Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Bucharest Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Bucharest

😐 Solo nomad: Lisbon is 17.4% more expensive than Bucharest without rent, and 71.5% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Lisbon is 11.2% more expensive than Bucharest without rent, and 46.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Bucharest
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.09 €13.89
$13.67 RON 59.4
17.70%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$64.1 €55.3
$67.8 RON 295
-5.54%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.28 €8.88
$8.29 RON 36
24.00%
Cappuccino
$2.78 €2.4
$3.35 RON 14.56
-17.01%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.23 €1.92
$2.32 RON 10.09
-3.88%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.57 €1.35
$2.33 RON 10.1
-32.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.41 €2.95
$3.44 RON 14.93
-0.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.82 €3.3
$3.94 RON 17.1
-3.05%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Bucharest
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.14 €0.98
$1.75 RON 7.59
-34.86%
White Bread (500g)
$1.73 €1.49
$1.41 RON 6.14
22.70%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.67 €1.44
$1.85 RON 8.03
-9.73%
Eggs
$3.13 €2.7
$3.5 RON 15.21
-10.57%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.31 €11.5
$9.26 RON 40.19
43.74%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.99 €6.9
$7.23 RON 31.41
10.51%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.97 €13.79
$12.24 RON 53.1
30.47%
Apples (1kg)
$2.28 €1.97
$1.34 RON 5.82
70.15%
Banana (1kg)
$1.7 €1.47
$1.73 RON 7.52
-1.73%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.04 €1.76
$1.83 RON 7.95
11.48%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.55 €2.2
$2.42 RON 10.49
5.37%
Potato (1kg)
$1.76 €1.52
$0.99 RON 4.3
77.78%
Onion (1kg)
$2.05 €1.77
$0.95 RON 4.12
115.79%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.98 €1.71
$0.93 RON 4.04
112.90%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.81 €0.7
$0.89 RON 3.85
-8.99%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.59 €5.69
$6.52 RON 28.31
1.07%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.87 €5.07
$8.22 RON 35.69
-28.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.33 €1.15
$1.23 RON 5.35
8.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.92 €2.52
$1.96 RON 8.51
48.98%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Bucharest
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.27 €1.96
$1.12 RON 4.87
102.68%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$46.15 €39.85
$19.42 RON 84.3
137.64%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.23 €3.66
$0.66 RON 2.86
540.91%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.86 €0.75
$0.61 RON 2.67
40.98%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$18.68 €16.13
$6.94 RON 30.14
169.16%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.09 €1.81
$1.69 RON 7.35
23.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.5K €29.8K
$29.2K RON 126.8K
18.22%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.6K €34.2K
$30K RON 130.4K
32.03%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Bucharest
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$148 €128
$178 RON 771
-16.48%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$20.98 €18.11
$8.73 RON 37.89
140.32%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$39.65 €34.24
$11.43 RON 49.64
246.89%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Bucharest
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$47.92 €41.37
$55.1 RON 239
-13.00%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.57 €16.03
$29.27 RON 127
-36.56%
Cinema Ticket
$9.38 €8.1
$8.99 RON 39.03
4.34%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Bucharest
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$607 €524
$661 RON 2,872
-8.19%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.1K €13.9K
$14.4K RON 62.7K
11.55%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Bucharest
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$104 €90.1
$80.5 RON 349
29.71%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.09 €35.48
$44.57 RON 194
-7.81%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92.7 €80
$90.3 RON 392
2.66%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 €102
$109 RON 474
8.76%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Bucharest
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,592 €1,375
$653 RON 2,835
143.84%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,262 €1,090
$446 RON 1,936
183.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,046 €2,630
$1,313 RON 5,701
132.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,069 €1,787
$849 RON 3,687
143.68%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,280 €6,286
$3,647 RON 15.8K
99.60%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,549 €3,928
$2,132 RON 9,257
113.36%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Bucharest
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,462 €1,263
$1,407 RON 6,111
3.91%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.81
7.1
-46.34%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 28, 2025

Last update for Bucharest: October 28, 2025

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