Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Drammen

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $2,644 in Drammen, rent and utilities included – about $15,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Drammen
Learn more

Drammen Living Index

Jump to prices

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Drammen

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,644

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Drammen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $2,644 in Drammen.

Bucharest $1,340
Drammen $2,644

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $3,996 in Drammen.

Bucharest $2,037
Drammen $3,996

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $5,349 in Drammen.

Bucharest $2,734
Drammen $5,349

Living in Bucharest costs roughly 49% less than in Drammen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% below, Drammen is 96% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$21.14 NOK 199

-31.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$124 NOK 1,170

-53.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$10.71 NOK 101

-30.16%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$5.04 NOK 47.44

-31.75%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$3.94 NOK 37.13

-39.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$1.99 NOK 18.71

15.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$11.22 NOK 106

-67.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$6.98 NOK 65.7

-40.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$2.48 NOK 23.30

-32.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$4.19 NOK 39.48

-67.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$4.73 NOK 44.52

-63.64%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$4.64 NOK 43.71

-21.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$13.55 NOK 128

-32.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$15.24 NOK 143

-55.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$30.80 NOK 290

-61.04%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$3.23 NOK 30.42

-61.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$2.71 NOK 25.47

-39.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$3.37 NOK 31.71

-53.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$5.81 NOK 54.7

-56.28%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$2.61 NOK 24.61

-69.73%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$2.89 NOK 27.23

-73.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$3.03 NOK 28.51

-71.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$2.35 NOK 22.14

-57.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$16.74 NOK 158

-62.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$15.55 NOK 146

-60.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$3.36 NOK 31.58

-64.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$4.15 NOK 39.11

-62.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$3.37 NOK 31.68

-74.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$91.5 NOK 862

-76.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$11.86 NOK 112

-94.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$1.81 NOK 17.07

-66.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$69.4 NOK 653

-90.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$2.27 NOK 21.35

-13.66%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$45.6K NOK 429.1K

-36.38%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$45.1K NOK 424.8K

-40.97%

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

$196 RON 927

$261 NOK 2,459

-25.02%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$33.66 NOK 317

-76.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$53.0 NOK 499

-82.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$78.6 NOK 740

-36.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$17.96 NOK 169

-54.62%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$236 NOK 2,225

165.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$15.5K NOK 145.5K

-8.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$98.9 NOK 931

-9.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$59.2 NOK 557

-35.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$131 NOK 1,233

-39.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$150 NOK 1,414

-39.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$1,346 NOK 12.7K

-49.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$1,004 NOK 9,447

-55.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$2,043 NOK 19.2K

-46.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$1,560 NOK 14.7K

-53.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$10.4K NOK 97.5K

-63.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$6,335 NOK 59.6K

-65.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$3,627 NOK 34.1K

-63.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

4.54

48.68%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Drammen: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Drammen

$1K 38% 124% $555

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Drammen

$356 13.5% 57.9% $130

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Drammen

$499 18.9% 122% $273

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Drammen

$348 13.2% 63.1% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Drammen

$198 7.5% 47.6% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Drammen

$114 4.3% 72.1% $48

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Drammen

$126 4.8% 346% $98

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $1,346 in Drammen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Drammen pays 173% 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 $124 in Drammen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $499 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇳🇴 Drammen

🕒 Local time

18:32 6:32 PM

17:32 5:32 PM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

104,625

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bucharest Drammen 2,000 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Drammen

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 Drammen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Drammen differ by about 97% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $2,644 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 173% lower in Drammen. 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: $678 in Bucharest versus $1,346 in Drammen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,340 per month in Bucharest versus $2,644 in Drammen – a 97% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 334% less than in Drammen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $2,644 in Drammen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Drammen. 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, Bucharest and Drammen 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 97% less than in Drammen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.