Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Porto Alegre, Sao Tome and Principe and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Porto Alegre: $199 a month against $1,371 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Porto Alegre

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

$199

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,371

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $199 in Porto Alegre versus $1,371 in Bucharest.

Porto Alegre $199
Bucharest $1,371

Estimated couple costs with rent: $412 in Porto Alegre versus $2,067 in Bucharest.

Porto Alegre $412
Bucharest $2,067

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $625 in Porto Alegre versus $2,764 in Bucharest.

Porto Alegre $625
Bucharest $2,764

Living in Porto Alegre costs roughly 85% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.51 RON 69.0

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.16 STN 832

$61.2 RON 291

-37.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.71 STN 124

$7.46 RON 35.46

-23.46%

Cappuccino

$2.47 STN 53.8

$3.64 RON 17.31

-32.14%

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

$1.06 STN 23.12

$2.62 RON 12.43

-59.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 STN 19.18

$2.36 RON 11.23

-62.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.30 STN 50.2

$3.78 RON 17.98

-39.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 RON 19.52

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 RON 7.89

White Bread (500g)

$2.08 STN 45.37

$1.40 RON 6.64

48.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.04 STN 22.61

$1.79 RON 8.53

-41.90%

Eggs

$2.32 STN 50.6

$3.63 RON 17.25

-36.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.61 STN 406

$8.92 RON 42.38

108.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.86 RON 32.62

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.36 STN 269

$11.99 RON 57.0

3.09%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.16

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.76

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.09

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.08

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 RON 3.86

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.78

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 RON 4.07

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RON 4.46

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.29 STN 49.93

$6.60 RON 31.38

-65.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.33 RON 30.08

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 STN 24.94

$1.19 RON 5.64

-4.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 RON 7.53

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 RON 4.64

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.91 RON 99.4

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 RON 2.93

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.37 RON 30.25

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 RON 9.62

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

$28.2K RON 134.0K

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

$26.3K RON 124.8K

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

$196 RON 932

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

$8.60 RON 40.84

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.20 RON 43.69

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 RON 242

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.04 RON 119

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 RON 39.27

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

$681 RON 3,234

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K RON 89.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 RON 443

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.87 RON 189

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 RON 381

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 RON 431

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$731 RON 3,473

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 RON 2,232

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,110 RON 5,276

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 RON 3,431

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 RON 17.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,233 RON 10.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,365 RON 6,487

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

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

Last update for Porto Alegre: October 31, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Porto Alegre

–

Bucharest

$470 34.3%

Eating Out

Porto Alegre

–

Bucharest

$229 16.7%

Groceries & Markets

Porto Alegre

–

Bucharest

$225 16.4%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Porto Alegre

–

Bucharest

$214 15.6%

Clothing & Footwear

Porto Alegre

–

Bucharest

$137 10%

Sport & Entertainment

Porto Alegre

–

Bucharest

$68 4.9%

Getting Around

Porto Alegre

–

Bucharest

$29 2.1%

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $38 in Porto Alegre vs $61 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $133 vs $225 per month, with Porto Alegre cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇹 Porto Alegre

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

09:44 9:44 AM

11:44 11:44 AM

2 h ahead of Porto Alegre

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

795

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Sao Tome and Principe Dobra STN Db

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 STN = 4.59 USD

100 STN = 4.08 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to STN – Sao Tome and Principe Dobra Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe Dobra (Db)

Sao Tome and Principe Dobra exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 21.8 STN (100 STN = 4.59 USD). 1 EUR = 24.48 STN (100 STN = 4.08 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to STN in detail →

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Porto Alegre Bucharest 5,300 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Porto Alegre
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

Porto Alegre vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $199 in Porto Alegre and $1,371 in Bucharest, so Porto Alegre is about 85% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $298 in Porto Alegre and $2,056 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.

Dining out is cheaper in Porto Alegre – a meal for two runs $38 versus $61 in Bucharest. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $199 per month in Porto Alegre versus $1,371 in Bucharest – Porto Alegre is about 85% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $199 in Porto Alegre versus $1,371 in Bucharest, a $800 budget is realistic in Porto Alegre but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Porto Alegre 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.