Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ponta Delgada and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,371 a month against $1,661 in Ponta Delgada, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Ponta Delgada
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Ponta Delgada Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Ponta Delgada

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,661

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,371

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,661 in Ponta Delgada versus $1,371 in Bucharest.

Ponta Delgada $1,661
Bucharest $1,371

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,357 in Ponta Delgada versus $2,067 in Bucharest.

Ponta Delgada $2,357
Bucharest $2,067

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,054 in Ponta Delgada versus $2,764 in Bucharest.

Ponta Delgada $3,054
Bucharest $2,764

Living in Ponta Delgada is roughly 21% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.45 €12.03

$14.51 RON 69.4

-7.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.60 €40.80

$61.2 RON 293

-25.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.75 €9.62

$7.46 RON 35.68

44.10%

Cappuccino

$1.80 €1.61

$3.64 RON 17.41

-50.55%

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

$1.79 €1.60

$2.62 RON 12.50

-31.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 €1.62

$2.36 RON 11.29

-23.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.16 €2.83

$3.78 RON 18.08

-16.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 €3.21

$4.11 RON 19.64

-12.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 €0.91

$1.66 RON 7.94

-39.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 €1.43

$1.40 RON 6.68

14.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.79 RON 8.58

-3.35%

Eggs

$2.93 €2.62

$3.63 RON 17.35

-19.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.44 €14.71

$8.92 RON 42.63

84.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.19 €10.02

$6.86 RON 32.81

63.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.96 €15.17

$11.99 RON 57.3

41.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 €2.12

$1.30 RON 6.20

82.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 €1.52

$1.63 RON 7.81

3.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 €1.86

$1.49 RON 7.13

39.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.99 €2.67

$2.54 RON 12.15

17.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 €1.37

$0.81 RON 3.88

88.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 €1.53

$0.80 RON 3.81

113.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.82 €2.53

$0.86 RON 4.09

227.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 €0.95

$0.94 RON 4.48

12.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.97 €4.45

$6.60 RON 31.57

-24.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.73 €5.13

$6.33 RON 30.26

-9.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 €2.14

$1.19 RON 5.67

100.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 €2.76

$1.58 RON 7.57

94.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.66 €1.48

$0.98 RON 4.66

69.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.3 €50.4

$20.91 RON 100.0

169.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.49 €4.91

$0.60 RON 2.87

815.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 €1.22

$0.62 RON 2.95

120.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.74 €5.13

$6.37 RON 30.43

-9.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 €1.77

$2.02 RON 9.68

-1.98%

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

$33.1K €29.6K

$28.2K RON 134.8K

17.30%

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

$40.2K €36.0K

$26.3K RON 125.6K

53.01%

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

$141 €126

$196 RON 938

-28.33%

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

$18.53 €16.58

$8.60 RON 41.09

115.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.00 €38.48

$9.20 RON 43.95

367.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.20 €29.71

$51.0 RON 244

-34.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.78 €17.70

$25.04 RON 120

-21.01%

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.57

$8.26 RON 39.50

15.98%

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

$278 €248

$681 RON 3,253

-59.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,837 €6,118

$18.7K RON 89.6K

-63.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.80 €41.88

$93.3 RON 446

-49.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.31 €29.81

$39.87 RON 191

-16.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.9 €58.9

$80.1 RON 383

-17.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 €121

$90.6 RON 433

48.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,178 €1,054

$731 RON 3,494

61.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$698 €624

$470 RON 2,245

48.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,386 €1,240

$1,110 RON 5,308

24.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$929 €831

$722 RON 3,451

28.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,050 €3,624

$3,749 RON 17.9K

8.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,988 €2,674

$2,233 RON 10.7K

33.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,411 €1,262

$1,365 RON 6,526

3.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.71

6.75

-45.04%

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

Last update for Ponta Delgada: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ponta Delgada

$698 42%

Bucharest

$470 34.3% 32.7% $228

Groceries & Markets

Ponta Delgada

$308 18.5%

Bucharest

$225 16.4% 27% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ponta Delgada

$202 12.2%

Bucharest

$214 15.6% 5.9% $12

Eating Out

Ponta Delgada

$199 12%

Bucharest

$229 16.7% 15.3% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Ponta Delgada

$126 7.6%

Bucharest

$137 10% 8.2% $10

Getting Around

Ponta Delgada

$75 4.5%

Bucharest

$29 2.1% 62.1% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Ponta Delgada

$52 3.2%

Bucharest

$68 4.9% 29% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,178 in Ponta Delgada and $731 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ponta Delgada pays 3% 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: $46 in Ponta Delgada vs $61 in Bucharest. Groceries flip the comparison at $308 vs $225, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Ponta Delgada

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

14:59 2:59 PM

17:59 5:59 PM

3 h ahead of Ponta Delgada

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,233

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 = 0.186 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Ponta Delgada Bucharest 4,330 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ponta Delgada
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

Ponta Delgada vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,661 in Ponta Delgada and $1,371 in Bucharest, so Bucharest is about 17% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 3% higher in Ponta Delgada, 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: $1,178 in Ponta Delgada versus $731 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,661 per month in Ponta Delgada versus $1,371 in Bucharest – Bucharest is about 17% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 63% less than in Ponta Delgada. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Bucharest gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Bucharest wins on affordability, Ponta Delgada on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.