Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Horta and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Horta: $1,195 a month against $1,371 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Horta
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Horta Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Horta

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,195

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,371

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,195 in Horta versus $1,371 in Bucharest.

Horta $1,195
Bucharest $1,371

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,783 in Horta versus $2,067 in Bucharest.

Horta $1,783
Bucharest $2,067

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,371 in Horta versus $2,764 in Bucharest.

Horta $2,371
Bucharest $2,764

Living in Horta costs roughly 13% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.75 €6.90

$14.51 RON 69.0

-46.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.24 €26.92

$61.2 RON 291

-50.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 €7.61

$7.46 RON 35.46

14.61%

Cappuccino

$2.20 €1.96

$3.64 RON 17.31

-39.56%

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

$1.98 €1.76

$2.62 RON 12.43

-24.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.36 RON 11.23

-40.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 €2.55

$3.78 RON 17.98

-24.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 €3.02

$4.11 RON 19.52

-17.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 €0.90

$1.66 RON 7.89

-39.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.40 RON 6.64

10.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.79 RON 8.53

-11.17%

Eggs

$4.17 €3.71

$3.63 RON 17.25

14.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.64 €9.48

$8.92 RON 42.38

19.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.36 €6.56

$6.86 RON 32.62

7.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 €13.38

$11.99 RON 57.0

25.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.41 €2.14

$1.30 RON 6.16

85.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 €1.25

$1.63 RON 7.76

-13.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.49 RON 7.09

23.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$2.54 RON 12.08

5.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 €1.52

$0.81 RON 3.86

109.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$0.80 RON 3.78

146.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 €1.33

$0.86 RON 4.07

73.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 €0.76

$0.94 RON 4.46

-8.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.62 €5.01

$6.60 RON 31.38

-14.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.48 €4.88

$6.33 RON 30.08

-13.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 €1.13

$1.19 RON 5.64

5.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.58 RON 7.53

32.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.49 €2.21

$0.98 RON 4.64

154.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.24 €34.05

$20.91 RON 99.4

82.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.44 €3.06

$0.60 RON 2.86

473.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 €0.65

$0.62 RON 2.93

17.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.50 €16.47

$6.37 RON 30.25

190.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.02 RON 9.62

12.87%

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

$29.4K €26.1K

$28.2K RON 134.0K

4.07%

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

$38.3K €34.1K

$26.3K RON 124.8K

45.76%

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

$111 €98.5

$196 RON 932

-43.61%

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

$20.33 €18.11

$8.60 RON 40.84

136.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.32 €43.02

$9.20 RON 43.69

425.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.83 €41.70

$51.0 RON 242

-8.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.93 €13.29

$25.04 RON 119

-40.38%

Cinema Ticket

$5.02 €4.47

$8.26 RON 39.27

-39.23%

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

$459 €409

$681 RON 3,234

-32.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,606 €8,553

$18.7K RON 89.0K

-48.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.8 €68.4

$93.3 RON 443

-17.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.07 €20.55

$39.87 RON 189

-42.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.0 €47.22

$80.1 RON 381

-33.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 €92.5

$90.6 RON 431

14.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$505 €450

$731 RON 3,473

-30.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$389 €347

$470 RON 2,232

-17.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$738 €658

$1,110 RON 5,276

-33.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$632 €563

$722 RON 3,431

-12.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,144 €2,800

$3,749 RON 17.8K

-16.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,293 €2,041

$2,233 RON 10.6K

2.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$973 €866

$1,365 RON 6,487

-28.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.67

6.75

-45.63%

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

Last update for Horta: October 31, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Horta

$389 32.6%

Bucharest

$470 34.3% 20.7% $81

Groceries & Markets

Horta

$250 21%

Bucharest

$225 16.4% 10.2% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Horta

$179 15%

Bucharest

$214 15.6% 19.4% $35

Eating Out

Horta

$149 12.4%

Bucharest

$229 16.7% 54.2% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Horta

$116 9.7%

Bucharest

$137 10% 18.4% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Horta

$57 4.8%

Bucharest

$68 4.9% 18.8% $11

Getting Around

Horta

$55 4.6%

Bucharest

$29 2.1% 48.4% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $505 in Horta and $731 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 40% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $30 in Horta vs $61 in Bucharest. Groceries flip the comparison at $250 vs $225, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Horta

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

10:11 10:11 AM

13:11 1:11 PM

3 h ahead of Horta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,334

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Horta Bucharest 4,520 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Horta
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

Horta vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,195 in Horta and $1,371 in Bucharest, so Horta is about 13% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 29% lower in Horta. 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: $505 in Horta versus $731 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,195 per month in Horta versus $1,371 in Bucharest – Horta is about 13% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 45% less than in Horta. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Horta gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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