Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Holmestrand

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,337 a month against $2,828 in Holmestrand, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 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
137

Cost of Living Index in Holmestrand
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Holmestrand Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,337

/mo nomad

Holmestrand

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,828

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Holmestrand

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,337 in Bucharest versus $2,828 in Holmestrand.

Bucharest $1,337
Holmestrand $2,828

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,029 in Bucharest versus $4,256 in Holmestrand.

Bucharest $2,029
Holmestrand $4,256

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,721 in Bucharest versus $5,684 in Holmestrand.

Bucharest $2,721
Holmestrand $5,684

Living in Bucharest costs roughly 53% less than in Holmestrand, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% below, Holmestrand is 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.45 RON 68.4

$20.61 NOK 194

-29.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$126 NOK 1,184

-53.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.53 RON 35.65

$15.35 NOK 144

-50.94%

Cappuccino

$3.45 RON 16.33

$5.87 NOK 55.3

-41.23%

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

$2.46 RON 11.65

$4.37 NOK 41.13

-43.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 RON 10.54

$3.33 NOK 31.33

-33.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.76 RON 17.78

$11.80 NOK 111

-68.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 RON 19.84

$12.44 NOK 117

-66.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 RON 7.67

$2.54 NOK 23.89

-36.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 RON 6.13

$4.19 NOK 39.45

-68.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 RON 8.05

$4.56 NOK 42.95

-62.72%

Eggs

$3.79 RON 17.93

$5.94 NOK 55.9

-36.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.86 RON 41.90

$15.04 NOK 142

-41.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.90 RON 32.67

$15.40 NOK 145

-55.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.14 RON 57.4

$31.11 NOK 293

-60.98%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.17

$3.25 NOK 30.58

-60.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 RON 7.55

$2.67 NOK 25.10

-40.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.42

$3.42 NOK 32.16

-54.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 RON 12.67

$5.90 NOK 55.5

-54.58%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 RON 3.82

$2.62 NOK 24.63

-69.08%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.73

$2.82 NOK 26.51

-71.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 RON 4.30

$3.12 NOK 29.38

-70.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 RON 4.58

$2.35 NOK 22.14

-58.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.41 RON 30.34

$18.45 NOK 174

-65.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 RON 29.24

$16.53 NOK 156

-62.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 RON 5.83

$3.50 NOK 32.91

-64.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 RON 7.91

$4.33 NOK 40.74

-61.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 RON 4.10

$4.55 NOK 42.86

-80.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.98 RON 99.3

$83.9 NOK 790

-74.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.66 RON 3.10

$12.00 NOK 113

-94.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.85

$1.78 NOK 16.76

-66.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.19 RON 29.28

$68.5 NOK 645

-90.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 RON 9.15

$2.43 NOK 22.91

-20.58%

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

$28.7K RON 135.9K

$48.5K NOK 456.9K

-40.81%

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

$26.3K RON 124.6K

$44.2K NOK 416.5K

-40.49%

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

$196 RON 926

$413 NOK 3,886

-52.61%

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

$8.49 RON 40.19

$32.94 NOK 310

-74.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.05 RON 42.84

$53.1 NOK 499

-82.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.54 RON 234

$49.69 NOK 468

-0.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.03 RON 118

$35.97 NOK 339

-30.41%

Cinema Ticket

$8.24 RON 39.01

$19.50 NOK 184

-57.74%

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

$636 RON 3,007

$231 NOK 2,177

174.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K RON 69.0K

$15.3K NOK 144.1K

-4.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.5 RON 419

$99.6 NOK 938

-11.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 RON 183

$59.1 NOK 556

-34.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 RON 373

$133 NOK 1,251

-40.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 RON 428

$159 NOK 1,493

-42.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 RON 3,288

$1,219 NOK 11.5K

-42.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 RON 2,109

$1,005 NOK 9,462

-55.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,084 RON 5,130

$1,960 NOK 18.5K

-44.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$712 RON 3,368

$1,639 NOK 15.4K

-56.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,797 RON 18.0K

$6,235 NOK 58.7K

-39.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,202 RON 10.4K

$4,007 NOK 37.7K

-45.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,354 RON 6,406

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 19, 2026

Last update for Holmestrand: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$446 33.3%

Holmestrand

$1K 35.6% 126% $559

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.9%

Holmestrand

$396 14% 75.6% $170

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.9%

Holmestrand

$513 18.2% 128% $288

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Holmestrand

$499 17.6% 134% $286

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$133 10%

Holmestrand

$203 7.2% 51.8% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$66 4.9%

Holmestrand

$89 3.1% 34.3% $23

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Holmestrand

$123 4.4% 337% $95

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Bucharest and $1,219 in Holmestrand. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $58.0 in Bucharest vs $126 in Holmestrand for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $513 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇳🇴 Holmestrand

🕒 Local time

21:26 9:26 PM

20:26 8:26 PM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

26,932

💱 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

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Between locations

Bucharest Holmestrand 1,990 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Holmestrand

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 Holmestrand: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Holmestrand differ by about 111% in total monthly costs ($1,337 vs $2,828 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,006 in Bucharest and $4,242 in Holmestrand 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $695 in Bucharest versus $1,219 in Holmestrand. 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 $2,828 in Holmestrand – a 111% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 300% less than in Holmestrand. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,337 in Bucharest versus $2,828 in Holmestrand, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Holmestrand. 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 Holmestrand 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 111% less than in Holmestrand. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.