Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madeira and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $1,597 in Madeira, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Madeira
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Madeira Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index

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Madeira

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,597

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,597 in Madeira versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

Madeira $1,597
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,383 in Madeira versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

Madeira $2,383
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,169 in Madeira versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

Madeira $3,169
Bucharest $2,715

Living in Madeira is roughly 18% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Madeira 19% above, Bucharest 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.62 €10.37

$14.46 RON 68.4

-19.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.16 €41.19

$57.7 RON 273

-19.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.12 €8.14

$7.50 RON 35.46

21.60%

Cappuccino

$2.10 €1.88

$3.43 RON 16.20

-38.78%

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

$1.85 €1.65

$2.46 RON 11.63

-24.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 €1.27

$2.33 RON 11.01

-38.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.27 €2.03

$3.80 RON 17.97

-40.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 €3.16

$4.10 RON 19.41

-13.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 €0.98

$1.65 RON 7.79

-33.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.35 RON 6.39

13.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.60 €1.43

$1.78 RON 8.42

-10.11%

Eggs

$2.99 €2.67

$3.66 RON 17.33

-18.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.53 €10.29

$8.57 RON 40.54

34.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.69 €6.86

$6.80 RON 32.17

13.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.00 €12.49

$11.72 RON 55.4

19.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 €2.10

$1.29 RON 6.11

82.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.56 RON 7.37

-9.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.54 RON 7.28

16.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.50 €2.23

$2.48 RON 11.75

0.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 €1.34

$0.83 RON 3.92

81.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 €1.72

$0.80 RON 3.77

140.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 €1.38

$0.84 RON 3.98

84.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$0.93 RON 4.39

-9.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.04 €5.39

$6.44 RON 30.45

-6.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.22 €4.66

$6.32 RON 29.91

-17.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.26 RON 5.94

3.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.60 RON 7.59

45.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.36 €2.11

$0.81 RON 3.85

191.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.32 €37.77

$21.13 RON 99.9

100.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.28 €3.82

$0.60 RON 2.86

613.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 €0.71

$0.61 RON 2.91

29.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.53 €15.65

$6.17 RON 29.19

184.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.96 RON 9.27

-3.06%

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

$35.4K €31.6K

$28.1K RON 133.1K

25.65%

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

$39.1K €34.9K

$26.3K RON 124.3K

48.66%

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

$134 €120

$197 RON 931

-31.93%

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

$20.90 €18.65

$8.34 RON 39.44

150.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.95 €37.44

$9.19 RON 43.47

356.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.41 €38.74

$49.87 RON 236

-12.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.37 €15.50

$24.99 RON 118

-30.49%

Cinema Ticket

$8.35 €7.45

$8.46 RON 40.01

-1.30%

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

$473 €422

$639 RON 3,023

-26.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,183 €7,303

$14.4K RON 68.1K

-43.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.7 €66.7

$90.6 RON 429

-17.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.11 €34.01

$38.05 RON 180

0.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 €82.0

$79.7 RON 377

15.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.8 €82.8

$93.2 RON 441

-0.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$914 €816

$673 RON 3,184

35.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 €640

$449 RON 2,123

59.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,446 €1,291

$1,098 RON 5,195

31.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 €1,021

$729 RON 3,448

57.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,012 €2,688

$3,740 RON 17.7K

-19.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,356 €2,103

$2,189 RON 10.4K

7.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,323 RON 6,259

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.01

6.74

-25.67%

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

Last update for Madeira: 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

Madeira

$717 45.1%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 37.4% $268

Groceries & Markets

Madeira

$246 15.5%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 9.8% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madeira

$197 12.4%

Bucharest

$214 16% 8.9% $18

Eating Out

Madeira

$177 11.1%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 27.4% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Madeira

$134 8.4%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 1.4% $1.8

Sport & Entertainment

Madeira

$60 3.8%

Bucharest

$67 5% 11.1% $6.7

Getting Around

Madeira

$60 3.8%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 53.2% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $914 in Madeira and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $46.00 in Madeira vs $58.0 in Bucharest. Groceries flip the comparison at $246 vs $222, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Madeira

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

06:22 6:22 AM

08:22 8:22 AM

2 h ahead of Madeira

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

154

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

Madeira Bucharest 3,910 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Madeira
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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

Madeira vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Madeira and Bucharest differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($1,597 vs $1,351 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,395 in Madeira and $2,027 in Bucharest to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $914 in Madeira versus $673 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,597 per month in Madeira versus $1,351 in Bucharest – a 18% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 100% less than in Madeira. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $1,597 in Madeira, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Madeira. 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, Madeira 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 18% less than in Madeira. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.