Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Iceland

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,371 a month against $3,864 in Iceland, rent and utilities included – about $29,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Bucharest, Romania
Iceland
Bucharest
🇷🇴 Romania
$1,371
/mo nomad
🇮🇸 Iceland
$3,864
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: Bucharest is 59.8% cheaper than Iceland without rent, and 64.5% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Bucharest is 57.6% cheaper than Iceland without rent, and 61.4% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bucharest
Iceland
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$14.51 RON 69.0
$27.40 ISK 3,329
-47.04%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.2 RON 291
$125 ISK 15.1K
-50.85%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.46 RON 35.46
$24.02 ISK 2,919
-68.94%
Cappuccino
$3.64 RON 17.31
$6.09 ISK 740
-40.23%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.62 RON 12.43
$3.28 ISK 399
-20.12%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.36 RON 11.23
$2.98 ISK 362
-20.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.78 RON 17.98
$12.38 ISK 1,504
-69.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.11 RON 19.52
$12.15 ISK 1,476
-66.17%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bucharest
Iceland
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 RON 7.89
$2.10 ISK 255
-20.95%
White Bread (500g)
$1.40 RON 6.64
$3.93 ISK 477
-64.38%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.79 RON 8.53
$3.53 ISK 429
-49.29%
Eggs
$3.63 RON 17.25
$6.96 ISK 846
-47.84%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.92 RON 42.38
$20.69 ISK 2,514
-56.89%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.86 RON 32.62
$24.05 ISK 2,923
-71.48%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.99 RON 57.0
$41.81 ISK 5,079
-71.32%
Apples (1kg)
$1.30 RON 6.16
$2.98 ISK 362
-56.38%
Banana (1kg)
$1.63 RON 7.76
$2.68 ISK 326
-39.18%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.49 RON 7.09
$3.20 ISK 388
-53.44%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.54 RON 12.08
$6.09 ISK 739
-58.29%
Potato (1kg)
$0.81 RON 3.86
$4.01 ISK 487
-79.80%
Onion (1kg)
$0.80 RON 3.78
$1.91 ISK 233
-58.12%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.86 RON 4.07
$3.82 ISK 464
-77.49%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 RON 4.46
$1.85 ISK 225
-49.19%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.60 RON 31.38
$14.04 ISK 1,706
-52.99%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.33 RON 30.08
$23.12 ISK 2,809
-72.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.19 RON 5.64
$3.78 ISK 460
-68.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.58 RON 7.53
$3.36 ISK 408
-52.98%
🚌 Getting Around
Bucharest
Iceland
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.98 RON 4.64
$5.81 ISK 706
-83.13%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$20.91 RON 99.4
$97.2 ISK 11.8K
-78.49%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.60 RON 2.86
$7.09 ISK 861
-91.54%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.62 RON 2.93
$3.64 ISK 443
-82.97%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.37 RON 30.25
$97.8 ISK 11.9K
-93.48%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.02 RON 9.62
$2.26 ISK 275
-10.62%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.2K RON 134.0K
$69.1K ISK 8.4M
-59.17%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.3K RON 124.8K
$55.1K ISK 6.7M
-52.32%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bucharest
Iceland
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$196 RON 932
$104 ISK 12.6K
89.34%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.60 RON 40.84
$32.82 ISK 3,987
-73.80%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$9.20 RON 43.69
$90.2 ISK 11.0K
-89.80%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bucharest
Iceland
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.0 RON 242
$90.3 ISK 11.0K
-43.48%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$25.04 RON 119
$51.6 ISK 6,274
-51.51%
Cinema Ticket
$8.26 RON 39.27
$19.37 ISK 2,353
-57.36%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bucharest
Iceland
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$681 RON 3,234
$949 ISK 115.4K
-28.32%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.7K RON 89.0K
$18.8K ISK 2.3M
-0.51%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bucharest
Iceland
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$93.3 RON 443
$147 ISK 17.9K
-36.62%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.87 RON 189
$49.63 ISK 6,030
-19.67%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.1 RON 381
$170 ISK 20.7K
-52.95%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$90.6 RON 431
$234 ISK 28.4K
-61.22%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bucharest
Iceland
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$731 RON 3,473
$2,582 ISK 313.7K
-71.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$470 RON 2,232
$2,008 ISK 243.9K
-76.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,110 RON 5,276
$3,572 ISK 433.9K
-68.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$722 RON 3,431
$2,697 ISK 327.7K
-73.23%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,749 RON 17.8K
$7,621 ISK 926.0K
-50.81%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,233 RON 10.6K
$6,244 ISK 758.7K
-64.23%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bucharest
Iceland
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,365 RON 6,487
$4,870 ISK 591.7K
-71.97%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.75
9.29
-27.34%

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

Last update for Bucharest: November 2, 2026

Last update for Iceland: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Bucharest
$470
Iceland
$2K 327% $1.5K
Eating Out
Bucharest
$229
Iceland
$476 107% $246
Groceries & Markets
Bucharest
$225
Iceland
$609 171% $385
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bucharest
$214
Iceland
$227 5.9% $13
Clothing & Footwear
Bucharest
$137
Iceland
$270 97.7% $134
Sport & Entertainment
Bucharest
$68
Iceland
$129 91% $61
Getting Around
Bucharest
$29
Iceland
$146 411% $117
Good to know
🇷🇴 Bucharest
🇮🇸 Iceland
🕒 Local time
04:15 4:15 AM
02:15 2:15 AM
2 h behind Bucharest
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,883,425 Capital
364,260
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ISK, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.33 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bucharest Iceland 3,670 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Bucharest
  • Iceland

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

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