Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Sao Joao da Madeira

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $1,510 in Sao Joao da Madeira, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Sao Joao da Madeira outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Sao Joao da Madeira
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Sao Joao da Madeira Living Index

Jump to prices

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Sao Joao da Madeira

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,510

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Sao Joao da Madeira

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 Sao Joao da Madeira actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,510 in Sao Joao da Madeira.

Bucharest $1,340
Sao Joao da Madeira $1,510

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $2,107 in Sao Joao da Madeira.

Bucharest $2,037
Sao Joao da Madeira $2,107

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $2,704 in Sao Joao da Madeira.

Bucharest $2,734
Sao Joao da Madeira $2,704

Living in Bucharest costs roughly 11% less than in Sao Joao da Madeira, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% below, Sao Joao da Madeira is 12% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$10.06 €8.95

44.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$19.79 €17.60

193.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$7.85 €6.98

-4.71%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$1.14 €1.01

201.75%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$1.09 €0.97

117.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$0.97 €0.87

137.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$3.32 €2.95

11.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$2.17 €1.93

91.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$0.85 €0.75

96.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$0.32 €0.28

328.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$1.14 €1.01

50.88%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$2.68 €2.39

35.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$8.58 €7.63

5.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$5.52 €4.91

23.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$6.51 €5.79

84.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$2.03 €1.81

-39.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$1.35 €1.20

20.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.83 €1.63

-14.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$2.85 €2.54

-10.88%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$1.97 €1.75

-59.90%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$1.88 €1.67

-59.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$1.24 €1.10

-29.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$0.98 €0.87

1.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$6.28 €5.59

0.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$4.53 €4.02

36.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.21 €1.07

-1.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.63 €1.45

-3.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$2.24 €1.99

-61.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$39.68 €35.29

-46.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$4.33 €3.85

-85.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$1.78 €1.58

-66.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$16.67 €14.83

-61.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$1.90 €1.69

3.16%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$33.1K €29.4K

-12.34%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$37.7K €33.5K

-29.27%

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

$196 RON 927

$110 €97.7

78.37%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$16.96 €15.08

-52.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$46.09 €40.99

-79.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$37.59 €33.44

33.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$15.09 €13.42

67.86%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$5.44 €4.84

49.82%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$341 €303

84.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$10.0K €8,931

40.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$65.5 €58.3

36.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$37.57 €33.42

2.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$82.7 €73.5

-4.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$98.5 €87.6

-8.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$957 €851

-29.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$768 €683

-41.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$1,517 €1,349

-28.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$1,164 €1,035

-37.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$2,957 €2,630

26.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$2,267 €2,017

-3.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$1,048 €932

26.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

3.55

90.14%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sao Joao da Madeira: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Sao Joao da Madeira

$768 50.8% 71.3% $320

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Sao Joao da Madeira

$147 9.7% 34.8% $78

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Sao Joao da Madeira

$184 12.2% 18.1% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Sao Joao da Madeira

$173 11.5% 19% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Sao Joao da Madeira

$128 8.5% 4.5% $6

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Sao Joao da Madeira

$48 3.2% 27.1% $18

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Sao Joao da Madeira

$62 4.1% 119% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $957 in Sao Joao da Madeira. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 27% 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 $20.00 in Sao Joao da Madeira for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $184 per month, with Sao Joao da Madeira cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇵🇹 Sao Joao da Madeira

🕒 Local time

20:44 8:44 PM

18:44 6:44 PM

2 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

22,144

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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 Sao Joao da Madeira 2,830 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Sao Joao da Madeira

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 Sao Joao da Madeira: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Sao Joao da Madeira differ by about 13% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $1,510 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 27% higher in Bucharest, 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: $678 in Bucharest versus $957 in Sao Joao da Madeira. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,340 per month in Bucharest versus $1,510 in Sao Joao da Madeira – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 88% less than in Sao Joao da Madeira. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,510 in Sao Joao da Madeira, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Sao Joao da Madeira. 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 Sao Joao da Madeira 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 13% less than in Sao Joao da Madeira. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.