Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Stavanger

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $3,140 in Stavanger, rent and utilities included – about $21,500 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
153

Cost of Living Index in Stavanger
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Stavanger Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Stavanger

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,140

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Stavanger

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,351 in Bucharest versus $3,140 in Stavanger.

Bucharest $1,351
Stavanger $3,140

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,033 in Bucharest versus $4,513 in Stavanger.

Bucharest $2,033
Stavanger $4,513

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,715 in Bucharest versus $5,886 in Stavanger.

Bucharest $2,715
Stavanger $5,886

Living in Bucharest costs roughly 57% less than in Stavanger, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bucharest 1% above, Stavanger 134% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 RON 68.4

$24.58 NOK 235

-41.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 273

$97.3 NOK 929

-40.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 RON 35.46

$15.95 NOK 152

-52.98%

Cappuccino

$3.43 RON 16.20

$6.25 NOK 59.7

-45.12%

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

$2.46 RON 11.63

$5.41 NOK 51.7

-54.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.01

$4.25 NOK 40.57

-45.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 RON 17.97

$13.66 NOK 130

-72.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.41

$11.78 NOK 112

-65.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.79

$2.37 NOK 22.61

-30.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.39

$3.47 NOK 33.14

-61.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.42

$3.83 NOK 36.59

-53.52%

Eggs

$3.66 RON 17.33

$4.70 NOK 44.87

-22.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 RON 40.54

$14.36 NOK 137

-40.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RON 32.17

$16.81 NOK 161

-59.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 RON 55.4

$34.43 NOK 329

-65.96%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.11

$3.42 NOK 32.68

-62.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.37

$2.72 NOK 26.00

-42.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.28

$3.54 NOK 33.78

-56.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 RON 11.75

$4.91 NOK 46.90

-49.49%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.92

$2.55 NOK 24.35

-67.45%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.77

$3.12 NOK 29.79

-74.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 3.98

$2.81 NOK 26.81

-70.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 RON 4.39

$2.34 NOK 22.33

-60.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 RON 30.45

$17.13 NOK 164

-62.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 RON 29.91

$18.45 NOK 176

-65.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.94

$3.72 NOK 35.54

-66.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 RON 7.59

$4.45 NOK 42.52

-64.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.85

$4.76 NOK 45.49

-82.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.13 RON 99.9

$87.0 NOK 831

-75.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$6.09 NOK 58.2

-90.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.91

$1.75 NOK 16.69

-65.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.19

$103 NOK 981

-93.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.27

$2.36 NOK 22.50

-16.95%

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

$28.1K RON 133.1K

$47.3K NOK 451.6K

-40.48%

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

$26.3K RON 124.3K

$40.4K NOK 386.0K

-34.95%

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

$197 RON 931

$245 NOK 2,337

-19.55%

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

$8.34 RON 39.44

$35.29 NOK 337

-76.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.19 RON 43.47

$81.6 NOK 779

-88.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.87 RON 236

$50.3 NOK 480

-0.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 118

$36.81 NOK 352

-32.11%

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 RON 40.01

$22.03 NOK 210

-61.60%

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

$639 RON 3,023

$322 NOK 3,080

98.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.1K

$14.1K NOK 134.4K

2.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 RON 429

$127 NOK 1,212

-28.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 RON 180

$60.1 NOK 574

-36.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 RON 377

$153 NOK 1,459

-47.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 RON 441

$204 NOK 1,948

-54.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 RON 3,184

$1,658 NOK 15.8K

-59.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 RON 2,123

$1,380 NOK 13.2K

-67.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 RON 5,195

$2,766 NOK 26.4K

-60.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 RON 3,448

$2,016 NOK 19.3K

-63.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,740 RON 17.7K

$6,196 NOK 59.2K

-39.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 RON 10.4K

$5,307 NOK 50.7K

-58.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,323 RON 6,259

$4,951 NOK 47.3K

-73.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

5.27

27.89%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Last update for Stavanger: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$449 33.5%

Stavanger

$1.4K 43.6% 207% $931

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.8%

Stavanger

$450 14.2% 99.4% $224

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$222 16.5%

Stavanger

$513 16.2% 131% $291

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 16%

Stavanger

$362 11.4% 68.7% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$136 10.1%

Stavanger

$245 7.7% 80.3% $109

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Stavanger

$94 3% 41.3% $28

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Stavanger

$121 3.8% 331% $93

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $673 in Bucharest and $1,658 in Stavanger. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stavanger pays 274% 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 $97.0 in Stavanger for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $513 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇳🇴 Stavanger

🕒 Local time

08:22 8:22 AM

07:22 7:22 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

149,330

💱 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 Stavanger 2,120 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Stavanger

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 Stavanger: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Stavanger differ by about 132% in total monthly costs ($1,351 vs $3,140 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 274% lower in Stavanger. 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 $1,658 in Stavanger. 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 $3,140 in Stavanger – a 132% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 312% less than in Stavanger. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $3,140 in Stavanger, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Stavanger. 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 Stavanger 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 132% less than in Stavanger. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.