Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Puerto de la Cruz and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $1,912 in Puerto de la Cruz, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Puerto de la Cruz
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Puerto de la Cruz Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Puerto de la Cruz

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,912

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,912 in Puerto de la Cruz versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Puerto de la Cruz $1,912
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,769 in Puerto de la Cruz versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Puerto de la Cruz $2,769
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,625 in Puerto de la Cruz versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Puerto de la Cruz $3,625
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Puerto de la Cruz is roughly 43% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Puerto de la Cruz is 42% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.53 €12.04

$14.49 RON 68.6

-6.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.4 €54.6

$58.1 RON 275

5.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.06 €8.95

$7.48 RON 35.40

34.49%

Cappuccino

$2.58 €2.29

$3.44 RON 16.29

-25.00%

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

$1.90 €1.69

$2.37 RON 11.22

-19.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 €1.36

$2.30 RON 10.88

-33.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 €2.54

$3.70 RON 17.51

-22.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 €3.20

$4.16 RON 19.69

-13.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.67 RON 7.90

-34.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 €1.44

$1.37 RON 6.50

18.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.72 RON 8.14

-4.07%

Eggs

$3.70 €3.29

$3.64 RON 17.22

1.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 €10.87

$9.08 RON 42.98

34.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 €8.89

$6.84 RON 32.35

46.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.61 €12.10

$12.00 RON 56.8

13.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 €2.27

$1.23 RON 5.80

107.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.63 RON 7.73

26.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.57 RON 7.45

-5.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 €2.29

$2.54 RON 12.01

1.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.35 €2.09

$0.79 RON 3.75

197.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 €2.05

$0.77 RON 3.66

200.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.02 €1.79

$0.87 RON 4.13

132.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.72

$0.99 RON 4.70

-18.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.17 €3.71

$6.31 RON 29.86

-33.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.52 €5.80

$6.20 RON 29.34

5.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.19 RON 5.63

15.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 €2.38

$1.57 RON 7.45

70.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.93 €37.29

$21.10 RON 99.8

98.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 €2.94

$0.64 RON 3.05

417.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.28 €2.02

$0.60 RON 2.86

280.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.23 €25.11

$6.43 RON 30.43

339.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.96 RON 9.25

-15.82%

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

$35.1K €31.2K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

20.99%

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

$28.4K €25.3K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

6.73%

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

$111 €98.4

$196 RON 927

-43.52%

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

$19.16 €17.04

$8.04 RON 38.04

138.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.08 €24.97

$9.35 RON 44.21

200.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.72 €14.87

$25.33 RON 120

-33.99%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 €8.14

$8.15 RON 38.55

12.27%

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

$481 €428

$628 RON 2,971

-23.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,713 €5,971

$14.1K RON 66.6K

-52.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$89.6 RON 424

-1.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.90 €33.71

$38.32 RON 181

-1.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.9 €79.1

$79.3 RON 375

12.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$90.4 RON 428

32.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,133 €1,008

$678 RON 3,209

67.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,049 €933

$448 RON 2,121

133.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,891 €1,682

$1,083 RON 5,125

74.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,577 €1,403

$725 RON 3,430

117.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,614 €3,215

$3,751 RON 17.7K

-3.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,478 €3,093

$2,195 RON 10.4K

58.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,345 €1,196

$1,329 RON 6,290

1.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.15

6.75

-53.33%

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

Last update for Puerto de la Cruz: October 10, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Puerto de la Cruz

$1K 54.9%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 57.3% $601

Groceries & Markets

Puerto de la Cruz

$275 14.4%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 18.1% $50

Eating Out

Puerto de la Cruz

$205 10.7%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 10.1% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Puerto de la Cruz

$158 8.3%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 35.1% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Puerto de la Cruz

$151 7.9%

Bucharest

$134 10% 11.3% $17

Getting Around

Puerto de la Cruz

$57 * 3%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 50.2% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Puerto de la Cruz

$18 * 1%

Bucharest

$67 5% 263% $48

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,133 in Puerto de la Cruz and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Puerto de la Cruz pays 1% 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: $61.0 in Puerto de la Cruz vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $225 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Puerto de la Cruz

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

10:25 10:25 AM

12:25 12:25 PM

2 h ahead of Puerto de la Cruz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,849

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 = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Puerto de la Cruz Bucharest 4,150 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

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Puerto de la Cruz
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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

Puerto de la Cruz vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Puerto de la Cruz and Bucharest differ by about 43% in total monthly costs ($1,912 vs $1,340 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1% higher in Puerto de la Cruz, 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: $1,133 in Puerto de la Cruz versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,912 per month in Puerto de la Cruz versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 43% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 99% less than in Puerto de la Cruz. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,912 in Puerto de la Cruz, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Puerto de la Cruz. 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, Puerto de la Cruz 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 43% less than in Puerto de la Cruz. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.