Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buzau and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Buzau: $979 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Buzau
Learn more

Buzau Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

Jump to prices

Buzau

🇷🇴 Romania

$979

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buzau and in Lisbon

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Buzau and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $979 in Buzau versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Buzau $979
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,449 in Buzau versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Buzau $1,449
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,919 in Buzau versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Buzau $1,919
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Buzau costs roughly 56% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buzau is 27% below, Lisbon is 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.42 RON 49.30

$16.50 €14.67

-36.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.71 RON 117

$61.3 €54.5

-59.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.30 RON 29.79

$11.27 €10.03

-44.10%

Cappuccino

$2.02 RON 9.58

$3.06 €2.72

-33.99%

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

$1.93 RON 9.12

$2.26 €2.01

-14.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 RON 7.08

$1.73 €1.54

-13.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.66 RON 7.85

$3.39 €3.02

-51.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 RON 8.10

$3.40 €3.02

-49.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 RON 8.32

$1.12 €1.00

57.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 RON 6.21

$1.86 €1.65

-29.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 RON 6.84

$1.53 €1.36

-5.23%

Eggs

$3.10 RON 14.67

$3.96 €3.53

-21.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.50 RON 35.47

$12.76 €11.35

-41.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 RON 31.33

$7.90 €7.02

-16.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.10 RON 52.5

$16.97 €15.09

-34.59%

Apples (1kg)

$0.95 RON 4.50

$2.27 €2.02

-58.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.72

$1.75 €1.55

-6.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.11 RON 5.25

$1.85 €1.64

-40.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.83

$2.57 €2.28

-52.14%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 RON 3.18

$1.86 €1.65

-63.98%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 RON 3.68

$2.02 €1.80

-61.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.48 RON 2.28

$1.44 €1.28

-66.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 RON 3.11

$0.82 €0.73

-19.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.24 RON 29.54

$6.56 €5.83

-4.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.43 RON 30.42

$5.62 €5.00

14.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 RON 3.58

$1.28 €1.14

-40.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 RON 6.77

$2.07 €1.84

-30.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 RON 3.10

$2.35 €2.09

-71.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.60 RON 102

$44.18 €39.30

-51.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.52 RON 2.47

$3.99 €3.55

-86.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.49 RON 2.32

$1.09 €0.97

-55.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.19 RON 29.27

$16.64 €14.81

-62.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.81

$2.28 €2.03

-27.63%

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

$19.4K RON 91.7K

$33.7K €30.0K

-42.43%

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

$21.1K RON 100.0K

$39.3K €35.0K

-46.20%

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

$119 RON 563

$167 €149

-29.01%

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

$7.87 RON 37.24

$18.80 €16.72

-58.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.72 RON 36.53

$33.09 €29.43

-76.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.03 RON 152

$46.01 €40.93

-30.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.85 RON 84.5

$19.19 €17.07

-6.98%

Cinema Ticket

$6.89 RON 32.60

$9.84 €8.75

-29.98%

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

$285 RON 1,348

$677 €602

-57.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,766 RON 32.0K

$16.9K €15.1K

-60.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.5 RON 258

$101 €90.1

-46.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.7 RON 273

$45.76 €40.70

26.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.5 RON 461

$100.0 €88.9

-2.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.1 RON 398

$123 €109

-31.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$344 RON 1,629

$1,614 €1,436

-78.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$292 RON 1,379

$1,197 €1,065

-75.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$606 RON 2,867

$2,862 €2,545

-78.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$423 RON 2,002

$1,990 €1,770

-78.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,475 RON 6,976

$7,577 €6,740

-80.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,194 RON 5,648

$4,307 €3,831

-72.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$850 RON 4,021

$1,588 €1,412

-46.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.97

3.85

81.04%

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

Last update for Buzau: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buzau

$292 29.8%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 311% $906

Groceries & Markets

Buzau

$196 20%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 37.6% $74

Eating Out

Buzau

$152 15.5%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 59.4% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buzau

$134 13.7%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 63.1% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Buzau

$132 13.5%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 25.9% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Buzau

$46 4.7%

Lisbon

$66 3% 43.4% $20

Getting Around

Buzau

$27 2.8%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 132% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $344 in Buzau and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 87% 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: $25.00 in Buzau vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $196 vs $269 per month, with Buzau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Buzau

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

05:39 5:39 AM

03:39 3:39 AM

2 h behind Buzau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

115,494

545,923 Capital

💱 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 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buzau Lisbon 3,030 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Buzau
Lisbon

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

Buzau vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buzau and Lisbon differ by about 127% in total monthly costs ($979 vs $2,223 including rent). Buzau is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 87% lower in Lisbon. 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: $344 in Buzau versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 38% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Buzau – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $61.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $979 in Buzau versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Buzau but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Buzau 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, Buzau and Lisbon 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 Buzau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 127% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.