10.24%

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 RON 40.01

$9.77 €8.72

-13.41%

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

$639 RON 3,023

$610 €544

4.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.1K

$10.4K €9,246

38.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 RON 429

$71.1 €63.5

27.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 RON 180

$55.3 €49.34

-31.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 RON 377

$99.7 €89.0

-20.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 RON 441

$129 €115

-27.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 RON 3,184

$1,497 €1,336

-55.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 RON 2,123

$1,055 €941

-57.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 RON 5,195

$2,356 €2,103

-53.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 RON 3,448

$1,841 €1,643

-60.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,740 RON 17.7K

$6,887 €6,146

-45.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 RON 10.4K

$3,721 €3,321

-41.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,323 RON 6,259

$2,018 €1,801

-34.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

3.07

119.54%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Last update for Palma de Mallorca: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$449 33.5%

Palma de Mallorca

$1.1K 47.3% 135% $606

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.8%

Palma de Mallorca

$280 12.6% 24.1% $54

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$222 16.5%

Palma de Mallorca

$271 12.2% 22.4% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 16%

Palma de Mallorca

$320 14.4% 49.3% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$136 10.1%

Palma de Mallorca

$160 7.2% 17.6% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Palma de Mallorca

$82 3.7% 22% $15

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Palma de Mallorca

$62 2.8% 121% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $673 in Bucharest and $1,497 in Palma de Mallorca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Palma de Mallorca pays 53% 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 $66.0 in Palma de Mallorca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $271 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇪🇸 Palma de Mallorca

🕒 Local time

12:06 12:06 PM

11:06 11:06 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

423,350

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 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 = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 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 Palma de Mallorca 2,000 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Palma de Mallorca

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 Palma de Mallorca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Palma de Mallorca differ by about 66% in total monthly costs ($1,351 vs $2,239 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 53% lower in Palma de Mallorca. 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 $1,497 in Palma de Mallorca. 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 $2,239 in Palma de Mallorca – a 66% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 94% less than in Palma de Mallorca. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $2,239 in Palma de Mallorca, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Palma de Mallorca. 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 Palma de Mallorca 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 66% less than in Palma de Mallorca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.