Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kongsberg and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $2,648 in Kongsberg, rent and utilities included – about $15,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Kongsberg
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Kongsberg Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Kongsberg

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,648

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,648 in Kongsberg versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Kongsberg $2,648
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,866 in Kongsberg versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Kongsberg $3,866
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,085 in Kongsberg versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Kongsberg $5,085
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Kongsberg is roughly 98% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kongsberg is 96% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.26 NOK 200

$14.49 RON 68.6

46.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.1 NOK 688

$58.1 RON 275

25.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.39 NOK 145

$7.48 RON 35.40

105.75%

Cappuccino

$5.13 NOK 48.33

$3.44 RON 16.29

49.13%

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

$4.17 NOK 39.27

$2.37 RON 11.22

75.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 NOK 30.64

$2.30 RON 10.88

41.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.91 NOK 112

$3.70 RON 17.51

221.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.49 NOK 98.7

$4.16 RON 19.69

152.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.49 NOK 23.43

$1.67 RON 7.90

49.10%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 NOK 30.04

$1.37 RON 6.50

132.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.53 NOK 42.67

$1.72 RON 8.14

163.37%

Eggs

$4.92 NOK 46.31

$3.64 RON 17.22

35.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.64 NOK 100

$9.08 RON 42.98

17.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.25 NOK 115

$6.84 RON 32.35

79.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.90 NOK 178

$12.00 RON 56.8

57.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 NOK 30.12

$1.23 RON 5.80

160.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.66 NOK 24.99

$1.63 RON 7.73

63.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 NOK 32.29

$1.57 RON 7.45

118.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.86 NOK 45.77

$2.54 RON 12.01

91.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.66 NOK 25.02

$0.79 RON 3.75

236.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 NOK 23.90

$0.77 RON 3.66

229.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.04 NOK 28.58

$0.87 RON 4.13

249.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 NOK 22.42

$0.99 RON 4.70

140.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.65 NOK 166

$6.31 RON 29.86

179.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.91 NOK 150

$6.20 RON 29.34

156.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.42 NOK 32.22

$1.19 RON 5.63

187.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.79 NOK 35.66

$1.57 RON 7.45

141.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.96 NOK 27.86

$0.86 RON 4.08

244.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.8 NOK 864

$21.10 RON 99.8

335.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.13 NOK 114

$0.64 RON 3.05

1795.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.87 NOK 17.64

$0.60 RON 2.86

211.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.95 NOK 291

$6.43 RON 30.43

381.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.35 NOK 22.14

$1.96 RON 9.25

19.90%

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

$47.3K NOK 445.0K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

63.01%

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

$45.0K NOK 423.5K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

68.88%

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

$312 NOK 2,937

$196 RON 927

59.27%

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

$27.86 NOK 262

$8.04 RON 38.04

246.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.5 NOK 494

$9.35 RON 44.21

461.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.78 NOK 440

$50.2 RON 238

-6.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$56.1 NOK 528

$25.33 RON 120

121.36%

Cinema Ticket

$19.74 NOK 186

$8.15 RON 38.55

142.21%

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

$237 NOK 2,228

$628 RON 2,971

-62.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,828 NOK 36.0K

$14.1K RON 66.6K

-72.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.3 NOK 850

$89.6 RON 424

0.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.7 NOK 515

$38.32 RON 181

42.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$133 NOK 1,254

$79.3 RON 375

68.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$158 NOK 1,485

$90.4 RON 428

74.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 NOK 10.1K

$678 RON 3,209

58.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,035 NOK 9,746

$448 RON 2,121

130.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,988 NOK 18.7K

$1,083 RON 5,125

83.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,647 NOK 15.5K

$725 RON 3,430

127.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,070 NOK 57.1K

$3,751 RON 17.7K

61.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,101 NOK 38.6K

$2,195 RON 10.4K

86.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,491 NOK 32.9K

$1,329 RON 6,290

162.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.94

6.75

-26.81%

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

Last update for Kongsberg: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kongsberg

$1K 39.1%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 56.7% $587

Groceries & Markets

Kongsberg

$425 16%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 47% $200

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kongsberg

$392 14.8%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 45.6% $179

Eating Out

Kongsberg

$388 14.7%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 42% $163

Clothing & Footwear

Kongsberg

$196 7.4%

Bucharest

$134 10% 31.8% $62

Getting Around

Kongsberg

$125 4.7%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 77.5% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Kongsberg

$86 3.3%

Bucharest

$67 5% 22.9% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,075 in Kongsberg and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kongsberg pays 163% 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: $73.0 in Kongsberg vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $425 vs $225 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Kongsberg

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

16:38 4:38 PM

17:38 5:38 PM

1 h ahead of Kongsberg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,878

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 17, 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 17, 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

Kongsberg Bucharest 2,010 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Kongsberg
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

Kongsberg vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kongsberg and Bucharest differ by about 98% in total monthly costs ($2,648 vs $1,340 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 163% higher in Kongsberg, 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: $1,075 in Kongsberg versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,648 per month in Kongsberg versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 98% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 335% less than in Kongsberg. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $2,648 in Kongsberg, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Kongsberg. 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, Kongsberg 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 98% less than in Kongsberg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.