Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Porsgrunn

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $2,673 in Porsgrunn, rent and utilities included – about $16,000 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
130

Cost of Living Index in Porsgrunn
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Porsgrunn Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Porsgrunn

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,673

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Porsgrunn

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $2,673 in Porsgrunn.

Bucharest $1,340
Porsgrunn $2,673

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $3,818 in Porsgrunn.

Bucharest $2,037
Porsgrunn $3,818

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $4,962 in Porsgrunn.

Bucharest $2,734
Porsgrunn $4,962

Living in Bucharest costs roughly 50% less than in Porsgrunn, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% below, Porsgrunn is 98% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$20.92 NOK 197

-30.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$105 NOK 990

-44.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$15.57 NOK 147

-51.96%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$5.60 NOK 52.7

-38.57%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$3.49 NOK 32.88

-32.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$3.04 NOK 28.58

-24.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$11.53 NOK 109

-67.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$10.41 NOK 98.0

-60.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$2.44 NOK 23.00

-31.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$4.09 NOK 38.49

-66.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$4.53 NOK 42.62

-62.03%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$5.79 NOK 54.5

-37.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$14.79 NOK 139

-38.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$15.68 NOK 148

-56.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$31.79 NOK 299

-62.25%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$3.40 NOK 31.98

-63.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$2.59 NOK 24.35

-37.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$3.50 NOK 32.97

-55.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$5.89 NOK 55.5

-56.88%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$2.61 NOK 24.59

-69.73%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$2.90 NOK 27.33

-73.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$3.14 NOK 29.55

-72.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$2.39 NOK 22.50

-58.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$18.43 NOK 174

-65.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$16.49 NOK 155

-62.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$3.35 NOK 31.49

-64.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$4.13 NOK 38.90

-61.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$2.68 NOK 25.20

-67.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$47.08 NOK 443

-55.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$11.92 NOK 112

-94.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$1.87 NOK 17.65

-67.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$69.5 NOK 654

-90.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$2.45 NOK 23.07

-20.00%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$47.6K NOK 448.2K

-39.10%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$44.1K NOK 414.9K

-39.57%

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

$196 RON 927

$417 NOK 3,926

-53.03%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$32.67 NOK 308

-75.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$52.9 NOK 498

-82.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$20.21 NOK 190

-59.67%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$236 NOK 2,221

166.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$15.5K NOK 146.1K

-9.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$98.6 NOK 928

-9.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$59.0 NOK 555

-35.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$131 NOK 1,238

-39.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$158 NOK 1,487

-42.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$824 NOK 7,752

-17.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$950 NOK 8,946

-52.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$1,563 NOK 14.7K

-30.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$1,259 NOK 11.9K

-42.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

3.8

77.63%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Porsgrunn: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Porsgrunn

$950 35.6% 112% $502

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Porsgrunn

$386 14.4% 71.3% $161

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Porsgrunn

$514 19.2% 128% $289

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Porsgrunn

$503 18.8% 136% $289

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Porsgrunn

$201 7.5% 50.2% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Porsgrunn

$40 * 1.5% 39.2% $26

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Porsgrunn

$79 3% 180% $51

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $824 in Porsgrunn. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $58.0 in Bucharest vs $105 in Porsgrunn for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $514 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇳🇴 Porsgrunn

🕒 Local time

17:11 5:11 PM

16:11 4:11 PM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

37,144

💱 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

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Between locations

Bucharest Porsgrunn 1,970 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Porsgrunn

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 Porsgrunn: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Porsgrunn differ by about 99% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $2,673 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,011 in Bucharest and $4,010 in Porsgrunn to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $678 in Bucharest versus $824 in Porsgrunn. 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 $2,673 in Porsgrunn – a 99% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 123% less than in Porsgrunn. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $2,673 in Porsgrunn, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Porsgrunn. 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 Porsgrunn 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 99% less than in Porsgrunn. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.