Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Longyearbyen and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $2,733 in Longyearbyen, rent and utilities included – about $16,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Longyearbyen
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Longyearbyen Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index

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Longyearbyen

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,733

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,733 in Longyearbyen versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Longyearbyen $2,733
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,180 in Longyearbyen versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Longyearbyen $4,180
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,627 in Longyearbyen versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Longyearbyen $5,627
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Longyearbyen is roughly 104% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Longyearbyen is 102% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.05 NOK 189

$14.49 RON 68.6

38.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$106 NOK 996

$58.1 RON 275

82.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.00 NOK 169

$7.48 RON 35.40

140.64%

Cappuccino

$6.85 NOK 64.5

$3.44 RON 16.29

99.13%

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

$6.11 NOK 57.5

$2.37 RON 11.22

157.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.58 NOK 52.5

$2.30 RON 10.88

142.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.43 NOK 70.0

$3.70 RON 17.51

100.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.96 NOK 84.3

$4.16 RON 19.69

115.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.40 NOK 22.57

$1.67 RON 7.90

43.71%

White Bread (500g)

$3.71 NOK 34.95

$1.37 RON 6.50

170.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.33 NOK 40.78

$1.72 RON 8.14

151.74%

Eggs

$4.97 NOK 46.82

$3.64 RON 17.22

36.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.26 NOK 134

$9.08 RON 42.98

57.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$20.30 NOK 191

$6.84 RON 32.35

196.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$31.52 NOK 297

$12.00 RON 56.8

162.67%

Apples (1kg)

$6.42 NOK 60.5

$1.23 RON 5.80

421.95%

Banana (1kg)

$2.55 NOK 24.03

$1.63 RON 7.73

56.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.85 NOK 64.5

$1.57 RON 7.45

336.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.66 NOK 62.7

$2.54 RON 12.01

162.20%

Potato (1kg)

$5.49 NOK 51.7

$0.79 RON 3.75

594.94%

Onion (1kg)

$4.53 NOK 42.66

$0.77 RON 3.66

488.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.51 NOK 42.50

$0.87 RON 4.13

418.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 NOK 33.23

$0.99 RON 4.70

256.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.34 NOK 163

$6.31 RON 29.86

174.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.45 NOK 136

$6.20 RON 29.34

133.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.54 NOK 33.31

$1.19 RON 5.63

197.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.24 NOK 39.93

$1.57 RON 7.45

170.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.27 NOK 49.65

$0.86 RON 4.08

512.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.2 NOK 811

$21.10 RON 99.8

308.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 NOK 85.3

$0.64 RON 3.05

1315.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 NOK 16.93

$0.60 RON 2.86

200.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$73.7 NOK 694

$6.43 RON 30.43

1046.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 NOK 20.05

$1.96 RON 9.25

8.67%

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

$50.3K NOK 473.1K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

73.32%

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

$41.3K NOK 388.9K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

55.10%

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

$242 NOK 2,274

$196 RON 927

23.31%

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

$32.99 NOK 311

$8.04 RON 38.04

310.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.1 NOK 509

$9.35 RON 44.21

478.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.5 NOK 475

$50.2 RON 238

0.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.19 NOK 341

$25.33 RON 120

42.87%

Cinema Ticket

$14.85 NOK 140

$8.15 RON 38.55

82.21%

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

$200 NOK 1,887

$628 RON 2,971

-68.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K NOK 133.8K

$14.1K RON 66.6K

0.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 NOK 981

$89.6 RON 424

16.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.3 NOK 530

$38.32 RON 181

46.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 NOK 1,179

$79.3 RON 375

58.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 NOK 1,447

$90.4 RON 428

70.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,104 NOK 10.4K

$678 RON 3,209

62.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,017 NOK 9,569

$448 RON 2,121

126.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 NOK 18.7K

$1,083 RON 5,125

83.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,698 NOK 16.0K

$725 RON 3,430

134.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,197 NOK 58.3K

$3,751 RON 17.7K

65.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,017 NOK 37.8K

$2,195 RON 10.4K

83.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,931 NOK 27.6K

$1,329 RON 6,290

120.50%

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 Longyearbyen: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Longyearbyen

$1K 37.2%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 55.9% $568

Groceries & Markets

Longyearbyen

$586 21.5%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 61.6% $361

Eating Out

Longyearbyen

$398 14.6%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 43.5% $173

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Longyearbyen

$329 12%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 35.1% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Longyearbyen

$198 7.2%

Bucharest

$134 10% 32.3% $64

Getting Around

Longyearbyen

$125 4.6%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 77.5% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Longyearbyen

$80 2.9%

Bucharest

$67 5% 17% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,104 in Longyearbyen and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Longyearbyen pays 121% 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: $106 in Longyearbyen vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $586 vs $225 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Longyearbyen

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

17:31 5:31 PM

18:31 6:31 PM

1 h ahead of Longyearbyen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,400

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

Longyearbyen Bucharest 3,780 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Longyearbyen
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

Longyearbyen vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Longyearbyen and Bucharest differ by about 104% in total monthly costs ($2,733 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 121% higher in Longyearbyen, 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: $1,104 in Longyearbyen versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,733 per month in Longyearbyen versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 104% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 308% less than in Longyearbyen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $2,733 in Longyearbyen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Longyearbyen. 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, Longyearbyen 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 104% less than in Longyearbyen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.