Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Harstad and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,337 a month against $2,553 in Harstad, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Harstad
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Harstad Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Harstad

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,553

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,337

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Harstad and in Bucharest

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Harstad and in Bucharest actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,553 in Harstad versus $1,337 in Bucharest.

Harstad $2,553
Bucharest $1,337

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,807 in Harstad versus $2,029 in Bucharest.

Harstad $3,807
Bucharest $2,029

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,061 in Harstad versus $2,721 in Bucharest.

Harstad $5,061
Bucharest $2,721

Living in Harstad is roughly 91% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Harstad is 88% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.18 NOK 133

$14.45 RON 68.4

-1.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$103 NOK 969

$58.1 RON 275

77.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.83 NOK 149

$7.53 RON 35.65

110.23%

Cappuccino

$6.29 NOK 59.2

$3.45 RON 16.33

82.32%

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

$3.63 NOK 34.15

$2.46 RON 11.65

47.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 NOK 29.58

$2.23 RON 10.54

40.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.57 NOK 118

$3.76 RON 17.78

234.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.53 NOK 127

$4.19 RON 19.84

222.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.46 NOK 23.20

$1.62 RON 7.67

51.85%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 NOK 30.60

$1.30 RON 6.13

150.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.22 NOK 30.27

$1.70 RON 8.05

89.41%

Eggs

$4.31 NOK 40.61

$3.79 RON 17.93

13.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 NOK 101

$8.86 RON 41.90

20.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.37 NOK 135

$6.90 RON 32.67

108.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.47 NOK 390

$12.14 RON 57.4

241.60%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 NOK 39.10

$1.30 RON 6.17

219.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 NOK 26.81

$1.60 RON 7.55

78.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.69 NOK 34.75

$1.57 RON 7.42

135.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.65 NOK 43.74

$2.68 RON 12.67

73.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 NOK 19.36

$0.81 RON 3.82

154.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 NOK 19.21

$0.79 RON 3.73

158.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.98 NOK 28.02

$0.91 RON 4.30

227.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 NOK 22.00

$0.97 RON 4.58

141.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$16.03 NOK 151

$6.41 RON 30.34

150.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.88 NOK 149

$6.18 RON 29.24

156.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.82 NOK 35.99

$1.23 RON 5.83

210.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.89 NOK 46.04

$1.67 RON 7.91

192.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$6.09 NOK 57.3

$0.87 RON 4.10

600.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$81.8 NOK 770

$20.98 RON 99.3

290.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$15.86 NOK 149

$0.66 RON 3.10

2303.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 NOK 17.47

$0.60 RON 2.85

210.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$55.0 NOK 517

$6.19 RON 29.28

787.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.29 NOK 21.60

$1.93 RON 9.15

18.65%

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

$36.4K NOK 343.0K

$28.7K RON 135.9K

26.82%

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

$30.9K NOK 291.0K

$26.3K RON 124.6K

17.42%

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

$167 NOK 1,568

$196 RON 926

-14.85%

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

$33.30 NOK 313

$8.49 RON 40.19

292.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.4 NOK 729

$9.05 RON 42.84

755.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.78 NOK 459

$49.54 RON 234

-1.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$37.22 NOK 350

$25.03 RON 118

48.70%

Cinema Ticket

$17.10 NOK 161

$8.24 RON 39.01

107.52%

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

$237 NOK 2,231

$636 RON 3,007

-62.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,116 NOK 48.2K

$14.6K RON 69.0K

-64.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.4 NOK 635

$88.5 RON 419

-23.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.87 NOK 328

$38.77 RON 183

-10.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 NOK 1,111

$78.8 RON 373

49.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$161 NOK 1,513

$90.6 RON 428

77.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,335 NOK 12.6K

$695 RON 3,288

92.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,035 NOK 9,740

$446 RON 2,109

132.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,281 NOK 21.5K

$1,084 RON 5,130

110.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,526 NOK 14.4K

$712 RON 3,368

114.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,018 NOK 56.6K

$3,797 RON 18.0K

58.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,991 NOK 37.6K

$2,202 RON 10.4K

81.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,383 NOK 31.8K

$1,354 RON 6,406

149.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

-25.93%

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

Last update for Harstad: October 17, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Harstad

$1K 40.5%

Bucharest

$446 33.3% 56.9% $589

Groceries & Markets

Harstad

$502 19.7%

Bucharest

$225 16.9% 55.1% $277

Eating Out

Harstad

$353 13.8%

Bucharest

$226 16.9% 36.2% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Harstad

$277 10.9%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 23.1% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Harstad

$171 6.7%

Bucharest

$133 10% 22.2% $38

Getting Around

Harstad

$131 5.1%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 78.6% $103

Sport & Entertainment

Harstad

$83 3.3%

Bucharest

$66 4.9% 20.4% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,335 in Harstad and $695 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Harstad pays 150% 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: $103 in Harstad vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $502 vs $225 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Harstad

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

18:48 6:48 PM

19:48 7:48 PM

1 h ahead of Harstad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,119

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Harstad Bucharest 2,760 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Harstad
Bucharest

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

Harstad vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Harstad and Bucharest differ by about 91% in total monthly costs ($2,553 vs $1,337 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 150% higher in Harstad, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,335 in Harstad versus $695 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,553 per month in Harstad versus $1,337 in Bucharest – a 91% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 290% less than in Harstad. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,337 in Bucharest versus $2,553 in Harstad, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Harstad. 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, Harstad and Bucharest 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 91% less than in Harstad. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.