Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bergen and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $2,844 in Bergen, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Bergen
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Bergen Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Bergen

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,844

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,844 in Bergen versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

Bergen $2,844
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,282 in Bergen versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

Bergen $4,282
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,719 in Bergen versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

Bergen $5,719
Bucharest $2,715

Living in Bergen is roughly 111% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bergen 112% above, Bucharest 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.98 NOK 219

$14.46 RON 68.4

58.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$135 NOK 1,292

$57.7 RON 273

134.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.52 NOK 148

$7.50 RON 35.46

106.93%

Cappuccino

$5.42 NOK 51.8

$3.43 RON 16.20

58.02%

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

$5.10 NOK 48.71

$2.46 RON 11.63

107.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 NOK 42.65

$2.33 RON 11.01

91.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.57 NOK 120

$3.80 RON 17.97

230.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.41 NOK 99.4

$4.10 RON 19.41

153.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 NOK 20.57

$1.65 RON 7.79

30.30%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 NOK 36.13

$1.35 RON 6.39

180.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.51 NOK 33.54

$1.78 RON 8.42

97.19%

Eggs

$6.41 NOK 61.3

$3.66 RON 17.33

75.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.32 NOK 137

$8.57 RON 40.54

67.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.21 NOK 164

$6.80 RON 32.17

153.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$36.16 NOK 345

$11.72 RON 55.4

208.53%

Apples (1kg)

$4.12 NOK 39.38

$1.29 RON 6.11

219.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.72 NOK 25.95

$1.56 RON 7.37

74.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.61 NOK 34.44

$1.54 RON 7.28

134.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.39 NOK 51.4

$2.48 RON 11.75

117.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.52 NOK 24.02

$0.83 RON 3.92

203.61%

Onion (1kg)

$3.35 NOK 31.97

$0.80 RON 3.77

318.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.86 NOK 27.34

$0.84 RON 3.98

240.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 NOK 17.03

$0.93 RON 4.39

91.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.10 NOK 163

$6.44 RON 30.45

165.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.97 NOK 172

$6.32 RON 29.91

184.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.59 NOK 34.31

$1.26 RON 5.94

184.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.21 NOK 40.20

$1.60 RON 7.59

163.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.15 NOK 49.21

$0.81 RON 3.85

535.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.4 NOK 825

$21.13 RON 99.9

309.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.39 NOK 118

$0.60 RON 2.86

1965.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 NOK 17.61

$0.61 RON 2.91

201.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$70.5 NOK 674

$6.17 RON 29.19

1042.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.35 NOK 22.42

$1.96 RON 9.27

19.90%

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

$48.6K NOK 463.7K

$28.1K RON 133.1K

72.48%

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

$43.3K NOK 413.9K

$26.3K RON 124.3K

64.85%

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

$275 NOK 2,623

$197 RON 931

39.51%

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

$32.93 NOK 314

$8.34 RON 39.44

294.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.9 NOK 791

$9.19 RON 43.47

801.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.61 NOK 436

$49.87 RON 236

-8.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.77 NOK 399

$24.99 RON 118

67.15%

Cinema Ticket

$18.87 NOK 180

$8.46 RON 40.01

123.05%

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

$238 NOK 2,272

$639 RON 3,023

-62.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K NOK 114.9K

$14.4K RON 68.1K

-16.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 NOK 1,022

$90.6 RON 429

18.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.6 NOK 522

$38.05 RON 180

43.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 NOK 1,128

$79.7 RON 377

48.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$162 NOK 1,545

$93.2 RON 441

73.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,414 NOK 13.5K

$673 RON 3,184

109.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 NOK 10.3K

$449 RON 2,123

141.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,348 NOK 22.4K

$1,098 RON 5,195

113.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,696 NOK 16.2K

$729 RON 3,448

132.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,822 NOK 74.7K

$3,740 RON 17.7K

109.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,769 NOK 45.5K

$2,189 RON 10.4K

117.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,527 NOK 43.2K

$1,323 RON 6,259

242.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.27

6.74

-21.81%

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

Last update for Bergen: 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

Bergen

$1.1K 38.3%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 58.6% $635

Groceries & Markets

Bergen

$524 18.6%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 57.7% $303

Eating Out

Bergen

$417 14.8%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 45.9% $192

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bergen

$390 13.8%

Bucharest

$214 16% 45.1% $176

Clothing & Footwear

Bergen

$199 7%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 31.7% $63

Getting Around

Bergen

$129 4.6%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 78.2% $101

Sport & Entertainment

Bergen

$83 3%

Bucharest

$67 5% 19.9% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,414 in Bergen and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bergen pays 242% 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: $135 in Bergen vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $524 vs $222 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Bergen

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

04:21 4:21 AM

05:21 5:21 AM

1 h ahead of Bergen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

292,482

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.47 USD

100 NOK = 9.34 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.55 NOK (1 NOK = 0.105 USD). 1 EUR = 10.71 NOK (100 NOK = 9.34 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 NOK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bergen Bucharest 2,250 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bergen
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

Bergen vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 111% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 242% higher in Bergen, 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: $1,414 in Bergen versus $673 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $238 in Bergen versus $639 in Bucharest. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 136% higher in Bergen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $2,844 in Bergen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Bergen. The gap between the two cities makes Bucharest the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Bucharest is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Bergen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Bergen 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 111% less than in Bergen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.