Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Norwich

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $2,504 in Norwich, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
120

Cost of Living Index in Norwich
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Norwich Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Norwich

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,504

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Norwich

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,351 in Bucharest versus $2,504 in Norwich.

Bucharest $1,351
Norwich $2,504

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,033 in Bucharest versus $3,708 in Norwich.

Bucharest $2,033
Norwich $3,708

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,715 in Bucharest versus $4,912 in Norwich.

Bucharest $2,715
Norwich $4,912

Living in Bucharest costs roughly 46% less than in Norwich, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bucharest 1% above, Norwich 87% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 RON 68.4

$23.37 £17.66

-38.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 273

$102 £76.9

-43.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 RON 35.46

$11.09 £8.38

-32.37%

Cappuccino

$3.43 RON 16.20

$4.65 £3.51

-26.24%

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

$2.46 RON 11.63

$2.87 £2.17

-14.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.01

$1.61 £1.21

44.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 RON 17.97

$7.47 £5.65

-49.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.41

$7.10 £5.36

-42.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.79

$1.96 £1.48

-15.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.39

$2.45 £1.85

-44.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.42

$2.97 £2.24

-40.07%

Eggs

$3.66 RON 17.33

$4.83 £3.65

-24.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 RON 40.54

$9.84 £7.44

-12.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RON 32.17

$10.93 £8.26

-37.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 RON 55.4

$18.03 £13.63

-35.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.11

$3.69 £2.79

-65.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.37

$2.19 £1.65

-28.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.28

$2.89 £2.19

-46.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 RON 11.75

$4.56 £3.45

-45.61%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.92

$2.04 £1.54

-59.31%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.77

$2.34 £1.77

-65.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 3.98

$1.23 £0.93

-31.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 RON 4.39

$1.70 £1.28

-45.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 RON 30.45

$23.86 £18.03

-73.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 RON 29.91

$10.78 £8.15

-41.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.94

$3.26 £2.46

-61.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 RON 7.59

$3.11 £2.35

-48.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.85

$3.89 £2.94

-79.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.13 RON 99.9

$94.7 £71.5

-77.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$3.89 £2.94

-84.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.91

$1.33 £1.01

-54.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.19

$18.83 £14.23

-67.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.27

$2.02 £1.53

-2.97%

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

$28.1K RON 133.1K

$38.8K £29.3K

-27.47%

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

$26.3K RON 124.3K

$40.1K £30.3K

-34.51%

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

$197 RON 931

$350 £264

-43.69%

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

$8.34 RON 39.44

$21.38 £16.16

-60.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.19 RON 43.47

$45.12 £34.09

-79.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.87 RON 236

$50.7 £38.30

-1.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 118

$8.71 £6.58

186.91%

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 RON 40.01

$13.15 £9.94

-35.67%

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

$639 RON 3,023

$1,498 £1,132

-57.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.1K

$12.0K £9,098

19.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 RON 429

$118 £89.0

-23.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 RON 180

$50.5 £38.14

-24.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 RON 377

$127 £95.7

-37.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 RON 441

$106 £80.1

-12.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 RON 3,184

$1,280 £967

-47.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 RON 2,123

$987 £746

-54.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 RON 5,195

$2,250 £1,701

-51.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 RON 3,448

$1,709 £1,291

-57.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,740 RON 17.7K

$5,039 £3,808

-25.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 RON 10.4K

$3,778 £2,855

-42.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,323 RON 6,259

$3,049 £2,304

-56.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

5.04

33.73%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Last update for Norwich: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$449 33.5%

Norwich

$987 39.7% 120% $539

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.8%

Norwich

$346 13.9% 53.1% $120

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$222 16.5%

Norwich

$360 14.5% 62.2% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 16%

Norwich

$416 16.7% 94.1% $202

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$136 10.1%

Norwich

$180 7.3% 32.9% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Norwich

$77 3.1% 15.3% $10

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Norwich

$121 4.9% 330% $93

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $673 in Bucharest and $1,280 in Norwich. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Norwich pays 130% 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 $102 in Norwich for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $360 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇬🇧 Norwich

🕒 Local time

10:28 10:28 AM

08:28 8:28 AM

2 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

132,512

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Norwich 2,030 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Norwich

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 Norwich: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Norwich differ by about 85% in total monthly costs ($1,351 vs $2,504 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 130% lower in Norwich. 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: $673 in Bucharest versus $1,280 in Norwich. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,351 per month in Bucharest versus $2,504 in Norwich – a 85% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 348% less than in Norwich. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $2,504 in Norwich, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Norwich. 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 Norwich 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 85% less than in Norwich. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.