Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Elizabeth and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Elizabeth: $1,233 a month against $1,351 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Port Elizabeth
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Port Elizabeth Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Port Elizabeth

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,233

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,233 in Port Elizabeth versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

Port Elizabeth $1,233
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,847 in Port Elizabeth versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

Port Elizabeth $1,847
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,461 in Port Elizabeth versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

Port Elizabeth $2,461
Bucharest $2,715

Living in Port Elizabeth costs roughly 9% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Port Elizabeth is 8% below, Bucharest is 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 R 175

$14.46 RON 68.4

-26.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.87 R 707

$57.7 RON 273

-25.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.02 R 99.3

$7.50 RON 35.46

-19.73%

Cappuccino

$2.12 R 35.03

$3.43 RON 16.20

-38.19%

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

$1.04 R 17.24

$2.46 RON 11.63

-57.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 R 11.93

$2.33 RON 11.01

-69.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.76 R 45.50

$3.80 RON 17.97

-27.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 R 50.5

$4.10 RON 19.41

-25.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 R 18.74

$1.65 RON 7.79

-30.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 R 17.10

$1.35 RON 6.39

-22.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 R 23.78

$1.78 RON 8.42

-19.10%

Eggs

$2.81 R 46.33

$3.66 RON 17.33

-23.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.58 R 142

$8.57 RON 40.54

0.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.47 R 90.2

$6.80 RON 32.17

-19.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.28 R 137

$11.72 RON 55.4

-29.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.80

$1.29 RON 6.11

63.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 R 25.46

$1.56 RON 7.37

-1.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 R 26.56

$1.54 RON 7.28

4.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.43

$2.48 RON 11.75

-28.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.56

$0.83 RON 3.92

108.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 R 23.46

$0.80 RON 3.77

77.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 R 21.27

$0.84 RON 3.98

53.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 R 16.70

$0.93 RON 4.39

8.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.13 R 51.6

$6.44 RON 30.45

-51.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.82 R 79.6

$6.32 RON 29.91

-23.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 R 20.63

$1.26 RON 5.94

-0.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 R 30.06

$1.60 RON 7.59

13.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 R 17.96

$0.81 RON 3.85

34.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.08 R 595

$21.13 RON 99.9

70.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.12 R 35.03

$0.60 RON 2.86

253.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 R 8.20

$0.61 RON 2.91

-18.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.45 R 139

$6.17 RON 29.19

36.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 R 23.86

$1.96 RON 9.27

-26.02%

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

$35.4K R 584.3K

$28.1K RON 133.1K

25.80%

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

$34.0K R 561.2K

$26.3K RON 124.3K

29.38%

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

$123 R 2,024

$197 RON 931

-37.68%

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

$35.08 R 579

$8.34 RON 39.44

320.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.22 R 746

$9.19 RON 43.47

392.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.88 R 526

$49.87 RON 236

-36.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.73 R 375

$24.99 RON 118

-9.04%

Cinema Ticket

$10.61 R 175

$8.46 RON 40.01

25.41%

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

$176 R 2,902

$639 RON 3,023

-72.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,192 R 102.2K

$14.4K RON 68.1K

-56.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 R 1,164

$90.6 RON 429

-22.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.27 R 631

$38.05 RON 180

0.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 R 1,807

$79.7 RON 377

37.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.5 R 1,593

$93.2 RON 441

3.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$612 R 10.1K

$673 RON 3,184

-9.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$418 R 6,891

$449 RON 2,123

-6.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 R 13.3K

$1,098 RON 5,195

-26.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$689 R 11.4K

$729 RON 3,448

-5.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$750 R 12.4K

$3,740 RON 17.7K

-79.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$531 R 8,754

$2,189 RON 10.4K

-75.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,612 R 26.6K

$1,323 RON 6,259

21.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.94

6.74

77.15%

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

Last update for Port Elizabeth: October 3, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Elizabeth

$418 34.4%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 7.5% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Elizabeth

$203 16.7%

Bucharest

$214 16% 5.6% $11

Groceries & Markets

Port Elizabeth

$197 16.2%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 12.7% $25

Eating Out

Port Elizabeth

$155 12.8%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 45.2% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Port Elizabeth

$142 11.7%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 4.2% $6

Sport & Entertainment

Port Elizabeth

$53 4.4%

Bucharest

$67 5% 25.8% $14

Getting Around

Port Elizabeth

$45 3.7%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 37.7% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $612 in Port Elizabeth and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Port Elizabeth pays 22% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43.00 in Port Elizabeth vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $197 vs $222 per month, with Port Elizabeth cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Port Elizabeth

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

13:49 1:49 PM

14:49 2:49 PM

1 h ahead of Port Elizabeth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,050,000

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Port Elizabeth Bucharest 8,720 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Port Elizabeth
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

Port Elizabeth vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Port Elizabeth and Bucharest differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($1,233 vs $1,351 including rent). Port Elizabeth is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 22% higher in Port Elizabeth, 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: $612 in Port Elizabeth versus $673 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,233 per month in Port Elizabeth versus $1,351 in Bucharest – a 10% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Port Elizabeth runs roughly 71% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,233 in Port Elizabeth versus $1,351 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Port Elizabeth but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Port Elizabeth 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 Port Elizabeth gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.