Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Bergen

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.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Bergen
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Bergen Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Bergen

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,844

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Bergen

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 Bergen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Bucharest $1,351
Bergen $2,844

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

Bucharest $2,033
Bergen $4,282

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

Bucharest $2,715
Bergen $5,719

Living in Bucharest costs roughly 53% less than in Bergen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 RON 68.4

$22.98 NOK 219

-37.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 273

$135 NOK 1,292

-57.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 RON 35.46

$15.52 NOK 148

-51.68%

Cappuccino

$3.43 RON 16.20

$5.42 NOK 51.8

-36.72%

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

$2.46 RON 11.63

$5.10 NOK 48.71

-51.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.01

$4.47 NOK 42.65

-47.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 RON 17.97

$12.57 NOK 120

-69.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.41

$10.41 NOK 99.4

-60.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.79

$2.15 NOK 20.57

-23.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.39

$3.78 NOK 36.13

-64.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.42

$3.51 NOK 33.54

-49.29%

Eggs

$3.66 RON 17.33

$6.41 NOK 61.3

-42.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 RON 40.54

$14.32 NOK 137

-40.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RON 32.17

$17.21 NOK 164

-60.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 RON 55.4

$36.16 NOK 345

-67.59%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.11

$4.12 NOK 39.38

-68.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.37

$2.72 NOK 25.95

-42.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.28

$3.61 NOK 34.44

-57.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 RON 11.75

$5.39 NOK 51.4

-53.99%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.92

$2.52 NOK 24.02

-67.06%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.77

$3.35 NOK 31.97

-76.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 3.98

$2.86 NOK 27.34

-70.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 RON 4.39

$1.78 NOK 17.03

-47.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 RON 30.45

$17.10 NOK 163

-62.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 RON 29.91

$17.97 NOK 172

-64.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.94

$3.59 NOK 34.31

-64.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 RON 7.59

$4.21 NOK 40.20

-62.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.85

$5.15 NOK 49.21

-84.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.13 RON 99.9

$86.4 NOK 825

-75.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$12.39 NOK 118

-95.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.91

$1.84 NOK 17.61

-66.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.19

$70.5 NOK 674

-91.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.27

$2.35 NOK 22.42

-16.60%

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

$28.1K RON 133.1K

$48.6K NOK 463.7K

-42.02%

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

$26.3K RON 124.3K

$43.3K NOK 413.9K

-39.34%

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

$197 RON 931

$275 NOK 2,623

-28.32%

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

$8.34 RON 39.44

$32.93 NOK 314

-74.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.19 RON 43.47

$82.9 NOK 791

-88.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.87 RON 236

$45.61 NOK 436

9.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 118

$41.77 NOK 399

-40.17%

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 RON 40.01

$18.87 NOK 180

-55.17%

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

$639 RON 3,023

$238 NOK 2,272

168.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.1K

$12.0K NOK 114.9K

19.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 RON 429

$107 NOK 1,022

-15.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 RON 180

$54.6 NOK 522

-30.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 RON 377

$118 NOK 1,128

-32.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 RON 441

$162 NOK 1,545

-42.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 RON 3,184

$1,414 NOK 13.5K

-52.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 RON 2,123

$1,083 NOK 10.3K

-58.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 RON 5,195

$2,348 NOK 22.4K

-53.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 RON 3,448

$1,696 NOK 16.2K

-57.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,740 RON 17.7K

$7,822 NOK 74.7K

-52.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 RON 10.4K

$4,769 NOK 45.5K

-54.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,323 RON 6,259

$4,527 NOK 43.2K

-70.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

5.27

27.89%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Last update for Bergen: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$449 33.5%

Bergen

$1.1K 38.3% 141% $635

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.8%

Bergen

$417 14.8% 85% $192

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$222 16.5%

Bergen

$524 18.6% 136% $303

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 16%

Bergen

$390 13.8% 82.1% $176

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$136 10.1%

Bergen

$199 7% 46.4% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Bergen

$83 3% 24.8% $17

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Bergen

$129 4.6% 359% $101

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $673 in Bucharest and $1,414 in Bergen. 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: $58.0 in Bucharest vs $135 in Bergen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $524 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇳🇴 Bergen

🕒 Local time

06:46 6:46 AM

05:46 5:46 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

292,482

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

100 NOK = 10.47 USD

100 NOK = 9.34 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

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).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Bucharest
Bergen

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 Bergen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

On paper, salaries run 242% lower in Bergen. 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: $673 in Bucharest versus $1,414 in Bergen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $639 in Bucharest versus $238 in Bergen. 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, Bucharest and Bergen 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.