Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Lillestrom

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,337 a month against $2,615 in Lillestrom, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 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
128

Cost of Living Index in Lillestrom
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Lillestrom Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,337

/mo nomad

Lillestrom

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,615

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Lillestrom

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,337 in Bucharest versus $2,615 in Lillestrom.

Bucharest $1,337
Lillestrom $2,615

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,029 in Bucharest versus $4,023 in Lillestrom.

Bucharest $2,029
Lillestrom $4,023

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,721 in Bucharest versus $5,432 in Lillestrom.

Bucharest $2,721
Lillestrom $5,432

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% below, Lillestrom is 93% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.45 RON 68.4

$20.91 NOK 197

-30.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$121 NOK 1,135

-51.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.53 RON 35.65

$11.05 NOK 104

-31.86%

Cappuccino

$3.45 RON 16.33

$6.17 NOK 58.1

-44.08%

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

$2.46 RON 11.65

$4.05 NOK 38.09

-39.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 RON 10.54

$3.12 NOK 29.36

-28.53%

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

$10.45 NOK 98.4

-59.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 RON 7.67

$2.45 NOK 23.10

-33.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 RON 6.13

$3.62 NOK 34.06

-64.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 RON 8.05

$4.08 NOK 38.37

-58.33%

Eggs

$3.79 RON 17.93

$5.73 NOK 53.9

-33.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.86 RON 41.90

$13.08 NOK 123

-32.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.90 RON 32.67

$13.77 NOK 130

-49.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.14 RON 57.4

$27.30 NOK 257

-55.53%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.17

$3.46 NOK 32.55

-62.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 RON 7.55

$2.81 NOK 26.45

-43.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.42

$4.08 NOK 38.40

-61.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 RON 12.67

$5.45 NOK 51.3

-50.83%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 RON 3.82

$2.75 NOK 25.85

-70.55%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.73

$3.69 NOK 34.71

-78.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 RON 4.30

$1.79 NOK 16.80

-49.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 RON 4.58

$2.28 NOK 21.44

-57.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.41 RON 30.34

$17.49 NOK 165

-63.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 RON 29.24

$16.88 NOK 159

-63.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 RON 5.83

$5.57 NOK 52.5

-77.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 RON 7.91

$5.86 NOK 55.1

-71.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 RON 4.10

$4.46 NOK 42.01

-80.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.98 RON 99.3

$83.8 NOK 789

-74.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.66 RON 3.10

$11.92 NOK 112

-94.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.85

$1.85 NOK 17.44

-67.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.19 RON 29.28

$69.1 NOK 650

-91.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 RON 9.15

$2.29 NOK 21.53

-15.72%

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

$28.7K RON 135.9K

$48.5K NOK 456.4K

-40.74%

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

$26.3K RON 124.6K

$44.4K NOK 418.1K

-40.72%

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

$196 RON 926

$269 NOK 2,532

-27.27%

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

$8.49 RON 40.19

$32.87 NOK 309

-74.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.05 RON 42.84

$52.5 NOK 494

-82.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.54 RON 234

$49.58 NOK 467

-0.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.03 RON 118

$36.47 NOK 343

-31.37%

Cinema Ticket

$8.24 RON 39.01

$17.09 NOK 161

-51.78%

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

$636 RON 3,007

$238 NOK 2,244

166.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K RON 69.0K

$13.1K NOK 122.8K

11.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.5 RON 419

$101 NOK 955

-12.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 RON 183

$55.8 NOK 525

-30.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 RON 373

$126 NOK 1,186

-37.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 RON 428

$158 NOK 1,484

-42.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 RON 3,288

$1,245 NOK 11.7K

-44.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 RON 2,109

$982 NOK 9,242

-54.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,084 RON 5,130

$1,945 NOK 18.3K

-44.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$712 RON 3,368

$1,658 NOK 15.6K

-57.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,797 RON 18.0K

$6,206 NOK 58.4K

-38.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,202 RON 10.4K

$4,015 NOK 37.8K

-45.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,354 RON 6,406

$3,767 NOK 35.5K

-64.06%

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 Lillestrom: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$446 33.3%

Lillestrom

$982 37.5% 120% $536

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.9%

Lillestrom

$383 14.7% 69.8% $157

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.9%

Lillestrom

$491 18.8% 118% $266

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Lillestrom

$354 13.6% 66.2% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$133 10%

Lillestrom

$198 7.6% 48.6% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$66 4.9%

Lillestrom

$84 3.2% 26.9% $18

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Lillestrom

$123 4.7% 337% $95

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Bucharest and $1,245 in Lillestrom. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lillestrom pays 178% 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 $121 in Lillestrom for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $491 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇳🇴 Lillestrom

🕒 Local time

19:01 7:01 PM

18:01 6:01 PM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

94,585

💱 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 →

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Between locations

Bucharest Lillestrom 1,990 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Lillestrom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Lillestrom differ by about 96% in total monthly costs ($1,337 vs $2,615 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 178% lower in Lillestrom. 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 $1,245 in Lillestrom. 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 $2,615 in Lillestrom – a 96% 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 Lillestrom. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,337 in Bucharest versus $2,615 in Lillestrom, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Lillestrom. 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 Lillestrom 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 96% less than in Lillestrom. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.