Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Reykjavik

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,371 a month against $4,031 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $31,900 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
193

Cost of Living Index in Reykjavik
Learn more

Reykjavik Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,371

/mo nomad

Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,031

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Reykjavik

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,371 in Bucharest versus $4,031 in Reykjavik.

Bucharest $1,371
Reykjavik $4,031

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,067 in Bucharest versus $5,731 in Reykjavik.

Bucharest $2,067
Reykjavik $5,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,764 in Bucharest versus $7,431 in Reykjavik.

Bucharest $2,764
Reykjavik $7,431

Living in Bucharest costs roughly 66% less than in Reykjavik, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.51 RON 69.0

$30.60 ISK 3,718

-52.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 RON 291

$122 ISK 14.9K

-49.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.46 RON 35.46

$27.27 ISK 3,313

-72.64%

Cappuccino

$3.64 RON 17.31

$6.90 ISK 838

-47.25%

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

$2.62 RON 12.43

$3.39 ISK 412

-22.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 RON 11.23

$3.18 ISK 387

-25.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.78 RON 17.98

$14.10 ISK 1,713

-73.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 RON 19.52

$12.44 ISK 1,511

-66.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 RON 7.89

$2.05 ISK 249

-19.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 RON 6.64

$4.36 ISK 529

-67.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 RON 8.53

$3.62 ISK 440

-50.55%

Eggs

$3.63 RON 17.25

$7.06 ISK 857

-48.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.92 RON 42.38

$21.58 ISK 2,622

-58.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.86 RON 32.62

$24.14 ISK 2,933

-71.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.99 RON 57.0

$41.47 ISK 5,039

-71.09%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.16

$3.06 ISK 371

-57.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.76

$2.81 ISK 342

-41.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.09

$3.15 ISK 383

-52.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.08

$6.41 ISK 779

-60.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 RON 3.86

$3.98 ISK 484

-79.65%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.78

$1.65 ISK 200

-51.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 RON 4.07

$3.73 ISK 453

-76.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RON 4.46

$1.75 ISK 213

-46.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.60 RON 31.38

$13.94 ISK 1,694

-52.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.33 RON 30.08

$23.99 ISK 2,915

-73.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.64

$3.67 ISK 446

-67.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 RON 7.53

$3.46 ISK 421

-54.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 RON 4.64

$5.75 ISK 699

-82.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.91 RON 99.4

$95.5 ISK 11.6K

-78.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$7.15 ISK 868

-91.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 RON 2.93

$3.69 ISK 448

-83.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.37 RON 30.25

$97.7 ISK 11.9K

-93.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 RON 9.62

$2.00 ISK 243

1.00%

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

$28.2K RON 134.0K

$68.0K ISK 8.3M

-58.50%

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

$26.3K RON 124.8K

$55.8K ISK 6.8M

-52.91%

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

$196 RON 932

$96.9 ISK 11.8K

102.56%

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

$8.60 RON 40.84

$32.89 ISK 3,996

-73.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.20 RON 43.69

$89.6 ISK 10.9K

-89.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 RON 242

$99.0 ISK 12.0K

-48.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.04 RON 119

$51.0 ISK 6,191

-50.85%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 RON 39.27

$19.75 ISK 2,400

-58.18%

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

$681 RON 3,234

$1,203 ISK 146.2K

-43.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K RON 89.0K

$18.6K ISK 2.3M

0.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 RON 443

$151 ISK 18.3K

-38.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.87 RON 189

$64.9 ISK 7,880

-38.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 RON 381

$183 ISK 22.3K

-56.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 RON 431

$255 ISK 31.0K

-64.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$731 RON 3,473

$2,615 ISK 317.7K

-72.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 RON 2,232

$2,086 ISK 253.4K

-77.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,110 RON 5,276

$3,535 ISK 429.6K

-68.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 RON 3,431

$2,796 ISK 339.7K

-74.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 RON 17.8K

$8,182 ISK 994.1K

-54.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,233 RON 10.6K

$6,284 ISK 763.5K

-64.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,365 RON 6,487

$4,790 ISK 581.9K

-71.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

8.81

-23.38%

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

Last update for Bucharest: November 2, 2026

Last update for Reykjavik: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$470 34.3%

Reykjavik

$2.1K 51.7% 344% $1.6K

Eating Out

Bucharest

$229 16.7%

Reykjavik

$531 13.2% 132% $302

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.4%

Reykjavik

$618 15.3% 175% $393

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 15.6%

Reykjavik

$219 5.4% 2.5% $5.3

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$137 10%

Reykjavik

$294 7.3% 115% $158

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$68 4.9%

Reykjavik

$138 3.4% 105% $71

Getting Around

Bucharest

$29 2.1%

Reykjavik

$144 3.6% 406% $116

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $731 in Bucharest and $2,615 in Reykjavik. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Reykjavik pays about 3.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Bucharest vs $122 in Reykjavik for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $618 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🕒 Local time

06:05 6:05 AM

04:05 4:05 AM

2 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

136,894 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1,000 ISK = 8.23 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ISK, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.33 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 122 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Reykjavik 3,670 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Reykjavik

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 Reykjavik: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,371 in Bucharest and $4,031 in Reykjavik, so Bucharest is about 66% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 71% lower in Bucharest. 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: $731 in Bucharest versus $2,615 in Reykjavik. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,371 per month in Bucharest versus $4,031 in Reykjavik – Bucharest is about 66% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 78% less than in Reykjavik. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,371 in Bucharest versus $4,031 in Reykjavik, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Reykjavik. The gap between the two cities makes Bucharest the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Bucharest is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Reykjavik, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Bucharest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Reykjavik. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.