Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,354 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,354

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,354 in Bucharest.

Lisbon $2,210
Bucharest $1,354

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,043 in Bucharest.

Lisbon $3,275
Bucharest $2,043

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,733 in Bucharest.

Lisbon $4,341
Bucharest $2,733

Living in Lisbon is roughly 63% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$14.66 RON 70.1

13.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$57.7 RON 276

7.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$7.52 RON 35.92

51.06%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$3.56 RON 16.99

-16.57%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.47 RON 11.81

-7.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.18 RON 10.44

-20.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$3.69 RON 17.62

-7.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$4.28 RON 20.45

-22.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.67 RON 7.99

-30.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.35 RON 6.45

41.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.78 RON 8.48

-15.17%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$3.56 RON 17.02

12.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$9.12 RON 43.60

41.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$6.82 RON 32.58

13.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$12.13 RON 58.0

46.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.26 RON 6.04

82.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.62 RON 7.76

6.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.56 RON 7.45

19.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$2.54 RON 12.14

1.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.78 RON 3.74

133.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.77 RON 3.70

155.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.89 RON 4.24

65.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.90 RON 4.30

-20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$6.55 RON 31.30

0.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$6.37 RON 30.42

-11.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.24 RON 5.94

9.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.62 RON 7.75

32.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.85 RON 4.08

174.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

$20.71 RON 99.0

115.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$0.61 RON 2.93

531.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.61 RON 2.93

75.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$6.16 RON 29.45

167.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.00 RON 9.55

10.00%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$27.9K RON 133.5K

22.34%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$25.3K RON 121.0K

52.91%

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

$161 €144

$192 RON 918

-16.06%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$7.92 RON 37.83

132.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$8.96 RON 42.81

265.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$49.99 RON 239

-10.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

$24.81 RON 119

-23.01%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$8.51 RON 40.65

12.81%

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

$668 €598

$686 RON 3,278

-2.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$14.4K RON 68.9K

22.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$90.2 RON 431

13.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$38.74 RON 185

14.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$78.9 RON 377

24.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$92.1 RON 440

34.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$711 RON 3,398

126.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$462 RON 2,207

157.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$1,053 RON 5,034

166.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$723 RON 3,453

178.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

$3,634 RON 17.4K

115.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

$2,173 RON 10.4K

110.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$1,354 RON 6,470

16.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.75

-42.96%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Bucharest

$462 34.1% 61.2% $728

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Bucharest

$225 16.6% 17.4% $47

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Bucharest

$228 16.9% 6% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Bucharest

$209 15.4% 1.6% $3.4

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Bucharest

$135 10% 18.6% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Bucharest

$67 5% 5.1% $3.3

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 56% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $711 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 16% 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: $62 in Lisbon vs $58 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $225 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

15:02 3:02 PM

17:02 5:02 PM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Bucharest 2,980 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
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

Lisbon vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,354 in Bucharest, so Bucharest is about 39% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 16% higher in Lisbon, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $711 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $1,354 in Bucharest – Bucharest is about 39% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 54% less than in Lisbon. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,354 in Bucharest versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Bucharest the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bucharest delivers better value at $1,354 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bucharest hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Bucharest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.