Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Buzau

For one person, living is cheaper in Buzau: $979 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Buzau
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Buzau Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Buzau

🇷🇴 Romania

$979

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Buzau

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 Buzau actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $979 in Buzau.

Lisbon $2,210
Buzau $979

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,447 in Buzau.

Lisbon $3,275
Buzau $1,447

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,916 in Buzau.

Lisbon $4,341
Buzau $1,916

Living in Lisbon is roughly 126% more expensive than in Buzau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Buzau is 28% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$10.50 RON 50.2

58.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$24.73 RON 118

149.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$6.34 RON 30.33

79.18%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$1.95 RON 9.33

52.31%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$1.92 RON 9.19

19.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.45 RON 6.93

20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$1.71 RON 8.19

98.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$1.70 RON 8.16

94.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.66 RON 7.96

-30.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.28 RON 6.11

49.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.43 RON 6.85

5.59%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$3.03 RON 14.51

32.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$7.26 RON 34.72

78.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$6.39 RON 30.57

21.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$10.93 RON 52.3

62.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$0.96 RON 4.57

139.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.70 RON 8.12

1.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.10 RON 5.24

69.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.21 RON 5.79

114.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.64 RON 3.06

184.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.78 RON 3.75

152.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.49 RON 2.36

200.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.67 RON 3.20

7.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$6.29 RON 30.07

4.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$6.34 RON 30.33

-11.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$0.79 RON 3.79

72.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.45 RON 6.95

47.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.60 RON 2.88

288.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$21.71 RON 104

105.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$0.53 RON 2.55

626.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.52 RON 2.51

105.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$6.19 RON 29.62

165.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.65 RON 7.87

33.33%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$18.9K RON 90.6K

80.49%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$21.1K RON 101.0K

83.53%

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

$161 €144

$121 RON 577

33.63%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$7.70 RON 36.83

139.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$7.63 RON 36.51

329.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$32.68 RON 156

36.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$17.61 RON 84.3

8.46%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$6.94 RON 33.20

38.33%

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

$668 €598

$293 RON 1,402

127.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$6,804 RON 32.6K

158.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$55.3 RON 264

84.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$59.4 RON 284

-25.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$97.8 RON 468

0.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$82.8 RON 396

49.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$353 RON 1,687

356.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$292 RON 1,396

307.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$605 RON 2,895

364.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$425 RON 2,035

373.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$1,478 RON 7,071

430.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$1,166 RON 5,577

292.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$854 RON 4,088

84.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.97

-44.76%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Buzau: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Buzau

$292 29.8% 75.5% $898

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Buzau

$192 19.6% 29.4% $80

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Buzau

$152 15.5% 37.4% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Buzau

$136 13.9% 36% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Buzau

$133 13.6% 19.9% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Buzau

$47 4.8% 27% $17

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Buzau

$27 2.8% 56.9% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $353 in Buzau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 84% 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 $25 in Buzau for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $192 per month, with Buzau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇷🇴 Buzau

🕒 Local time

15:59 3:59 PM

17:59 5:59 PM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

115,494

💱 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 Buzau 3,030 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Buzau

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 Buzau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $979 in Buzau, so Buzau is about 56% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 84% 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 $353 in Buzau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 42% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Buzau – a meal for two runs $25 versus $62 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $979 in Buzau versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Buzau but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Buzau 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.

Expats usually find Buzau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.