Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Hella

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,371 a month against $1,723 in Hella, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. The total is higher in Hella despite lower rent and utilities.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Hella
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Hella Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,371

/mo nomad

Hella

🇮🇸 Iceland

$1,723

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Hella

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,371 in Bucharest versus $1,723 in Hella.

Bucharest $1,371
Hella $1,723

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,067 in Bucharest versus $2,927 in Hella.

Bucharest $2,067
Hella $2,927

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,764 in Bucharest versus $4,131 in Hella.

Bucharest $2,764
Hella $4,131

Living in Bucharest costs roughly 20% less than in Hella, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.51 RON 69.0

$31.22 ISK 3,793

-53.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 RON 291

$121 ISK 14.7K

-49.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.46 RON 35.46

$27.24 ISK 3,310

-72.61%

Cappuccino

$3.64 RON 17.31

$6.89 ISK 837

-47.17%

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

$2.62 RON 12.43

$3.25 ISK 395

-19.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 RON 11.23

$3.08 ISK 375

-23.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.78 RON 17.98

$14.16 ISK 1,721

-73.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 RON 19.52

$12.30 ISK 1,495

-66.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 RON 7.89

$2.00 ISK 243

-17.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 RON 6.64

$4.30 ISK 522

-67.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 RON 8.53

$3.66 ISK 444

-51.09%

Eggs

$3.63 RON 17.25

$7.27 ISK 883

-50.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.92 RON 42.38

$21.85 ISK 2,654

-59.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.86 RON 32.62

$24.10 ISK 2,928

-71.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.99 RON 57.0

$41.15 ISK 4,999

-70.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.16

$3.36 ISK 408

-61.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.76

$2.83 ISK 343

-42.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.09

$3.21 ISK 390

-53.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.08

$6.56 ISK 798

-61.28%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 RON 3.86

$3.91 ISK 475

-79.28%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.78

$1.69 ISK 205

-52.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 RON 4.07

$3.64 ISK 442

-76.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RON 4.46

$1.83 ISK 223

-48.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.60 RON 31.38

$13.97 ISK 1,697

-52.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.33 RON 30.08

$23.32 ISK 2,834

-72.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.64

$3.66 ISK 445

-67.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 RON 7.53

$3.49 ISK 424

-54.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 RON 4.64

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.91 RON 99.4

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$6.76 ISK 821

-91.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 RON 2.93

$2.75 ISK 334

-77.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.37 RON 30.25

$80.8 ISK 9,813

-92.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 RON 9.62

$2.10 ISK 255

-3.81%

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

$28.2K RON 134.0K

$67.9K ISK 8.2M

-58.44%

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

$26.3K RON 124.8K

$56.3K ISK 6.8M

-53.29%

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

$196 RON 932

$96.8 ISK 11.8K

102.60%

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

$8.60 RON 40.84

$32.49 ISK 3,948

-73.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.20 RON 43.69

$85.0 ISK 10.3K

-89.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 RON 242

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.04 RON 119

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 RON 39.27

$19.81 ISK 2,407

-58.30%

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

$681 RON 3,234

$1,205 ISK 146.4K

-43.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K RON 89.0K

$25.4K ISK 3.1M

-26.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 RON 443

$150 ISK 18.2K

-37.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.87 RON 189

$66.8 ISK 8,112

-40.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 RON 381

$185 ISK 22.5K

-56.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 RON 431

$252 ISK 30.6K

-64.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$731 RON 3,473

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 RON 2,232

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,110 RON 5,276

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 RON 3,431

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 RON 17.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,233 RON 10.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,365 RON 6,487

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

8.81

-23.38%

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

Last update for Bucharest: November 2, 2026

Last update for Hella: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$470 34.3%

Hella

- * 0% 100%

Eating Out

Bucharest

$229 16.7%

Hella

$535 31.1% 133% $306

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.4%

Hella

$619 35.9% 176% $394

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 15.6%

Hella

$214 12.4% 0.2% $0.4

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$137 10%

Hella

$294 17.1% 115% $157

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$68 4.9%

Hella

$40 * 2.3% 41.3% $28

Getting Around

Bucharest

$29 2.1%

Hella

$20 * 1.2% 28.1% $8

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $61 in Bucharest vs $121 in Hella for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $619 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇮🇸 Hella

🕒 Local time

10:44 10:44 AM

08:44 8:44 AM

2 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

900

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1,000 ISK = 8.23 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ISK, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 122 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Hella 3,590 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Hella

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 Hella: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,371 in Bucharest and $1,723 in Hella, so Bucharest is about 20% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,056 in Bucharest and $2,584 in Hella to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Supermarket bills run roughly 175% higher in Hella. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,371 per month in Bucharest versus $1,723 in Hella – Bucharest is about 20% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Bucharest gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.