Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Fredrikstad

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $2,983 in Fredrikstad, rent and utilities included – about $19,700 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
144

Cost of Living Index in Fredrikstad
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Fredrikstad Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Fredrikstad

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,983

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Fredrikstad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $2,983 in Fredrikstad.

Bucharest $1,340
Fredrikstad $2,983

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $4,345 in Fredrikstad.

Bucharest $2,037
Fredrikstad $4,345

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $5,707 in Fredrikstad.

Bucharest $2,734
Fredrikstad $5,707

Living in Bucharest costs roughly 55% less than in Fredrikstad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% below, Fredrikstad is 121% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$26.28 NOK 247

-44.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$124 NOK 1,170

-53.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$12.65 NOK 119

-40.87%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$6.77 NOK 63.7

-49.19%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$5.55 NOK 52.3

-57.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$4.39 NOK 41.36

-47.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$11.55 NOK 109

-67.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$9.57 NOK 90.1

-56.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$2.34 NOK 22.00

-28.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$4.31 NOK 40.56

-68.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$3.43 NOK 32.31

-49.85%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$5.82 NOK 54.8

-37.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$13.06 NOK 123

-30.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$17.96 NOK 169

-61.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$34.38 NOK 324

-65.10%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$3.37 NOK 31.71

-63.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$3.64 NOK 34.24

-55.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$4.30 NOK 40.49

-63.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$5.00 NOK 47.06

-49.20%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$2.63 NOK 24.74

-69.96%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$2.71 NOK 25.53

-71.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$2.82 NOK 26.50

-69.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$2.33 NOK 21.95

-57.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$15.51 NOK 146

-59.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$22.16 NOK 209

-72.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$3.49 NOK 32.81

-65.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$4.39 NOK 41.34

-64.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$4.11 NOK 38.71

-79.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$64.5 NOK 607

-67.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$12.56 NOK 118

-94.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$2.00 NOK 18.79

-70.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$70.1 NOK 660

-90.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$2.30 NOK 21.64

-14.78%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$49.8K NOK 468.4K

-41.72%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$46.9K NOK 441.1K

-43.15%

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

$196 RON 927

$331 NOK 3,118

-40.86%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$45.60 NOK 429

-82.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$66.9 NOK 630

-86.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$58.3 NOK 549

-13.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$40.86 NOK 385

-38.01%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$20.19 NOK 190

-59.63%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$168 NOK 1,579

274.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$12.5K NOK 117.8K

12.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$155 NOK 1,459

-42.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$78.7 NOK 741

-51.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$144 NOK 1,358

-45.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$112 NOK 1,051

-19.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$1,329 NOK 12.5K

-48.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$1,131 NOK 10.6K

-60.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$1,822 NOK 17.1K

-40.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$1,516 NOK 14.3K

-52.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$6,022 NOK 56.7K

-37.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$4,131 NOK 38.9K

-46.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$3,372 NOK 31.7K

-60.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

4.95

36.36%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Fredrikstad: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Fredrikstad

$1.1K 37.9% 152% $683

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Fredrikstad

$446 15% 98.1% $221

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Fredrikstad

$540 18.1% 140% $315

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Fredrikstad

$444 14.9% 108% $230

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Fredrikstad

$220 7.4% 64.5% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Fredrikstad

$99 3.3% 48.4% $32

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Fredrikstad

$103 3.5% 267% $75

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $1,329 in Fredrikstad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fredrikstad pays 154% 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 Fredrikstad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $540 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇳🇴 Fredrikstad

🕒 Local time

19:58 7:58 PM

18:58 6:58 PM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

85,267

💱 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 Fredrikstad 1,940 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Fredrikstad

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 Fredrikstad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Fredrikstad differ by about 123% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $2,983 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 154% lower in Fredrikstad. 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 $1,329 in Fredrikstad. 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 $2,983 in Fredrikstad – a 123% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 205% less than in Fredrikstad. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $2,983 in Fredrikstad, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Fredrikstad. 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 Fredrikstad 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 123% less than in Fredrikstad. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.