Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Kongsberg

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $2,648 in Kongsberg, rent and utilities included – about $15,700 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
129

Cost of Living Index in Kongsberg
Learn more

Kongsberg Living Index

Jump to prices

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Kongsberg

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,648

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Kongsberg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $2,648 in Kongsberg.

Bucharest $1,340
Kongsberg $2,648

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $3,866 in Kongsberg.

Bucharest $2,037
Kongsberg $3,866

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $5,085 in Kongsberg.

Bucharest $2,734
Kongsberg $5,085

Living in Bucharest costs roughly 49% less than in Kongsberg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% below, Kongsberg is 96% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$21.26 NOK 200

-31.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$73.1 NOK 688

-20.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$15.39 NOK 145

-51.40%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$5.13 NOK 48.33

-32.94%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$4.17 NOK 39.27

-43.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$3.25 NOK 30.64

-29.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$11.91 NOK 112

-68.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$10.49 NOK 98.7

-60.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$2.49 NOK 23.43

-32.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$3.19 NOK 30.04

-57.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$4.53 NOK 42.67

-62.03%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$4.92 NOK 46.31

-26.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$10.64 NOK 100

-14.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$12.25 NOK 115

-44.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$18.90 NOK 178

-36.51%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$3.20 NOK 30.12

-61.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$2.66 NOK 24.99

-38.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$3.43 NOK 32.29

-54.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$4.86 NOK 45.77

-47.74%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$2.66 NOK 25.02

-70.30%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$2.54 NOK 23.90

-69.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$3.04 NOK 28.58

-71.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$2.38 NOK 22.42

-58.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$17.65 NOK 166

-64.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$15.91 NOK 150

-61.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$3.42 NOK 32.22

-65.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$3.79 NOK 35.66

-58.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$2.96 NOK 27.86

-70.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$91.8 NOK 864

-77.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$12.13 NOK 114

-94.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$1.87 NOK 17.64

-67.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$30.95 NOK 291

-79.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$2.35 NOK 22.14

-16.60%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$47.3K NOK 445.0K

-38.65%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$45.0K NOK 423.5K

-40.79%

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

$196 RON 927

$312 NOK 2,937

-37.21%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$27.86 NOK 262

-71.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$52.5 NOK 494

-82.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$46.78 NOK 440

7.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$56.1 NOK 528

-54.82%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$19.74 NOK 186

-58.71%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$237 NOK 2,228

165.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$3,828 NOK 36.0K

267.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$90.3 NOK 850

-0.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$54.7 NOK 515

-29.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$133 NOK 1,254

-40.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$158 NOK 1,485

-42.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$1,075 NOK 10.1K

-36.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$1,035 NOK 9,746

-56.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$1,988 NOK 18.7K

-45.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$1,647 NOK 15.5K

-55.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$6,070 NOK 57.1K

-38.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$4,101 NOK 38.6K

-46.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$3,491 NOK 32.9K

-61.92%

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 Kongsberg: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Kongsberg

$1K 39.1% 131% $587

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Kongsberg

$388 14.7% 72.3% $163

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Kongsberg

$425 16% 88.7% $200

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Kongsberg

$392 14.8% 84% $179

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Kongsberg

$196 7.4% 46.5% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Kongsberg

$86 3.3% 29.6% $20

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Kongsberg

$125 4.7% 344% $97

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $1,075 in Kongsberg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kongsberg pays 163% 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 $73.0 in Kongsberg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $425 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇳🇴 Kongsberg

🕒 Local time

18:33 6:33 PM

17:33 5:33 PM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

28,878

💱 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 Kongsberg 2,010 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Kongsberg

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 Kongsberg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Kongsberg differ by about 98% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $2,648 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 163% lower in Kongsberg. 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 $1,075 in Kongsberg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,340 per month in Bucharest versus $2,648 in Kongsberg – a 98% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 335% less than in Kongsberg. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $2,648 in Kongsberg, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Kongsberg. 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 Kongsberg 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 98% less than in Kongsberg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.