Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Harstad

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,337 a month against $2,553 in Harstad, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 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
124

Cost of Living Index in Harstad
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Harstad Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,337

/mo nomad

Harstad

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,553

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Harstad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,337 in Bucharest versus $2,553 in Harstad.

Bucharest $1,337
Harstad $2,553

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,029 in Bucharest versus $3,807 in Harstad.

Bucharest $2,029
Harstad $3,807

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,721 in Bucharest versus $5,061 in Harstad.

Bucharest $2,721
Harstad $5,061

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% below, Harstad is 88% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.45 RON 68.4

$14.18 NOK 133

1.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$103 NOK 969

-43.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.53 RON 35.65

$15.83 NOK 149

-52.43%

Cappuccino

$3.45 RON 16.33

$6.29 NOK 59.2

-45.15%

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

$2.46 RON 11.65

$3.63 NOK 34.15

-32.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 RON 10.54

$3.14 NOK 29.58

-28.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.76 RON 17.78

$12.57 NOK 118

-70.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 RON 19.84

$13.53 NOK 127

-69.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 RON 7.67

$2.46 NOK 23.20

-34.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 RON 6.13

$3.25 NOK 30.60

-60.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 RON 8.05

$3.22 NOK 30.27

-47.20%

Eggs

$3.79 RON 17.93

$4.31 NOK 40.61

-12.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.86 RON 41.90

$10.71 NOK 101

-17.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.90 RON 32.67

$14.37 NOK 135

-51.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.14 RON 57.4

$41.47 NOK 390

-70.73%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.17

$4.15 NOK 39.10

-68.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 RON 7.55

$2.85 NOK 26.81

-43.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.42

$3.69 NOK 34.75

-57.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 RON 12.67

$4.65 NOK 43.74

-42.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 RON 3.82

$2.06 NOK 19.36

-60.68%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.73

$2.04 NOK 19.21

-61.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 RON 4.30

$2.98 NOK 28.02

-69.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 RON 4.58

$2.34 NOK 22.00

-58.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.41 RON 30.34

$16.03 NOK 151

-60.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 RON 29.24

$15.88 NOK 149

-61.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 RON 5.83

$3.82 NOK 35.99

-67.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 RON 7.91

$4.89 NOK 46.04

-65.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 RON 4.10

$6.09 NOK 57.3

-85.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.98 RON 99.3

$81.8 NOK 770

-74.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.66 RON 3.10

$15.86 NOK 149

-95.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.85

$1.86 NOK 17.47

-67.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.19 RON 29.28

$55.0 NOK 517

-88.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 RON 9.15

$2.29 NOK 21.60

-15.72%

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

$28.7K RON 135.9K

$36.4K NOK 343.0K

-21.15%

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

$26.3K RON 124.6K

$30.9K NOK 291.0K

-14.84%

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

$196 RON 926

$167 NOK 1,568

17.44%

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

$8.49 RON 40.19

$33.30 NOK 313

-74.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.05 RON 42.84

$77.4 NOK 729

-88.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.54 RON 234

$48.78 NOK 459

1.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.03 RON 118

$37.22 NOK 350

-32.75%

Cinema Ticket

$8.24 RON 39.01

$17.10 NOK 161

-51.81%

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

$636 RON 3,007

$237 NOK 2,231

168.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K RON 69.0K

$5,116 NOK 48.2K

184.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.5 RON 419

$67.4 NOK 635

31.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 RON 183

$34.87 NOK 328

11.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 RON 373

$118 NOK 1,111

-33.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 RON 428

$161 NOK 1,513

-43.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 RON 3,288

$1,335 NOK 12.6K

-47.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 RON 2,109

$1,035 NOK 9,740

-56.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,084 RON 5,130

$2,281 NOK 21.5K

-52.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$712 RON 3,368

$1,526 NOK 14.4K

-53.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,797 RON 18.0K

$6,018 NOK 56.6K

-36.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,202 RON 10.4K

$3,991 NOK 37.6K

-44.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,354 RON 6,406

$3,383 NOK 31.8K

-59.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

35.00%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Harstad: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$446 33.3%

Harstad

$1K 40.5% 132% $589

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.9%

Harstad

$353 13.8% 56.7% $128

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.9%

Harstad

$502 19.7% 123% $277

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Harstad

$277 10.9% 30.1% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$133 10%

Harstad

$171 6.7% 28.5% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$66 4.9%

Harstad

$83 3.3% 25.7% $17

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Harstad

$131 5.1% 367% $103

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Bucharest and $1,335 in Harstad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Harstad pays 150% 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 $103 in Harstad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $502 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇳🇴 Harstad

🕒 Local time

20:39 8:39 PM

19:39 7:39 PM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

25,119

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Harstad 2,760 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Harstad

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 Harstad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Harstad differ by about 91% in total monthly costs ($1,337 vs $2,553 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 150% lower in Harstad. 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: $695 in Bucharest versus $1,335 in Harstad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,337 per month in Bucharest versus $2,553 in Harstad – a 91% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 290% less than in Harstad. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,337 in Bucharest versus $2,553 in Harstad, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Harstad. 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 Harstad 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 91% less than in Harstad. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.