Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Port Elizabeth

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Elizabeth: $1,233 a month against $1,351 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Port Elizabeth
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Port Elizabeth Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Port Elizabeth

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,233

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Port Elizabeth

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,351 in Bucharest versus $1,233 in Port Elizabeth.

Bucharest $1,351
Port Elizabeth $1,233

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,033 in Bucharest versus $1,847 in Port Elizabeth.

Bucharest $2,033
Port Elizabeth $1,847

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,715 in Bucharest versus $2,461 in Port Elizabeth.

Bucharest $2,715
Port Elizabeth $2,461

Living in Bucharest is roughly 10% more expensive than in Port Elizabeth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% above, Port Elizabeth is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 RON 68.4

$10.62 R 175

36.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 273

$42.87 R 707

34.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 RON 35.46

$6.02 R 99.3

24.58%

Cappuccino

$3.43 RON 16.20

$2.12 R 35.03

61.79%

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

$2.46 RON 11.63

$1.04 R 17.24

136.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.01

$0.72 R 11.93

223.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 RON 17.97

$2.76 R 45.50

37.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.41

$3.06 R 50.5

33.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.79

$1.14 R 18.74

44.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.39

$1.04 R 17.10

29.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.42

$1.44 R 23.78

23.61%

Eggs

$3.66 RON 17.33

$2.81 R 46.33

30.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 RON 40.54

$8.58 R 142

-0.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RON 32.17

$5.47 R 90.2

24.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 RON 55.4

$8.28 R 137

41.55%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.11

$2.11 R 34.80

-38.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.37

$1.54 R 25.46

1.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.28

$1.61 R 26.56

-4.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 RON 11.75

$1.78 R 29.43

39.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.92

$1.73 R 28.56

-52.02%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.77

$1.42 R 23.46

-43.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 3.98

$1.29 R 21.27

-34.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 RON 4.39

$1.01 R 16.70

-7.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 RON 30.45

$3.13 R 51.6

105.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 RON 29.91

$4.82 R 79.6

31.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.94

$1.25 R 20.63

0.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 RON 7.59

$1.82 R 30.06

-12.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.85

$1.09 R 17.96

-25.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.13 RON 99.9

$36.08 R 595

-41.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$2.12 R 35.03

-71.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.91

$0.50 R 8.20

22.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.19

$8.45 R 139

-26.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.27

$1.45 R 23.86

35.17%

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

$28.1K RON 133.1K

$35.4K R 584.3K

-20.51%

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

$26.3K RON 124.3K

$34.0K R 561.2K

-22.71%

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

$197 RON 931

$123 R 2,024

60.46%

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

$8.34 RON 39.44

$35.08 R 579

-76.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.19 RON 43.47

$45.22 R 746

-79.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.87 RON 236

$31.88 R 526

56.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 118

$22.73 R 375

9.94%

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 RON 40.01

$10.61 R 175

-20.26%

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

$639 RON 3,023

$176 R 2,902

263.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.1K

$6,192 R 102.2K

132.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 RON 429

$70.6 R 1,164

28.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 RON 180

$38.27 R 631

-0.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 RON 377

$110 R 1,807

-27.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 RON 441

$96.5 R 1,593

-3.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 RON 3,184

$612 R 10.1K

10.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 RON 2,123

$418 R 6,891

7.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 RON 5,195

$805 R 13.3K

36.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 RON 3,448

$689 R 11.4K

5.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,740 RON 17.7K

$750 R 12.4K

398.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 RON 10.4K

$531 R 8,754

312.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,323 RON 6,259

$1,612 R 26.6K

-17.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

11.94

-43.55%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Last update for Port Elizabeth: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$449 33.5%

Port Elizabeth

$418 34.4% 7% $31

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.8%

Port Elizabeth

$155 12.8% 31.1% $70

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$222 16.5%

Port Elizabeth

$197 16.2% 11.3% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 16%

Port Elizabeth

$203 16.7% 5.3% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$136 10.1%

Port Elizabeth

$142 11.7% 4.4% $6

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Port Elizabeth

$53 4.4% 20.5% $14

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Port Elizabeth

$45 3.7% 60.5% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $673 in Bucharest and $612 in Port Elizabeth. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Port Elizabeth pays 22% 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 $43.00 in Port Elizabeth for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $197 per month, with Port Elizabeth cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇿🇦 Port Elizabeth

🕒 Local time

15:34 3:34 PM

14:34 2:34 PM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

1,050,000

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, 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).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Port Elizabeth 8,720 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Port Elizabeth

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 Port Elizabeth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Port Elizabeth differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($1,351 vs $1,233 including rent). Port Elizabeth is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 22% lower in Port Elizabeth. 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 $612 in Port Elizabeth. 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 $1,233 in Port Elizabeth – a 10% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Port Elizabeth runs roughly 71% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,233 in Port Elizabeth versus $1,351 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Port Elizabeth but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Port Elizabeth 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 Port Elizabeth gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.