Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Caldas da Rainha and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $1,532 in Caldas da Rainha, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Caldas da Rainha
Learn more

Caldas da Rainha Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index

Jump to prices

Caldas da Rainha

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,532

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Caldas da Rainha and in Bucharest

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,532 in Caldas da Rainha versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

Caldas da Rainha $1,532
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,352 in Caldas da Rainha versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

Caldas da Rainha $2,352
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,172 in Caldas da Rainha versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

Caldas da Rainha $3,172
Bucharest $2,715

Living in Caldas da Rainha is roughly 13% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Caldas da Rainha 14% above, Bucharest 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.73 €14.03

$14.46 RON 68.4

8.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.9 €45.38

$57.7 RON 273

-11.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.22 €9.12

$7.50 RON 35.46

36.27%

Cappuccino

$2.05 €1.83

$3.43 RON 16.20

-40.23%

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

$2.36 €2.10

$2.46 RON 11.63

-4.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$2.33 RON 11.01

-39.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.78 €2.48

$3.80 RON 17.97

-26.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.87 €3.46

$4.10 RON 19.41

-5.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 €0.95

$1.65 RON 7.79

-35.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.35 RON 6.39

6.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.78 RON 8.42

-12.36%

Eggs

$3.01 €2.69

$3.66 RON 17.33

-17.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.38 €9.26

$8.57 RON 40.54

21.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.26 €6.48

$6.80 RON 32.17

6.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.81 €11.44

$11.72 RON 55.4

9.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 €1.67

$1.29 RON 6.11

44.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.56 RON 7.37

-14.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.54 RON 7.28

9.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.46 €2.19

$2.48 RON 11.75

-0.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$0.83 RON 3.92

131.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 €1.68

$0.80 RON 3.77

135.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 €1.15

$0.84 RON 3.98

53.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$0.93 RON 4.39

-9.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.74 €5.12

$6.44 RON 30.45

-10.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.95 €3.53

$6.32 RON 29.91

-37.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.26 RON 5.94

30.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.60 RON 7.59

7.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.67 €3.27

$0.81 RON 3.85

353.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.14 €30.46

$21.13 RON 99.9

61.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 €2.53

$0.60 RON 2.86

371.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.91

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.19

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.96 RON 9.27

-2.55%

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

$33.8K €30.2K

$28.1K RON 133.1K

20.06%

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

$37.7K €33.7K

$26.3K RON 124.3K

43.54%

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

$108 €96.0

$197 RON 931

-45.36%

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

$18.14 €16.19

$8.34 RON 39.44

117.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.70 €34.54

$9.19 RON 43.47

321.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.88 €43.62

$49.87 RON 236

-1.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.78 €24.79

$24.99 RON 118

11.16%

Cinema Ticket

$8.78 €7.84

$8.46 RON 40.01

3.78%

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

$399 €356

$639 RON 3,023

-37.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,537 €4,941

$14.4K RON 68.1K

-61.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.8 €85.5

$90.6 RON 429

5.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.87 €38.26

$38.05 RON 180

12.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 €100

$79.7 RON 377

40.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.4 €61.1

$93.2 RON 441

-26.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$891 €795

$673 RON 3,184

32.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 €599

$449 RON 2,123

49.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,401 €1,251

$1,098 RON 5,195

27.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €1,001

$729 RON 3,448

53.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,845 €2,539

$3,740 RON 17.7K

-23.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 €2,038

$2,189 RON 10.4K

4.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,145 €1,022

$1,323 RON 6,259

-13.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.11

6.74

-53.86%

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

Last update for Caldas da Rainha: October 4, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Caldas da Rainha

$671 43.4%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 33.1% $222

Groceries & Markets

Caldas da Rainha

$230 14.9%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 3.5% $8.1

Eating Out

Caldas da Rainha

$218 14.1%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 3.6% $7.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Caldas da Rainha

$164 10.6%

Bucharest

$214 16% 30.4% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Caldas da Rainha

$144 9.3%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 5.6% $8

Sport & Entertainment

Caldas da Rainha

$66 4.3%

Bucharest

$67 5% 0.5% $0.4

Getting Around

Caldas da Rainha

$52 * 3.3%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 45.7% $24

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 $891 in Caldas da Rainha and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 16% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $51.0 in Caldas da Rainha vs $58.0 in Bucharest. Groceries flip the comparison at $230 vs $222, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Caldas da Rainha

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

09:48 9:48 AM

11:48 11:48 AM

2 h ahead of Caldas da Rainha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,917

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Caldas da Rainha Bucharest 2,940 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Caldas da Rainha
Bucharest

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

Caldas da Rainha vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Caldas da Rainha and Bucharest differ by about 13% in total monthly costs ($1,532 vs $1,351 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 16% lower in Bucharest. 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: $891 in Caldas da Rainha versus $673 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,532 per month in Caldas da Rainha versus $1,351 in Bucharest – 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 62% less than in Caldas da Rainha. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $1,532 in Caldas da Rainha, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Caldas da Rainha. 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, Caldas da Rainha and Bucharest 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 Caldas da Rainha. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.