Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Sal

For one person, living is cheaper in Sal: $851 a month against $1,371 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Sal
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Sal Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,371

/mo nomad

Sal

🇨🇻 Cape Verde

$851

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Sal

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,371 in Bucharest versus $851 in Sal.

Bucharest $1,371
Sal $851

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,067 in Bucharest versus $1,317 in Sal.

Bucharest $2,067
Sal $1,317

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,764 in Bucharest versus $1,784 in Sal.

Bucharest $2,764
Sal $1,784

Living in Bucharest is roughly 61% more expensive than in Sal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.51 RON 69.0

$5.62 CVE 550

158.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 RON 291

$44.81 CVE 4,385

36.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.46 RON 35.50

$11.38 CVE 1,113

-34.45%

Cappuccino

$3.64 RON 17.33

$2.36 CVE 231

54.24%

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

$2.62 RON 12.44

$2.53 CVE 248

3.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 RON 11.24

$1.11 CVE 108

112.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.78 RON 18.00

$4.62 CVE 452

-18.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 RON 19.54

$3.08 CVE 302

33.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 RON 7.90

$1.60 CVE 157

3.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 RON 6.64

$2.20 CVE 215

-36.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 RON 8.54

$1.20 CVE 117

49.17%

Eggs

$3.63 RON 17.27

$2.89 CVE 283

25.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.92 RON 42.43

$9.08 CVE 888

-1.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.86 RON 32.65

$7.80 CVE 763

-12.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.99 RON 57.0

$15.92 CVE 1,558

-24.69%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.17

$3.13 CVE 306

-58.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.77

$2.38 CVE 233

-31.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.10

$3.19 CVE 312

-53.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.09

$3.84 CVE 376

-33.85%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 RON 3.86

$1.69 CVE 166

-52.07%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.79

$1.83 CVE 179

-56.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 RON 4.07

$1.49 CVE 146

-42.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RON 4.46

$1.09 CVE 107

-13.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.60 RON 31.42

$4.44 CVE 434

48.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.33 RON 30.11

$6.41 CVE 627

-1.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.64

$4.09 CVE 400

-70.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 RON 7.54

$1.83 CVE 179

-13.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 RON 4.64

$0.99 CVE 97.2

-1.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.91 RON 99.5

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$2.06 CVE 202

-70.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 RON 2.93

$3.14 CVE 307

-80.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.37 RON 30.28

$12.47 CVE 1,220

-48.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 RON 9.63

$1.34 CVE 131

50.75%

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

$28.2K RON 134.1K

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

$26.3K RON 125.0K

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

$196 RON 933

$60.0 CVE 5,870

227.02%

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

$8.60 RON 40.89

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.20 RON 43.74

$49.50 CVE 4,844

-81.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 RON 243

$27.44 CVE 2,685

85.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.04 RON 119

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 RON 39.31

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

$681 RON 3,237

$116 CVE 11.4K

485.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K RON 89.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 RON 444

$30.02 CVE 2,937

210.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.87 RON 190

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 RON 381

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 RON 431

$144 CVE 14.1K

-37.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$731 RON 3,477

$252 CVE 24.7K

189.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 RON 2,234

$168 CVE 16.4K

180.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,110 RON 5,282

$301 CVE 29.4K

269.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 RON 3,435

$207 CVE 20.2K

249.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 RON 17.8K

$669 CVE 65.5K

460.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,233 RON 10.6K

$339 CVE 33.2K

558.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,365 RON 6,494

$257 CVE 25.1K

431.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

5.25

28.57%

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

Last update for Bucharest: November 2, 2026

Last update for Sal: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$470 34.3%

Sal

$168 19.7% 64.3% $302

Eating Out

Bucharest

$229 16.7%

Sal

$151 17.8% 34.1% $78

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.4%

Sal

$295 34.7% 31.3% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 15.6%

Sal

$110 * 12.9% 48.8% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$137 10%

Sal

$78 * 9.2% 42.7% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$68 4.9%

Sal

$27 * 3.2% 59.4% $40

Getting Around

Bucharest

$29 2.1%

Sal

$22 * 2.6% 23.8% $6.8

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $731 in Bucharest and $252 in Sal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays about 5.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Bucharest vs $45 in Sal. Groceries flip the comparison at $225 vs $295, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇨🇻 Sal

🕒 Local time

20:30 8:30 PM

17:30 5:30 PM

3 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

1,288

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Cabo Verdean Escudo CVE $

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1,000 CVE = 10.22 USD

1,000 CVE = 9.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CVE, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 4.76 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Cabo Verdean Escudo exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 97.85 CVE (100 CVE = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 110 CVE (1,000 CVE = 9.09 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Sal 5,500 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Sal

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 Sal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,371 in Bucharest and $851 in Sal, so Sal is about 38% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Bucharest is about 5.3 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $731 in Bucharest versus $252 in Sal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Bucharest pay roughly 24% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,371 per month in Bucharest versus $851 in Sal – Sal is about 38% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $851 in Sal versus $1,371 in Bucharest, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Sal but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Sal 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.

It comes down to priorities – Sal wins on affordability, Bucharest on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.