Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Porto Alegre, Sao Tome and Principe

For one person, living is cheaper in Porto Alegre: $199 a month against $1,371 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,371

/mo nomad

Porto Alegre

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

$199

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Porto Alegre

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,371 in Bucharest versus $199 in Porto Alegre.

Bucharest $1,371
Porto Alegre $199

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,067 in Bucharest versus $412 in Porto Alegre.

Bucharest $2,067
Porto Alegre $412

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,764 in Bucharest versus $625 in Porto Alegre.

Bucharest $2,764
Porto Alegre $625

Living in Bucharest is roughly 589% more expensive than in Porto Alegre, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.51 RON 69.0

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 RON 291

$38.16 STN 832

60.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.46 RON 35.46

$5.71 STN 124

30.65%

Cappuccino

$3.64 RON 17.31

$2.47 STN 53.8

47.37%

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

$2.62 RON 12.43

$1.06 STN 23.12

147.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 RON 11.23

$0.88 STN 19.18

168.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.78 RON 17.98

$2.30 STN 50.2

64.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 RON 19.52

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 RON 7.89

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 RON 6.64

$2.08 STN 45.37

-32.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 RON 8.53

$1.04 STN 22.61

72.12%

Eggs

$3.63 RON 17.25

$2.32 STN 50.6

56.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.92 RON 42.38

$18.61 STN 406

-52.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.86 RON 32.62

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.99 RON 57.0

$12.36 STN 269

-2.99%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.16

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.76

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.09

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.08

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 RON 3.86

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.78

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 RON 4.07

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RON 4.46

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.60 RON 31.38

$2.29 STN 49.93

188.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.33 RON 30.08

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.64

$1.14 STN 24.94

4.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 RON 7.53

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 RON 4.64

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.91 RON 99.4

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 RON 2.93

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.37 RON 30.25

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 RON 9.62

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

$28.2K RON 134.0K

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

$26.3K RON 124.8K

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

$196 RON 932

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

$8.60 RON 40.84

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.20 RON 43.69

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 RON 242

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.04 RON 119

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 RON 39.27

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

$681 RON 3,234

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K RON 89.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 RON 443

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.87 RON 189

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 RON 381

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 RON 431

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$731 RON 3,473

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 RON 2,232

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,110 RON 5,276

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 RON 3,431

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 RON 17.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,233 RON 10.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,365 RON 6,487

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

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

Last update for Bucharest: November 2, 2026

Last update for Porto Alegre: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$470 34.3%

Porto Alegre

–

Eating Out

Bucharest

$229 16.7%

Porto Alegre

–

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.4%

Porto Alegre

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 15.6%

Porto Alegre

–

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$137 10%

Porto Alegre

–

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$68 4.9%

Porto Alegre

–

Getting Around

Bucharest

$29 2.1%

Porto Alegre

–

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $61 in Bucharest vs $38 in Porto Alegre for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $133 per month, with Porto Alegre cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇸🇹 Porto Alegre

🕒 Local time

13:24 1:24 PM

11:24 11:24 AM

2 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

795

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Sao Tome and Principe Dobra STN Db

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

100 STN = 4.59 USD

100 STN = 4.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

STN, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Sao Tome and Principe Dobra exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 21.8 STN (100 STN = 4.59 USD). 1 EUR = 24.48 STN (100 STN = 4.08 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

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Bucharest Porto Alegre 5,300 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Porto Alegre

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 Porto Alegre: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,371 in Bucharest and $199 in Porto Alegre, so Porto Alegre is about 85% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,056 in Bucharest and $298 in Porto Alegre 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.

Dining out is cheaper in Porto Alegre – a meal for two runs $38 versus $61 in Bucharest. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,371 per month in Bucharest versus $199 in Porto Alegre – Porto Alegre is about 85% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $199 in Porto Alegre versus $1,371 in Bucharest, a $800 budget is realistic in Porto Alegre but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Porto Alegre 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.