Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Gjovik

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $2,573 in Gjovik, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 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
125

Cost of Living Index in Gjovik
Learn more

Gjovik Living Index

Jump to prices

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Gjovik

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,573

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Gjovik

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $2,573 in Gjovik.

Bucharest $1,340
Gjovik $2,573

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $3,071 in Gjovik.

Bucharest $2,037
Gjovik $3,071

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $3,569 in Gjovik.

Bucharest $2,734
Gjovik $3,569

Living in Bucharest costs roughly 48% less than in Gjovik, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% below, Gjovik is 91% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$21.07 NOK 198

-31.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$126 NOK 1,184

-53.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$15.84 NOK 149

-52.78%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$4.23 NOK 39.80

-18.68%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$3.19 NOK 30.02

-25.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$3.04 NOK 28.61

-24.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$10.14 NOK 95.5

-63.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$8.59 NOK 80.9

-51.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$2.46 NOK 23.12

-32.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$4.07 NOK 38.34

-66.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$4.60 NOK 43.33

-62.61%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$5.94 NOK 55.9

-38.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$14.51 NOK 137

-37.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$15.16 NOK 143

-54.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$30.98 NOK 292

-61.27%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$3.25 NOK 30.63

-62.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$2.65 NOK 24.91

-38.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$3.43 NOK 32.24

-54.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$5.79 NOK 54.6

-56.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$2.64 NOK 24.89

-70.08%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$2.93 NOK 27.62

-73.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$3.07 NOK 28.94

-71.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$2.43 NOK 22.87

-59.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$18.62 NOK 175

-66.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$16.25 NOK 153

-61.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$3.42 NOK 32.15

-65.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$4.20 NOK 39.52

-62.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$2.89 NOK 27.16

-70.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$11.95 NOK 113

-94.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$1.87 NOK 17.56

-67.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$68.8 NOK 647

-90.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$2.33 NOK 21.96

-15.88%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$47.3K NOK 444.8K

-38.63%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$44.7K NOK 420.8K

-40.41%

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

$196 RON 927

$275 NOK 2,588

-28.75%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$33.14 NOK 312

-75.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$53.4 NOK 502

-82.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$42.59 NOK 401

17.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$14.74 NOK 139

-44.71%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$233 NOK 2,195

169.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$15.8K NOK 148.7K

-10.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$100 NOK 944

-10.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$59.3 NOK 559

-35.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$130 NOK 1,223

-39.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$154 NOK 1,447

-41.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$1,591 NOK 15.0K

-57.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$1,040 NOK 9,788

-56.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$2,078 NOK 19.6K

-47.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$3,746 NOK 35.3K

-64.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

4.94

36.64%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Gjovik: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Gjovik

$1K 40.4% 132% $591

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Gjovik

$360 14% 59.7% $134

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Gjovik

$508 19.7% 126% $283

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Gjovik

$361 14.1% 69.5% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Gjovik

$199 7.8% 49% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Gjovik

$72 2.8% 8.3% $5.5

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Gjovik

$33 * 1.3% 16.3% $4.6

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $1,591 in Gjovik. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gjovik pays 182% 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 $126 in Gjovik for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $508 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇳🇴 Gjovik

🕒 Local time

19:59 7:59 PM

18:59 6:59 PM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

31,007

💱 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 Gjovik 2,100 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Gjovik

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 Gjovik: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Gjovik differ by about 92% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $2,573 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 182% lower in Gjovik. 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 $1,591 in Gjovik. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 126% higher in Gjovik. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,340 per month in Bucharest versus $2,573 in Gjovik – a 92% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $2,573 in Gjovik, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Gjovik. 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 Gjovik 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 92% less than in Gjovik. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.