Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iceland and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,371 a month against $3,864 in Iceland, rent and utilities included – about $29,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Iceland
Bucharest, Romania
🇮🇸 Iceland
$3,864
/mo nomad
Bucharest
🇷🇴 Romania
$1,371
/mo nomad
😐 Solo nomad: Iceland is 148.8% more expensive than Bucharest without rent, and 181.9% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Iceland is 135.8% more expensive than Bucharest without rent, and 158.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Iceland
Bucharest
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$27.40 ISK 3,329
$14.51 RON 69.0
88.84%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$125 ISK 15.1K
$61.2 RON 291
103.45%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$24.02 ISK 2,919
$7.46 RON 35.50
221.98%
Cappuccino
$6.09 ISK 740
$3.64 RON 17.33
67.31%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.28 ISK 399
$2.62 RON 12.44
25.19%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.98 ISK 362
$2.36 RON 11.24
26.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$12.38 ISK 1,504
$3.78 RON 18.00
227.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$12.15 ISK 1,476
$4.11 RON 19.54
195.62%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Iceland
Bucharest
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.10 ISK 255
$1.66 RON 7.90
26.51%
White Bread (500g)
$3.93 ISK 477
$1.40 RON 6.64
180.71%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.53 ISK 429
$1.79 RON 8.54
97.21%
Eggs
$6.96 ISK 846
$3.63 RON 17.27
91.74%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$20.69 ISK 2,514
$8.92 RON 42.43
131.95%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$24.05 ISK 2,923
$6.86 RON 32.65
250.58%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$41.81 ISK 5,079
$11.99 RON 57.0
248.71%
Apples (1kg)
$2.98 ISK 362
$1.30 RON 6.17
129.23%
Banana (1kg)
$2.68 ISK 326
$1.63 RON 7.77
64.42%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.20 ISK 388
$1.49 RON 7.10
114.77%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.09 ISK 739
$2.54 RON 12.09
139.76%
Potato (1kg)
$4.01 ISK 487
$0.81 RON 3.86
395.06%
Onion (1kg)
$1.91 ISK 233
$0.80 RON 3.79
138.75%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.82 ISK 464
$0.86 RON 4.07
344.19%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.85 ISK 225
$0.94 RON 4.46
96.81%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$14.04 ISK 1,706
$6.60 RON 31.42
112.73%
Wine (Bottle)
$23.12 ISK 2,809
$6.33 RON 30.11
265.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.78 ISK 460
$1.19 RON 5.64
217.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.36 ISK 408
$1.58 RON 7.54
112.66%
🚌 Getting Around
Iceland
Bucharest
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$5.81 ISK 706
$0.98 RON 4.64
492.86%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$97.2 ISK 11.8K
$20.91 RON 99.5
364.80%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$7.09 ISK 861
$0.60 RON 2.86
1081.67%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.64 ISK 443
$0.62 RON 2.93
487.10%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$97.8 ISK 11.9K
$6.37 RON 30.28
1434.69%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.26 ISK 275
$2.02 RON 9.63
11.88%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$69.1K ISK 8.4M
$28.2K RON 134.1K
144.91%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$55.1K ISK 6.7M
$26.3K RON 125.0K
109.74%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Iceland
Bucharest
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$104 ISK 12.6K
$196 RON 933
-47.19%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.82 ISK 3,987
$8.60 RON 40.89
281.63%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$90.2 ISK 11.0K
$9.20 RON 43.74
880.54%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Iceland
Bucharest
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$90.3 ISK 11.0K
$51.0 RON 243
76.94%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$51.6 ISK 6,274
$25.04 RON 119
106.23%
Cinema Ticket
$19.37 ISK 2,353
$8.26 RON 39.31
134.50%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Iceland
Bucharest
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$949 ISK 115.4K
$681 RON 3,237
39.51%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.8K ISK 2.3M
$18.7K RON 89.1K
0.51%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Iceland
Bucharest
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$147 ISK 17.9K
$93.3 RON 444
57.78%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.63 ISK 6,030
$39.87 RON 190
24.48%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$170 ISK 20.7K
$80.1 RON 381
112.54%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$234 ISK 28.4K
$90.6 RON 431
157.87%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Iceland
Bucharest
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,582 ISK 313.7K
$731 RON 3,477
253.23%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,008 ISK 243.9K
$470 RON 2,234
327.38%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,572 ISK 433.9K
$1,110 RON 5,282
221.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,697 ISK 327.7K
$722 RON 3,435
273.52%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,621 ISK 926.0K
$3,749 RON 17.8K
103.28%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,244 ISK 758.7K
$2,233 RON 10.6K
179.58%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Iceland
Bucharest
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,870 ISK 591.7K
$1,365 RON 6,494
256.74%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.29
6.75
37.63%

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

Last update for Iceland: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Iceland
$2K
Bucharest
$470 76.6% $1.5K
Groceries & Markets
Iceland
$609
Bucharest
$225 63.1% $385
Eating Out
Iceland
$476
Bucharest
$229 51.8% $246
Clothing & Footwear
Iceland
$270
Bucharest
$137 49.4% $134
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Iceland
$227
Bucharest
$214 5.6% $13
Getting Around
Iceland
$146
Bucharest
$29 80.4% $117
Sport & Entertainment
Iceland
$129
Bucharest
$68 47.6% $61
Good to know
🇮🇸 Iceland
🇷🇴 Bucharest
🕒 Local time
00:43 12:43 AM
02:43 2:43 AM
2 h ahead of Iceland
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
364,260
1,883,425 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to ISK – Icelandic Króna Converter

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 = 4.76 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Iceland Bucharest 3,670 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Iceland
  • 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

Iceland vs other spots: cost of living compared

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