Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Puertollano

For one person, living is cheaper in Puertollano: $928 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Puertollano
Learn more

Puertollano Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Puertollano

🇪🇸 Spain

$928

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Puertollano

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $928 in Puertollano.

Bucharest $1,340
Puertollano $928

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $1,349 in Puertollano.

Bucharest $2,037
Puertollano $1,349

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $1,771 in Puertollano.

Bucharest $2,734
Puertollano $1,771

Living in Bucharest is roughly 45% more expensive than in Puertollano, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Puertollano 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$13.49 €12.00

7.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$24.56 €21.85

136.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$8.74 €7.77

-14.42%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$1.64 €1.46

109.76%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$1.10 €0.98

115.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$1.10 €0.98

109.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$2.21 €1.97

67.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$2.24 €1.99

85.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$1.24 €1.10

34.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$1.43 €1.27

-4.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$1.82 €1.62

-5.49%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$3.02 €2.69

20.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$14.01 €12.46

-35.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$5.22 €4.64

31.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$11.11 €9.88

8.01%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$2.01 €1.78

-38.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$1.96 €1.74

-16.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.67 €1.48

-5.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$2.18 €1.94

16.51%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$1.02 €0.91

-22.55%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$2.11 €1.88

-63.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$1.20 €1.07

-27.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$0.67 €0.60

47.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$6.52 €5.80

-3.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$3.81 €3.39

62.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.17 €1.04

1.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.10 €0.98

42.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$1.02 €0.90

-15.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$13.56 €12.06

55.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$1.84 €1.64

-65.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$1.21 €1.08

-50.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$22.05 €19.62

-70.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$1.59 €1.42

23.27%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$22.2K €19.7K

30.86%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$28.8K €25.7K

-7.63%

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

$196 RON 927

$71.5 €63.6

174.05%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$8.33 €7.41

-3.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$23.98 €21.33

-61.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$39.50 €35.13

27.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$4.34 €3.86

87.79%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$834 €742

-24.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$10.1K €8,972

39.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$49.65 €44.16

80.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$39.27 €34.93

-2.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$45.30 €40.30

74.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$27.83 €24.75

224.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$276 €246

62.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$674 €599

60.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$330 €293

119.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$1,109 €986

19.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

3.29

105.17%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Puertollano: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Puertollano

$276 29.8% 38.4% $172

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Puertollano

$178 19.2% 20.9% $47

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Puertollano

$223 24% 1.1% $2.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Puertollano

$104 11.2% 51.3% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Puertollano

$73 7.9% 45.5% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Puertollano

$48 5.2% 27.6% $18

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Puertollano

$26 2.8% 9.5% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

Bucharest pays 20% 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 $25.00 in Puertollano for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $223 per month, with Puertollano cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇪🇸 Puertollano

🕒 Local time

15:08 3:08 PM

14:08 2:08 PM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

45,127

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Puertollano 2,580 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Puertollano

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 Puertollano: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Puertollano differ by about 45% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $928 including rent). Puertollano is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 20% higher in Bucharest, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

All in, you'll spend $1,340 per month in Bucharest versus $928 in Puertollano – a 45% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Puertollano runs roughly 56% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $928 in Puertollano versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Puertollano but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Puertollano 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 Puertollano 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 Puertollano gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.