Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Oslo

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $3,443 in Oslo, rent and utilities included – about $25,100 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
165

Cost of Living Index in Oslo
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Oslo Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Oslo

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,443

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Oslo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,351 in Bucharest versus $3,443 in Oslo.

Bucharest $1,351
Oslo $3,443

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,033 in Bucharest versus $4,981 in Oslo.

Bucharest $2,033
Oslo $4,981

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,715 in Bucharest versus $6,519 in Oslo.

Bucharest $2,715
Oslo $6,519

Living in Bucharest costs roughly 61% less than in Oslo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bucharest 1% above, Oslo 157% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 RON 68.4

$20.80 NOK 199

-30.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 273

$125 NOK 1,194

-53.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 RON 35.46

$15.81 NOK 151

-52.56%

Cappuccino

$3.43 RON 16.20

$6.03 NOK 57.6

-43.12%

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

$2.46 RON 11.63

$4.41 NOK 42.10

-44.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.01

$3.28 NOK 31.33

-28.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 RON 17.97

$11.75 NOK 112

-67.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.41

$12.73 NOK 122

-67.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.79

$2.46 NOK 23.53

-32.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.39

$4.20 NOK 40.08

-67.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.42

$4.62 NOK 44.16

-61.47%

Eggs

$3.66 RON 17.33

$5.99 NOK 57.2

-38.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 RON 40.54

$14.83 NOK 142

-42.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RON 32.17

$15.56 NOK 149

-56.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 RON 55.4

$31.16 NOK 298

-62.39%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.11

$3.36 NOK 32.05

-61.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.37

$2.58 NOK 24.62

-39.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.28

$3.52 NOK 33.63

-56.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 RON 11.75

$5.74 NOK 54.9

-56.79%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.92

$2.67 NOK 25.46

-68.91%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.77

$2.84 NOK 27.08

-71.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 3.98

$3.15 NOK 30.05

-73.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 RON 4.39

$2.48 NOK 23.66

-62.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 RON 30.45

$19.09 NOK 182

-66.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 RON 29.91

$16.58 NOK 158

-61.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.94

$3.35 NOK 32.01

-62.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 RON 7.59

$4.33 NOK 41.31

-63.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.85

$4.84 NOK 46.25

-83.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.13 RON 99.9

$82.6 NOK 789

-74.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$11.70 NOK 112

-94.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.91

$1.85 NOK 17.68

-67.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.19

$69.0 NOK 659

-91.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.27

$2.33 NOK 22.23

-15.88%

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

$28.1K RON 133.1K

$47.4K NOK 453.0K

-40.65%

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

$26.3K RON 124.3K

$43.5K NOK 415.8K

-39.61%

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

$197 RON 931

$415 NOK 3,967

-52.61%

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

$8.34 RON 39.44

$33.37 NOK 319

-75.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.19 RON 43.47

$55.1 NOK 526

-83.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.87 RON 236

$58.7 NOK 561

-15.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 118

$28.61 NOK 273

-12.65%

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 RON 40.01

$19.45 NOK 186

-56.50%

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

$639 RON 3,023

$233 NOK 2,229

173.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.1K

$15.4K NOK 147.2K

-6.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 RON 429

$101 NOK 962

-10.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 RON 180

$58.6 NOK 560

-35.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 RON 377

$134 NOK 1,276

-40.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 RON 441

$153 NOK 1,462

-39.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 RON 3,184

$2,021 NOK 19.3K

-66.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 RON 2,123

$1,576 NOK 15.0K

-71.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 RON 5,195

$3,054 NOK 29.2K

-64.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 RON 3,448

$2,346 NOK 22.4K

-68.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,740 RON 17.7K

$11.8K NOK 112.2K

-68.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 RON 10.4K

$6,804 NOK 65.0K

-67.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,323 RON 6,259

$4,578 NOK 43.7K

-71.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

4.94

36.44%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Last update for Oslo: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$449 33.5%

Oslo

$1.6K 46.1% 251% $1.1K

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.8%

Oslo

$401 11.7% 77.8% $176

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$222 16.5%

Oslo

$514 15.1% 132% $293

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 16%

Oslo

$504 14.8% 135% $289

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$136 10.1%

Oslo

$201 5.9% 47.9% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Oslo

$98 2.9% 46.2% $31

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Oslo

$123 3.6% 338% $95

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $673 in Bucharest and $2,021 in Oslo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oslo pays 246% 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 $125 in Oslo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $514 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇳🇴 Oslo

🕒 Local time

08:21 8:21 AM

07:21 7:21 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

1,098,061 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

100 NOK = 10.47 USD

100 NOK = 9.34 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.55 NOK (1 NOK = 0.105 USD). 1 EUR = 10.71 NOK (100 NOK = 9.34 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Oslo 2,000 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Oslo

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 Oslo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Oslo differ by about 155% in total monthly costs ($1,351 vs $3,443 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 246% lower in Oslo. 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 $2,021 in Oslo. 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 $3,443 in Oslo – a 155% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 291% less than in Oslo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $3,443 in Oslo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Oslo. 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 Oslo 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 155% less than in Oslo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.