Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Selfoss

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,371 a month against $3,397 in Selfoss, rent and utilities included – about $24,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Selfoss outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,371

/mo nomad

Selfoss

🇮🇸 Iceland

$3,397

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Selfoss

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,371 in Bucharest versus $3,397 in Selfoss.

Bucharest $1,371
Selfoss $3,397

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,067 in Bucharest versus $2,424 in Selfoss.

Bucharest $2,067
Selfoss $2,424

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,764 in Bucharest versus $1,451 in Selfoss.

Bucharest $2,764
Selfoss $1,451

Living in Bucharest costs roughly 60% less than in Selfoss, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.51 RON 69.0

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 RON 291

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.46 RON 35.50

$20.19 ISK 2,453

-63.05%

Cappuccino

$3.64 RON 17.33

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

$2.62 RON 12.44

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 RON 11.24

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.78 RON 18.00

$12.45 ISK 1,513

-69.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 RON 19.54

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 RON 7.90

$1.76 ISK 214

-5.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 RON 6.64

$7.43 ISK 903

-81.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 RON 8.54

$4.37 ISK 531

-59.04%

Eggs

$3.63 RON 17.27

$6.34 ISK 771

-42.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.92 RON 42.43

$16.92 ISK 2,055

-47.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.86 RON 32.65

$21.39 ISK 2,599

-67.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.99 RON 57.0

$33.81 ISK 4,108

-64.54%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.17

$2.83 ISK 344

-54.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.77

$2.59 ISK 315

-37.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.10

$2.68 ISK 325

-44.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.09

$7.37 ISK 896

-65.54%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 RON 3.86

$3.11 ISK 378

-73.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.79

$2.16 ISK 262

-62.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 RON 4.07

$3.49 ISK 424

-75.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RON 4.46

$1.40 ISK 170

-32.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.60 RON 31.42

$15.52 ISK 1,886

-57.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.33 RON 30.11

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.64

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 RON 7.54

$1.16 ISK 142

36.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 RON 4.64

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.91 RON 99.5

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 RON 2.93

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.37 RON 30.28

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 RON 9.63

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

$28.2K RON 134.1K

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

$26.3K RON 125.0K

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

$196 RON 933

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

$8.60 RON 40.89

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.20 RON 43.74

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 RON 243

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.04 RON 119

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 RON 39.31

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

$681 RON 3,237

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K RON 89.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 RON 444

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.87 RON 190

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 RON 381

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 RON 431

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$731 RON 3,477

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 RON 2,234

$2,756 ISK 334.9K

-82.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,110 RON 5,282

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 RON 3,435

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 RON 17.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,233 RON 10.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,365 RON 6,494

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

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

Last update for Bucharest: November 2, 2026

Last update for Selfoss: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$470 34.3%

Selfoss

–

Eating Out

Bucharest

$229 16.7%

Selfoss

–

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.4%

Selfoss

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 15.6%

Selfoss

–

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$137 10%

Selfoss

–

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$68 4.9%

Selfoss

–

Getting Around

Bucharest

$29 2.1%

Selfoss

–

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇮🇸 Selfoss

🕒 Local time

20:23 8:23 PM

18:23 6:23 PM

2 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

9,000

💱 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 = 7.32 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 4.76 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 122 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 137 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.32 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Selfoss 3,620 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Selfoss

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 Selfoss: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,371 in Bucharest and $3,397 in Selfoss, so Bucharest is about 60% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,056 in Bucharest and $5,095 in Selfoss 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 130% higher in Selfoss. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,371 per month in Bucharest versus $3,397 in Selfoss – Bucharest is about 60% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,371 in Bucharest versus $3,397 in Selfoss, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Selfoss. 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.