Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oslo and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $3,443 in Oslo, rent and utilities included – about $25,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

165

Cost of Living Index in Oslo
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Oslo Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index

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Oslo

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,443

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,443 in Oslo versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

Oslo $3,443
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,981 in Oslo versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

Oslo $4,981
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,519 in Oslo versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

Oslo $6,519
Bucharest $2,715

Living in Oslo is roughly 155% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Oslo 157% above, Bucharest 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.80 NOK 199

$14.46 RON 68.4

43.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$125 NOK 1,194

$57.7 RON 273

116.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.81 NOK 151

$7.50 RON 35.46

110.80%

Cappuccino

$6.03 NOK 57.6

$3.43 RON 16.20

75.80%

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

$4.41 NOK 42.10

$2.46 RON 11.63

79.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 NOK 31.33

$2.33 RON 11.01

40.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.75 NOK 112

$3.80 RON 17.97

209.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.73 NOK 122

$4.10 RON 19.41

210.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.46 NOK 23.53

$1.65 RON 7.79

49.09%

White Bread (500g)

$4.20 NOK 40.08

$1.35 RON 6.39

211.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.62 NOK 44.16

$1.78 RON 8.42

159.55%

Eggs

$5.99 NOK 57.2

$3.66 RON 17.33

63.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.83 NOK 142

$8.57 RON 40.54

73.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.56 NOK 149

$6.80 RON 32.17

128.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$31.16 NOK 298

$11.72 RON 55.4

165.87%

Apples (1kg)

$3.36 NOK 32.05

$1.29 RON 6.11

160.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.58 NOK 24.62

$1.56 RON 7.37

65.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.52 NOK 33.63

$1.54 RON 7.28

128.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.74 NOK 54.9

$2.48 RON 11.75

131.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.67 NOK 25.46

$0.83 RON 3.92

221.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.84 NOK 27.08

$0.80 RON 3.77

255.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.15 NOK 30.05

$0.84 RON 3.98

275.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 NOK 23.66

$0.93 RON 4.39

166.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.09 NOK 182

$6.44 RON 30.45

196.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.58 NOK 158

$6.32 RON 29.91

162.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.35 NOK 32.01

$1.26 RON 5.94

165.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 NOK 41.31

$1.60 RON 7.59

170.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.84 NOK 46.25

$0.81 RON 3.85

497.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.6 NOK 789

$21.13 RON 99.9

290.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.70 NOK 112

$0.60 RON 2.86

1850.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 NOK 17.68

$0.61 RON 2.91

203.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$69.0 NOK 659

$6.17 RON 29.19

1017.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.33 NOK 22.23

$1.96 RON 9.27

18.88%

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

$47.4K NOK 453.0K

$28.1K RON 133.1K

68.49%

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

$43.5K NOK 415.8K

$26.3K RON 124.3K

65.60%

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

$415 NOK 3,967

$197 RON 931

111.01%

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

$33.37 NOK 319

$8.34 RON 39.44

300.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.1 NOK 526

$9.19 RON 43.47

499.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.7 NOK 561

$49.87 RON 236

17.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.61 NOK 273

$24.99 RON 118

14.49%

Cinema Ticket

$19.45 NOK 186

$8.46 RON 40.01

129.91%

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

$233 NOK 2,229

$639 RON 3,023

-63.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.4K NOK 147.2K

$14.4K RON 68.1K

7.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 NOK 962

$90.6 RON 429

11.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.6 NOK 560

$38.05 RON 180

54.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$134 NOK 1,276

$79.7 RON 377

67.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$153 NOK 1,462

$93.2 RON 441

64.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,021 NOK 19.3K

$673 RON 3,184

200.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,576 NOK 15.0K

$449 RON 2,123

250.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,054 NOK 29.2K

$1,098 RON 5,195

178.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 NOK 22.4K

$729 RON 3,448

221.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.8K NOK 112.2K

$3,740 RON 17.7K

214.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,804 NOK 65.0K

$2,189 RON 10.4K

210.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,578 NOK 43.7K

$1,323 RON 6,259

245.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.94

6.74

-26.71%

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

Last update for Oslo: October 4, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oslo

$1.6K 46.1%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 71.5% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Oslo

$514 15.1%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 56.9% $293

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oslo

$504 14.8%

Bucharest

$214 16% 57.4% $289

Eating Out

Oslo

$401 11.7%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 43.8% $176

Clothing & Footwear

Oslo

$201 5.9%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 32.4% $65

Getting Around

Oslo

$123 3.6%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 77.2% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Oslo

$98 2.9%

Bucharest

$67 5% 31.6% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,021 in Oslo and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oslo pays 246% 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: $125 in Oslo vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $514 vs $222 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Oslo

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

05:48 5:48 AM

06:48 6:48 AM

1 h ahead of Oslo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,098,061 Capital

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.47 USD

100 NOK = 9.34 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.55 NOK (1 NOK = 0.105 USD). 1 EUR = 10.71 NOK (100 NOK = 9.34 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

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Oslo Bucharest 2,000 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Oslo
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

Oslo vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Oslo and Bucharest differ by about 155% in total monthly costs ($3,443 vs $1,351 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 246% higher in Oslo, 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: $2,021 in Oslo versus $673 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $3,443 per month in Oslo versus $1,351 in Bucharest – a 155% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 291% less than in Oslo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $3,443 in Oslo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Oslo. 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, Oslo 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 155% less than in Oslo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.