Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Keflavik and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,371 a month against $2,994 in Keflavik, rent and utilities included – about $19,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

144

Cost of Living Index in Keflavik
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Keflavik Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Keflavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$2,994

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,371

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,994 in Keflavik versus $1,371 in Bucharest.

Keflavik $2,994
Bucharest $1,371

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,517 in Keflavik versus $2,067 in Bucharest.

Keflavik $4,517
Bucharest $2,067

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,039 in Keflavik versus $2,764 in Bucharest.

Keflavik $6,039
Bucharest $2,764

Living in Keflavik is roughly 118% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.56 ISK 2,984

$14.51 RON 69.0

69.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$124 ISK 15.1K

$61.2 RON 291

103.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$20.30 ISK 2,466

$7.46 RON 35.50

172.12%

Cappuccino

$4.18 ISK 508

$3.64 RON 17.33

14.84%

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

$3.34 ISK 405

$2.62 RON 12.44

27.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 ISK 370

$2.36 RON 11.24

29.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.42 ISK 1,023

$3.78 RON 18.00

122.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.31 ISK 1,010

$4.11 RON 19.54

102.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 ISK 255

$1.66 RON 7.90

26.51%

White Bread (500g)

$4.25 ISK 516

$1.40 RON 6.64

203.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ISK 293

$1.79 RON 8.54

34.64%

Eggs

$6.37 ISK 773

$3.63 RON 17.27

75.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.13 ISK 2,325

$8.92 RON 42.43

114.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.55 ISK 2,983

$6.86 RON 32.65

257.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.14 ISK 4,999

$11.99 RON 57.0

243.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.52 ISK 306

$1.30 RON 6.17

93.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.44 ISK 297

$1.63 RON 7.77

49.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 ISK 306

$1.49 RON 7.10

69.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.07 ISK 495

$2.54 RON 12.09

60.24%

Potato (1kg)

$3.16 ISK 383

$0.81 RON 3.86

290.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 ISK 201

$0.80 RON 3.79

106.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.65 ISK 443

$0.86 RON 4.07

324.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 ISK 213

$0.94 RON 4.46

87.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.86 ISK 1,684

$6.60 RON 31.42

110.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.28 ISK 1,977

$6.33 RON 30.11

157.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.57 ISK 433

$1.19 RON 5.64

200.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 ISK 352

$1.58 RON 7.54

83.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.70 ISK 450

$0.98 RON 4.64

277.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.7 ISK 9,075

$20.91 RON 99.5

257.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.45 ISK 784

$0.60 RON 2.86

975.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.71 ISK 329

$0.62 RON 2.93

337.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$81.6 ISK 9,914

$6.37 RON 30.28

1181.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.01 ISK 244

$2.02 RON 9.63

-0.50%

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

$69.1K ISK 8.4M

$28.2K RON 134.1K

144.90%

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

$56.6K ISK 6.9M

$26.3K RON 125.0K

115.53%

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

$94.5 ISK 11.5K

$196 RON 933

-51.81%

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

$32.62 ISK 3,963

$8.60 RON 40.89

279.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$86.6 ISK 10.5K

$9.20 RON 43.74

841.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.1 ISK 9,490

$51.0 RON 243

53.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.04 RON 119

Cinema Ticket

$19.82 ISK 2,408

$8.26 RON 39.31

139.95%

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

$409 ISK 49.7K

$681 RON 3,237

-39.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.2K ISK 3.2M

$18.7K RON 89.1K

39.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$149 ISK 18.1K

$93.3 RON 444

60.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.6 ISK 8,093

$39.87 RON 190

67.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$179 ISK 21.8K

$80.1 RON 381

123.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$191 ISK 23.2K

$90.6 RON 431

110.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,921 ISK 233.5K

$731 RON 3,477

162.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,333 ISK 162.0K

$470 RON 2,234

183.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,470 ISK 300.1K

$1,110 RON 5,282

122.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 ISK 245.2K

$722 RON 3,435

179.45%

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)

$3,694 ISK 448.8K

$1,365 RON 6,494

170.57%

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 Keflavik: November 1, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Keflavik

$1.3K 44.5%

Bucharest

$470 34.3% 64.8% $863

Groceries & Markets

Keflavik

$564 18.9%

Bucharest

$225 16.4% 60.2% $340

Eating Out

Keflavik

$392 13.1%

Bucharest

$229 16.7% 41.5% $163

Clothing & Footwear

Keflavik

$264 8.8%

Bucharest

$137 10% 48.1% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Keflavik

$214 7.1%

Bucharest

$214 15.6% 0.1% $0.2

Sport & Entertainment

Keflavik

$118 3.9%

Bucharest

$68 4.9% 42.6% $50

Getting Around

Keflavik

$110 3.7%

Bucharest

$29 2.1% 74% $81

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,921 in Keflavik and $731 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Keflavik pays about 2.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $124 in Keflavik vs $61 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $564 vs $225 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Keflavik

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

00:38 12:38 AM

02:38 2:38 AM

2 h ahead of Keflavik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,000

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 = 4.76 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

Keflavik Bucharest 3,700 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Keflavik
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

Keflavik vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,994 in Keflavik and $1,371 in Bucharest, so Bucharest is about 54% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Keflavik is about 2.7 times higher, 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: $1,921 in Keflavik versus $731 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,994 per month in Keflavik versus $1,371 in Bucharest – Bucharest is about 54% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 72% less than in Keflavik. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,371 in Bucharest versus $2,994 in Keflavik, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Keflavik. 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.

Expats usually find Bucharest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Keflavik. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.