Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Alesund

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $2,329 in Alesund, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in Alesund
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Alesund Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Alesund

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,329

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Alesund

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bucharest and in Alesund actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,340 per month in Bucharest vs $2,329 in Alesund, rent included.

Bucharest $1,340
Alesund $2,329

A couple spends around $2,037 per month in Bucharest vs $3,663 in Alesund, rent included.

Bucharest $2,037
Alesund $3,663

A family of three spends $2,734 per month in Bucharest vs $4,997 in Alesund, rent included.

Bucharest $2,734
Alesund $4,997

Bucharest is about 42% cheaper than Alesund, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Bucharest sits 1% below the global median, while Alesund is 72% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$21.26 NOK 200

-31.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$88.8 NOK 836

-34.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$13.23 NOK 125

-43.46%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$4.07 NOK 38.31

-15.48%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$2.08 NOK 19.55

13.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$2.35 NOK 22.12

-2.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$11.33 NOK 107

-67.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$9.62 NOK 90.6

-56.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$2.21 NOK 20.78

-24.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$3.04 NOK 28.64

-54.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$3.08 NOK 28.99

-44.16%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$4.38 NOK 41.27

-16.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$14.88 NOK 140

-38.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$13.80 NOK 130

-50.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$20.84 NOK 196

-42.42%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$2.63 NOK 24.72

-53.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$2.27 NOK 21.34

-28.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$2.26 NOK 21.28

-30.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$3.66 NOK 34.46

-30.60%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$2.45 NOK 23.10

-67.76%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$1.54 NOK 14.45

-50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$3.00 NOK 28.19

-71.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$1.82 NOK 17.11

-45.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$14.98 NOK 141

-57.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$18.89 NOK 178

-67.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$3.48 NOK 32.73

-65.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$3.93 NOK 36.99

-60.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$5.07 NOK 47.76

-83.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$87.3 NOK 822

-75.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$12.15 NOK 114

-94.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$1.91 NOK 18.03

-68.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$73.0 NOK 687

-91.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$2.19 NOK 20.59

-10.50%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$48.5K NOK 456.6K

-40.21%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$42.8K NOK 402.5K

-37.70%

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

$196 RON 927

$285 NOK 2,683

-31.28%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$32.82 NOK 309

-75.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$59.2 NOK 557

-84.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$58.6 NOK 552

-14.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$31.12 NOK 293

-18.61%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$17.43 NOK 164

-53.24%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$235 NOK 2,209

167.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$2,542 NOK 23.9K

454.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$86.7 NOK 816

3.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$45.43 NOK 428

-15.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$115 NOK 1,082

-31.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$139 NOK 1,312

-35.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$1,090 NOK 10.3K

-37.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$783 NOK 7,368

-42.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$1,159 NOK 10.9K

-6.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$1,615 NOK 15.2K

-55.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$4,476 NOK 42.1K

-16.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$2,399 NOK 22.6K

-8.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$4,224 NOK 39.8K

-68.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

4.22

59.95%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Alesund: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Alesund

$783 33.6% 74.6% $334

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Alesund

$352 15.1% 56.4% $127

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Alesund

$420 18% 86.6% $195

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Alesund

$377 16.2% 76.8% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Alesund

$174 7.5% 29.9% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Alesund

$93 4% 40.4% $27

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Alesund

$129 5.6% 359% $101

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $678 in Bucharest versus $1,090 in Alesund. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 218% higher in Alesund, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58.0 in Bucharest versus $89.0 in Alesund. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $420 – making Bucharest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇳🇴 Alesund

🕒 Local time

19:14 7:14 PM

18:14 6:14 PM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

58,683

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bucharest Alesund 2,370 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Alesund

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

Bucharest vs Alesund: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest, $2,329 in Alesund – roughly 74% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,011 per month in Bucharest and $3,493 in Alesund. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bucharest, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58.0 in Bucharest and $89.0 in Alesund. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,340 in Bucharest and $2,329 in Alesund. That's a gap of about 74%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bucharest, where all-in costs run around $1,340, than in Alesund at $2,329. In Bucharest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Alesund it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Bucharest has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,340 in Bucharest to $2,329 in Alesund. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Bucharest. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Alesund makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.