Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palma de Mallorca and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $2,239 in Palma de Mallorca, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Palma de Mallorca
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Palma de Mallorca Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Palma de Mallorca

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,239

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,239 in Palma de Mallorca versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

Palma de Mallorca $2,239
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,269 in Palma de Mallorca versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

Palma de Mallorca $3,269
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,300 in Palma de Mallorca versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

Palma de Mallorca $4,300
Bucharest $2,715

Living in Palma de Mallorca is roughly 66% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Palma de Mallorca 67% above, Bucharest 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.64 €16.63

$14.46 RON 68.4

28.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.1

$57.7 RON 273

14.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.35 €11.91

$7.50 RON 35.46

78.00%

Cappuccino

$3.20 €2.86

$3.43 RON 16.20

-6.71%

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

$2.70 €2.41

$2.46 RON 11.63

9.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 €2.42

$2.33 RON 11.01

16.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.61 €4.11

$3.80 RON 17.97

21.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.87 €3.46

$4.10 RON 19.41

-5.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.21

$1.65 RON 7.79

-18.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.35 RON 6.39

-14.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 €1.45

$1.78 RON 8.42

-8.99%

Eggs

$3.41 €3.04

$3.66 RON 17.33

-6.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.56 €13.00

$8.57 RON 40.54

69.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.77 €7.83

$6.80 RON 32.17

28.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.90 €14.19

$11.72 RON 55.4

35.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.57 €2.30

$1.29 RON 6.11

99.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 €1.74

$1.56 RON 7.37

25.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.54 RON 7.28

14.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.56

$2.48 RON 11.75

15.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.83 RON 3.92

133.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$0.80 RON 3.77

172.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 €1.12

$0.84 RON 3.98

50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 €0.58

$0.93 RON 4.39

-31.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.13

$6.44 RON 30.45

6.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.55 €4.95

$6.32 RON 29.91

-12.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.26 RON 5.94

10.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.60 RON 7.59

19.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 €2.02

$0.81 RON 3.85

179.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.95 €36.54

$21.13 RON 99.9

93.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.09 €4.54

$0.60 RON 2.86

748.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.61 RON 2.91

126.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.04 €21.45

$6.17 RON 29.19

289.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 €1.62

$1.96 RON 9.27

-7.65%

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

$35.4K €31.6K

$28.1K RON 133.1K

25.62%

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

$31.4K €28.0K

$26.3K RON 124.3K

19.38%

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

$253 €226

$197 RON 931

28.70%

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

$23.84 €21.28

$8.34 RON 39.44

185.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.93 €38.31

$9.19 RON 43.47

367.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.0 €55.3

$49.87 RON 236

24.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.84 €24.85

$24.99 RON 118

11.40%

Cinema Ticket

$9.77 €8.72

$8.46 RON 40.01

15.48%

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

$610 €544

$639 RON 3,023

-4.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K €9,246

$14.4K RON 68.1K

-28.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.1 €63.5

$90.6 RON 429

-21.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 €49.34

$38.05 RON 180

45.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €89.0

$79.7 RON 377

25.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$93.2 RON 441

37.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,497 €1,336

$673 RON 3,184

122.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 €941

$449 RON 2,123

135.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,356 €2,103

$1,098 RON 5,195

114.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,841 €1,643

$729 RON 3,448

152.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,887 €6,146

$3,740 RON 17.7K

84.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,721 €3,321

$2,189 RON 10.4K

69.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,018 €1,801

$1,323 RON 6,259

52.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.07

6.74

-54.45%

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

Last update for Palma de Mallorca: October 4, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Palma de Mallorca

$1.1K 47.3%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 57.4% $606

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palma de Mallorca

$320 14.4%

Bucharest

$214 16% 33% $106

Eating Out

Palma de Mallorca

$280 12.6%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 19.4% $54

Groceries & Markets

Palma de Mallorca

$271 12.2%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 18.3% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Palma de Mallorca

$160 7.2%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 15% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Palma de Mallorca

$82 3.7%

Bucharest

$67 5% 18.1% $15

Getting Around

Palma de Mallorca

$62 2.8%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 54.7% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,497 in Palma de Mallorca and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Palma de Mallorca pays 53% 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: $66.0 in Palma de Mallorca vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $271 vs $222 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Palma de Mallorca

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

09:13 9:13 AM

10:13 10:13 AM

1 h ahead of Palma de Mallorca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

423,350

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

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Palma de Mallorca Bucharest 2,000 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

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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

Palma de Mallorca vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Palma de Mallorca and Bucharest differ by about 66% in total monthly costs ($2,239 vs $1,351 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 53% higher in Palma de Mallorca, 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: $1,497 in Palma de Mallorca versus $673 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,239 per month in Palma de Mallorca versus $1,351 in Bucharest – a 66% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 94% less than in Palma de Mallorca. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $2,239 in Palma de Mallorca, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Palma de Mallorca. 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, Palma de Mallorca 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 66% less than in Palma de Mallorca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.