Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Coimbra and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $1,540 in Coimbra, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Coimbra
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Coimbra Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Coimbra

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,540

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Coimbra 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 Coimbra and in Bucharest actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,540 in Coimbra versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

Coimbra $1,540
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,306 in Coimbra versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

Coimbra $2,306
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,073 in Coimbra versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

Coimbra $3,073
Bucharest $2,715

Living in Coimbra is roughly 14% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Coimbra 15% above, Bucharest 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.49 €12.04

$14.46 RON 68.4

-6.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.04 €41.98

$57.7 RON 273

-18.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.91 €8.84

$7.50 RON 35.46

32.13%

Cappuccino

$1.95 €1.74

$3.43 RON 16.20

-43.15%

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

$1.97 €1.76

$2.46 RON 11.63

-19.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 €1.42

$2.33 RON 11.01

-31.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 €1.99

$3.80 RON 17.97

-41.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 €3.07

$4.10 RON 19.41

-16.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.65 RON 7.79

-37.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.35 RON 6.39

16.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 €1.53

$1.78 RON 8.42

-3.93%

Eggs

$3.26 €2.91

$3.66 RON 17.33

-10.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.90 €10.62

$8.57 RON 40.54

38.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.58 €6.77

$6.80 RON 32.17

11.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.25 €12.71

$11.72 RON 55.4

21.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.05

$1.29 RON 6.11

78.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.56 RON 7.37

1.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 €1.77

$1.54 RON 7.28

29.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.04 €2.71

$2.48 RON 11.75

22.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 €1.46

$0.83 RON 3.92

96.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.06 €1.84

$0.80 RON 3.77

157.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 €1.44

$0.84 RON 3.98

92.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.93 RON 4.39

-22.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 €5.63

$6.44 RON 30.45

-2.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.90 €5.26

$6.32 RON 29.91

-6.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.26 RON 5.94

0.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.60 RON 7.59

36.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.93 €1.73

$0.81 RON 3.85

138.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.99 €30.33

$21.13 RON 99.9

60.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.44 €3.96

$0.60 RON 2.86

640.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 €1.25

$0.61 RON 2.91

129.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.25 €12.72

$6.17 RON 29.19

130.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.24 €2.00

$1.96 RON 9.27

14.29%

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

$33.5K €29.9K

$28.1K RON 133.1K

19.02%

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

$38.2K €34.1K

$26.3K RON 124.3K

45.14%

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

$137 €122

$197 RON 931

-30.55%

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

$22.05 €19.68

$8.34 RON 39.44

164.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.09 €28.63

$9.19 RON 43.47

249.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.96 €39.23

$49.87 RON 236

-11.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.99 €10.70

$24.99 RON 118

-52.02%

Cinema Ticket

$8.60 €7.67

$8.46 RON 40.01

1.65%

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

$721 €643

$639 RON 3,023

12.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K €9,570

$14.4K RON 68.1K

-25.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.3 €85.0

$90.6 RON 429

5.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.26 €33.25

$38.05 RON 180

-2.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.1 €84.0

$79.7 RON 377

18.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €103

$93.2 RON 441

24.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$873 €779

$673 RON 3,184

29.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$449 RON 2,123

45.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,511 €1,348

$1,098 RON 5,195

37.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,040 €928

$729 RON 3,448

42.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,737 €2,442

$3,740 RON 17.7K

-26.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,222 €1,091

$2,189 RON 10.4K

-44.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,319 €1,177

$1,323 RON 6,259

-0.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.83

6.74

-43.18%

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

Last update for Coimbra: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Coimbra

$652 41.9%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 31.1% $203

Groceries & Markets

Coimbra

$253 16.3%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 12.4% $31

Eating Out

Coimbra

$193 12.4%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 16.7% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Coimbra

$191 12.3%

Bucharest

$214 16% 12.3% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Coimbra

$154 9.9%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 11.9% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Coimbra

$61 3.9%

Bucharest

$67 5% 9.2% $5.6

Getting Around

Coimbra

$53 3.4%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 47.2% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $873 in Coimbra and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 0% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47.00 in Coimbra vs $58.0 in Bucharest. Groceries flip the comparison at $253 vs $222, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Coimbra

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

05:53 5:53 AM

07:53 7:53 AM

2 h ahead of Coimbra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

140,838

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

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Between locations

Coimbra Bucharest 2,860 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Coimbra
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

Coimbra vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Coimbra and Bucharest differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($1,540 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 0% 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: $873 in Coimbra versus $673 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,540 per month in Coimbra versus $1,351 in Bucharest – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 61% less than in Coimbra. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $1,540 in Coimbra, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Coimbra. 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, Coimbra 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 14% less than in Coimbra. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.