Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Joao da Madeira and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $1,510 in Sao Joao da Madeira, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Sao Joao da Madeira outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

73

Cost of Living Index in Sao Joao da Madeira
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Sao Joao da Madeira Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Sao Joao da Madeira

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,510

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sao Joao da Madeira 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 Sao Joao da Madeira and in Bucharest actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,510 in Sao Joao da Madeira versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Sao Joao da Madeira $1,510
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,107 in Sao Joao da Madeira versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Sao Joao da Madeira $2,107
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,704 in Sao Joao da Madeira versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Sao Joao da Madeira $2,704
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Sao Joao da Madeira is roughly 13% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sao Joao da Madeira is 12% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 €8.95

$14.49 RON 68.6

-30.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.79 €17.60

$58.1 RON 275

-65.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.85 €6.98

$7.48 RON 35.40

4.95%

Cappuccino

$1.14 €1.01

$3.44 RON 16.29

-66.86%

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

$1.09 €0.97

$2.37 RON 11.22

-54.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.87

$2.30 RON 10.88

-57.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 €2.95

$3.70 RON 17.51

-10.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.93

$4.16 RON 19.69

-47.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 €0.75

$1.67 RON 7.90

-49.10%

White Bread (500g)

$0.32 €0.28

$1.37 RON 6.50

-76.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 €1.01

$1.72 RON 8.14

-33.72%

Eggs

$2.68 €2.39

$3.64 RON 17.22

-26.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.58 €7.63

$9.08 RON 42.98

-5.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.52 €4.91

$6.84 RON 32.35

-19.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.51 €5.79

$12.00 RON 56.8

-45.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.23 RON 5.80

65.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.63 RON 7.73

-17.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.57 RON 7.45

16.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.54

$2.54 RON 12.01

12.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$0.79 RON 3.75

149.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 €1.67

$0.77 RON 3.66

144.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 €1.10

$0.87 RON 4.13

42.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 €0.87

$0.99 RON 4.70

-1.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.28 €5.59

$6.31 RON 29.86

-0.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.53 €4.03

$6.20 RON 29.34

-26.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.07

$1.19 RON 5.63

1.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.57 RON 7.45

3.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.24 €1.99

$0.86 RON 4.08

160.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.68 €35.29

$21.10 RON 99.8

88.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 €3.85

$0.64 RON 3.05

576.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 €1.58

$0.60 RON 2.86

196.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.67 €14.83

$6.43 RON 30.43

159.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.96 RON 9.25

-3.06%

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

$33.1K €29.4K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

14.07%

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

$37.7K €33.5K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

41.37%

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

$110 €97.7

$196 RON 927

-43.94%

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

$16.96 €15.08

$8.04 RON 38.04

110.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.09 €40.99

$9.35 RON 44.21

392.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.59 €33.44

$50.2 RON 238

-25.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.09 €13.42

$25.33 RON 120

-40.43%

Cinema Ticket

$5.44 €4.84

$8.15 RON 38.55

-33.25%

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

$341 €303

$628 RON 2,971

-45.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.0K €8,932

$14.1K RON 66.6K

-28.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.5 €58.3

$89.6 RON 424

-26.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.57 €33.42

$38.32 RON 181

-1.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.7 €73.5

$79.3 RON 375

4.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.5 €87.6

$90.4 RON 428

9.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$957 €851

$678 RON 3,209

41.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$768 €683

$448 RON 2,121

71.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,517 €1,349

$1,083 RON 5,125

40.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 €1,035

$725 RON 3,430

60.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,957 €2,631

$3,751 RON 17.7K

-21.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,267 €2,017

$2,195 RON 10.4K

3.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,048 €932

$1,329 RON 6,290

-21.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.55

6.75

-47.41%

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

Last update for Sao Joao da Madeira: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Joao da Madeira

$768 50.8%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 41.6% $320

Groceries & Markets

Sao Joao da Madeira

$184 12.2%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 22.1% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Joao da Madeira

$173 11.5%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 23.4% $40

Eating Out

Sao Joao da Madeira

$147 9.7%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 53.3% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Joao da Madeira

$128 8.5%

Bucharest

$134 10% 4.7% $6

Getting Around

Sao Joao da Madeira

$62 4.1%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 54.4% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Joao da Madeira

$48 3.2%

Bucharest

$67 5% 37.3% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $957 in Sao Joao da Madeira and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 27% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $20.00 in Sao Joao da Madeira vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $184 vs $225 per month, with Sao Joao da Madeira cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Sao Joao da Madeira

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

22:10 10:10 PM

00:10 12:10 AM

2 h ahead of Sao Joao da Madeira

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,144

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

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Sao Joao da Madeira Bucharest 2,830 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Joao da Madeira
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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

Sao Joao da Madeira vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Joao da Madeira and Bucharest differ by about 13% in total monthly costs ($1,510 vs $1,340 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 27% lower in Bucharest. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $957 in Sao Joao da Madeira versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,510 per month in Sao Joao da Madeira versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 88% less than in Sao Joao da Madeira. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,510 in Sao Joao da Madeira, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Sao Joao da Madeira. 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, Sao Joao da Madeira 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 13% less than in Sao Joao da Madeira. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.