Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hella and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,371 a month against $1,723 in Hella, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. The total is higher in Hella despite lower rent and utilities.

82

Cost of Living Index in Hella
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Hella Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Hella

🇮🇸 Iceland

$1,723

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,371

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hella 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 Hella and in Bucharest actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,723 in Hella versus $1,371 in Bucharest.

Hella $1,723
Bucharest $1,371

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,927 in Hella versus $2,067 in Bucharest.

Hella $2,927
Bucharest $2,067

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,131 in Hella versus $2,764 in Bucharest.

Hella $4,131
Bucharest $2,764

Living in Hella is roughly 26% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.22 ISK 3,793

$14.51 RON 69.0

115.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$121 ISK 14.7K

$61.2 RON 291

98.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$27.24 ISK 3,310

$7.46 RON 35.46

265.15%

Cappuccino

$6.89 ISK 837

$3.64 RON 17.31

89.29%

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

$3.25 ISK 395

$2.62 RON 12.43

24.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 ISK 375

$2.36 RON 11.23

30.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$14.16 ISK 1,721

$3.78 RON 17.98

274.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.30 ISK 1,495

$4.11 RON 19.52

199.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ISK 243

$1.66 RON 7.89

20.48%

White Bread (500g)

$4.30 ISK 522

$1.40 RON 6.64

207.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.66 ISK 444

$1.79 RON 8.53

104.47%

Eggs

$7.27 ISK 883

$3.63 RON 17.25

100.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.85 ISK 2,654

$8.92 RON 42.38

144.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.10 ISK 2,928

$6.86 RON 32.62

251.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.15 ISK 4,999

$11.99 RON 57.0

243.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.36 ISK 408

$1.30 RON 6.16

158.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.83 ISK 343

$1.63 RON 7.76

73.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.21 ISK 390

$1.49 RON 7.09

115.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.56 ISK 798

$2.54 RON 12.08

158.27%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ISK 475

$0.81 RON 3.86

382.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 ISK 205

$0.80 RON 3.78

111.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.64 ISK 442

$0.86 RON 4.07

323.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 ISK 223

$0.94 RON 4.46

94.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.97 ISK 1,697

$6.60 RON 31.38

111.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.32 ISK 2,834

$6.33 RON 30.08

268.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.66 ISK 445

$1.19 RON 5.64

207.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 ISK 424

$1.58 RON 7.53

120.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 RON 4.64

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.91 RON 99.4

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.76 ISK 821

$0.60 RON 2.86

1026.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.75 ISK 334

$0.62 RON 2.93

343.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$80.8 ISK 9,813

$6.37 RON 30.25

1167.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 ISK 255

$2.02 RON 9.62

3.96%

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

$67.9K ISK 8.2M

$28.2K RON 134.0K

140.62%

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

$56.3K ISK 6.8M

$26.3K RON 124.8K

114.10%

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

$96.8 ISK 11.8K

$196 RON 932

-50.64%

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

$32.49 ISK 3,948

$8.60 RON 40.84

277.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.0 ISK 10.3K

$9.20 RON 43.69

824.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 RON 242

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.04 RON 119

Cinema Ticket

$19.81 ISK 2,407

$8.26 RON 39.27

139.83%

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

$1,205 ISK 146.4K

$681 RON 3,234

77.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.4K ISK 3.1M

$18.7K RON 89.0K

35.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$150 ISK 18.2K

$93.3 RON 443

60.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.8 ISK 8,112

$39.87 RON 189

67.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$185 ISK 22.5K

$80.1 RON 381

130.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$252 ISK 30.6K

$90.6 RON 431

177.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$731 RON 3,473

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 RON 2,232

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,110 RON 5,276

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 RON 3,431

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 6,487

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

6.75

30.52%

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

Last update for Hella: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Hella

$619 35.9%

Bucharest

$225 16.4% 63.7% $394

Eating Out

Hella

$535 31.1%

Bucharest

$229 16.7% 57.1% $306

Clothing & Footwear

Hella

$294 17.1%

Bucharest

$137 10% 53.5% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hella

$214 12.4%

Bucharest

$214 15.6% 0.2% $0.4

Sport & Entertainment

Hella

$40 * 2.3%

Bucharest

$68 4.9% 70.5% $28

Getting Around

Hella

$20 * 1.2%

Bucharest

$29 2.1% 39.1% $8

Accommodation & Living

Hella

- * 0%

Bucharest

$470 34.3%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $121 in Hella vs $61 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $619 vs $225 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Hella

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

08:44 8:44 AM

10:44 10:44 AM

2 h ahead of Hella

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

900

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.23 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to ISK – Icelandic Króna Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇸 Icelandic Króna (kr)

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).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hella Bucharest 3,590 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Hella
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

Hella vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,723 in Hella and $1,371 in Bucharest, so Bucharest is about 20% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,584 in Hella and $2,056 in Bucharest 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 175% higher in Hella. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,723 per month in Hella versus $1,371 in Bucharest – Bucharest is about 20% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Bucharest gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.