Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Martino in Rio and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $1,775 in San Martino in Rio, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in San Martino in Rio
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San Martino in Rio Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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San Martino in Rio

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,775

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in San Martino in Rio versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

San Martino in Rio $1,775
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,653 in San Martino in Rio versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

San Martino in Rio $2,653
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,532 in San Martino in Rio versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

San Martino in Rio $3,532
Bucharest $2,734

Living in San Martino in Rio is roughly 32% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: San Martino in Rio is 31% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.21 €17.08

$14.49 RON 68.6

32.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.2 €69.5

$58.1 RON 275

34.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.02

$7.48 RON 35.40

50.67%

Cappuccino

$2.20 €1.96

$3.44 RON 16.29

-36.05%

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

$3.66 €3.26

$2.37 RON 11.22

54.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 €1.41

$2.30 RON 10.88

-30.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.57 €4.95

$3.70 RON 17.51

50.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.92 €4.38

$4.16 RON 19.69

18.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.67 RON 7.90

-16.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 €1.72

$1.37 RON 6.50

40.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.72 RON 8.14

23.26%

Eggs

$3.90 €3.47

$3.64 RON 17.22

7.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.51 €18.25

$9.08 RON 42.98

125.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.19 €10.84

$6.84 RON 32.35

78.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.92 €18.61

$12.00 RON 56.8

74.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 €2.22

$1.23 RON 5.80

102.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 €1.95

$1.63 RON 7.73

34.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 €2.30

$1.57 RON 7.45

64.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.30 €2.94

$2.54 RON 12.01

29.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.87 €1.67

$0.79 RON 3.75

136.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 €1.52

$0.77 RON 3.66

122.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 €1.01

$0.87 RON 4.13

31.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 €0.46

$0.99 RON 4.70

-48.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 €5.83

$6.31 RON 29.86

3.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.80 €6.05

$6.20 RON 29.34

9.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 €1.51

$1.19 RON 5.63

42.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.26

$1.57 RON 7.45

61.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 €1.33

$0.86 RON 4.08

73.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.36 €32.34

$21.10 RON 99.8

72.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.50 €4.01

$0.64 RON 3.05

603.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 €1.50

$0.60 RON 2.86

181.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.71 €20.20

$6.43 RON 30.43

253.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.96 RON 9.25

10.20%

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

$35.5K €31.6K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

22.38%

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

$36.7K €32.6K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

37.73%

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

$182 €162

$196 RON 927

-7.14%

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

$9.38 €8.34

$8.04 RON 38.04

16.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.40 €24.38

$9.35 RON 44.21

193.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.56 €43.19

$50.2 RON 238

-3.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.33 €20.75

$25.33 RON 120

-7.90%

Cinema Ticket

$10.10 €8.98

$8.15 RON 38.55

23.93%

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

$495 €440

$628 RON 2,971

-21.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,668 €5,932

$14.1K RON 66.6K

-52.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.7 €82.4

$89.6 RON 424

3.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.80 €32.73

$38.32 RON 181

-3.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 €105

$79.3 RON 375

49.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 €121

$90.4 RON 428

50.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$799 €711

$678 RON 3,209

17.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$645 €574

$448 RON 2,121

43.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,104 €982

$1,083 RON 5,125

1.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$890 €792

$725 RON 3,430

22.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,938 €2,613

$3,751 RON 17.7K

-21.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,921 €1,709

$2,195 RON 10.4K

-12.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

6.75

-52.74%

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

Last update for San Martino in Rio: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Martino in Rio

$645 36.3%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 30.5% $196

Groceries & Markets

San Martino in Rio

$342 19.3%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 34.2% $117

Eating Out

San Martino in Rio

$273 15.4%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 17.4% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Martino in Rio

$219 12.3%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 2.5% $5.4

Clothing & Footwear

San Martino in Rio

$173 9.7%

Bucharest

$134 10% 22.5% $39

Sport & Entertainment

San Martino in Rio

$69 3.9%

Bucharest

$67 5% 3.2% $2.2

Getting Around

San Martino in Rio

$55 3.1%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 48.9% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $799 in San Martino in Rio and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $78.0 in San Martino in Rio vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $342 vs $225 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 San Martino in Rio

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

16:37 4:37 PM

17:37 5:37 PM

1 h ahead of San Martino in Rio

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

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

San Martino in Rio Bucharest 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

San Martino in Rio
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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

San Martino in Rio vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Martino in Rio and Bucharest differ by about 32% in total monthly costs ($1,775 vs $1,340 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,662 in San Martino in Rio and $2,011 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $799 in San Martino in Rio versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,775 per month in San Martino in Rio versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 32% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 72% less than in San Martino in Rio. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,775 in San Martino in Rio, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in San Martino in Rio. 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.

Expats usually find Bucharest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in San Martino in Rio. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.