Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Tromso

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $3,073 in Tromso, rent and utilities included – about $20,800 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
149

Cost of Living Index in Tromso
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Tromso Living Index

Jump to prices

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Tromso

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,073

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Tromso

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $3,073 in Tromso.

Bucharest $1,340
Tromso $3,073

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $4,616 in Tromso.

Bucharest $2,037
Tromso $4,616

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $6,158 in Tromso.

Bucharest $2,734
Tromso $6,158

Living in Bucharest costs roughly 56% less than in Tromso, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% below, Tromso is 128% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$34.24 NOK 322

-57.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$103 NOK 974

-43.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$15.60 NOK 147

-52.05%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$6.77 NOK 63.7

-49.19%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$4.78 NOK 45.00

-50.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$3.69 NOK 34.75

-37.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$12.57 NOK 118

-70.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$13.64 NOK 128

-69.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$2.49 NOK 23.48

-32.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$3.26 NOK 30.72

-57.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$3.92 NOK 36.91

-56.12%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$5.18 NOK 48.80

-29.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$11.61 NOK 109

-21.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$14.85 NOK 140

-53.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$40.81 NOK 384

-70.60%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$3.96 NOK 37.24

-68.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$2.92 NOK 27.46

-44.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$5.35 NOK 50.3

-70.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$6.07 NOK 57.2

-58.15%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$3.53 NOK 33.27

-77.62%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$4.89 NOK 46.02

-84.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$2.98 NOK 28.07

-70.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$2.09 NOK 19.67

-52.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$16.36 NOK 154

-61.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$17.30 NOK 163

-64.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$3.94 NOK 37.07

-69.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$4.66 NOK 43.91

-66.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$5.03 NOK 47.39

-82.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$67.0 NOK 631

-68.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$15.40 NOK 145

-95.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$2.04 NOK 19.21

-70.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$56.6 NOK 533

-88.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$2.33 NOK 21.93

-15.88%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$48.3K NOK 454.8K

-39.98%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$43.5K NOK 409.1K

-38.71%

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

$196 RON 927

$253 NOK 2,383

-22.62%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$49.95 NOK 470

-83.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$82.3 NOK 775

-88.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$50.5 NOK 475

-0.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$46.87 NOK 441

-45.96%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$17.44 NOK 164

-53.27%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$313 NOK 2,949

100.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$7,407 NOK 69.7K

90.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$65.6 NOK 617

36.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$35.36 NOK 333

8.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$145 NOK 1,361

-45.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$163 NOK 1,538

-44.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$1,566 NOK 14.7K

-56.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$1,244 NOK 11.7K

-63.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$2,786 NOK 26.2K

-61.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$2,027 NOK 19.1K

-64.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$6,960 NOK 65.5K

-46.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$5,271 NOK 49.6K

-58.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$4,125 NOK 38.8K

-67.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

5.01

34.73%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Tromso: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Tromso

$1.2K 40.5% 178% $796

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Tromso

$526 17.1% 134% $301

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Tromso

$536 17.4% 138% $310

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Tromso

$385 12.5% 80.7% $172

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Tromso

$184 6% 37.4% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Tromso

$85 2.8% 28.3% $19

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Tromso

$113 3.7% 300% $85

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $1,566 in Tromso. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tromso pays 210% 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 $103 in Tromso for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $536 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇳🇴 Tromso

🕒 Local time

19:53 7:53 PM

18:53 6:53 PM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

78,908

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Tromso 2,830 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Tromso

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 Tromso: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Tromso differ by about 129% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $3,073 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 210% lower in Tromso. 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: $678 in Bucharest versus $1,566 in Tromso. 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 $3,073 in Tromso – a 129% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 218% less than in Tromso. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $3,073 in Tromso, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Tromso. 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 Tromso 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 129% less than in Tromso. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.