Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reykjavik and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,371 a month against $4,031 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $31,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

193

Cost of Living Index in Reykjavik
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Reykjavik Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index

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Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,031

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,371

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,031 in Reykjavik versus $1,371 in Bucharest.

Reykjavik $4,031
Bucharest $1,371

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,731 in Reykjavik versus $2,067 in Bucharest.

Reykjavik $5,731
Bucharest $2,067

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,431 in Reykjavik versus $2,764 in Bucharest.

Reykjavik $7,431
Bucharest $2,764

Living in Reykjavik is roughly 194% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.60 ISK 3,718

$14.51 RON 69.0

110.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 ISK 14.9K

$61.2 RON 291

99.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$27.27 ISK 3,313

$7.46 RON 35.46

265.55%

Cappuccino

$6.90 ISK 838

$3.64 RON 17.31

89.56%

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

$3.39 ISK 412

$2.62 RON 12.43

29.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ISK 387

$2.36 RON 11.23

34.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$14.10 ISK 1,713

$3.78 RON 17.98

273.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.44 ISK 1,511

$4.11 RON 19.52

202.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ISK 249

$1.66 RON 7.89

23.49%

White Bread (500g)

$4.36 ISK 529

$1.40 RON 6.64

211.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.62 ISK 440

$1.79 RON 8.53

102.23%

Eggs

$7.06 ISK 857

$3.63 RON 17.25

94.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.58 ISK 2,622

$8.92 RON 42.38

141.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.14 ISK 2,933

$6.86 RON 32.62

251.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.47 ISK 5,039

$11.99 RON 57.0

245.87%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 ISK 371

$1.30 RON 6.16

135.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.81 ISK 342

$1.63 RON 7.76

72.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.15 ISK 383

$1.49 RON 7.09

111.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ISK 779

$2.54 RON 12.08

152.36%

Potato (1kg)

$3.98 ISK 484

$0.81 RON 3.86

391.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 ISK 200

$0.80 RON 3.78

106.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.73 ISK 453

$0.86 RON 4.07

333.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 ISK 213

$0.94 RON 4.46

86.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.94 ISK 1,694

$6.60 RON 31.38

111.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.99 ISK 2,915

$6.33 RON 30.08

278.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.67 ISK 446

$1.19 RON 5.64

208.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 ISK 421

$1.58 RON 7.53

118.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.75 ISK 699

$0.98 RON 4.64

486.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.5 ISK 11.6K

$20.91 RON 99.4

356.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.15 ISK 868

$0.60 RON 2.86

1091.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.69 ISK 448

$0.62 RON 2.93

495.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$97.7 ISK 11.9K

$6.37 RON 30.25

1434.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 ISK 243

$2.02 RON 9.62

-0.99%

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

$68.0K ISK 8.3M

$28.2K RON 134.0K

140.99%

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

$55.8K ISK 6.8M

$26.3K RON 124.8K

112.37%

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

$96.9 ISK 11.8K

$196 RON 932

-50.63%

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

$32.89 ISK 3,996

$8.60 RON 40.84

282.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$89.6 ISK 10.9K

$9.20 RON 43.69

873.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$99.0 ISK 12.0K

$51.0 RON 242

93.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$51.0 ISK 6,191

$25.04 RON 119

103.47%

Cinema Ticket

$19.75 ISK 2,400

$8.26 RON 39.27

139.10%

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

$1,203 ISK 146.2K

$681 RON 3,234

76.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K ISK 2.3M

$18.7K RON 89.0K

-0.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$151 ISK 18.3K

$93.3 RON 443

61.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.9 ISK 7,880

$39.87 RON 189

62.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$183 ISK 22.3K

$80.1 RON 381

128.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$255 ISK 31.0K

$90.6 RON 431

181.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,615 ISK 317.7K

$731 RON 3,473

257.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,086 ISK 253.4K

$470 RON 2,232

344.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,535 ISK 429.6K

$1,110 RON 5,276

218.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,796 ISK 339.7K

$722 RON 3,431

287.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,182 ISK 994.1K

$3,749 RON 17.8K

118.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,284 ISK 763.5K

$2,233 RON 10.6K

181.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,790 ISK 581.9K

$1,365 RON 6,487

250.84%

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 Reykjavik: 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

Reykjavik

$2.1K 51.7%

Bucharest

$470 34.3% 77.5% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Reykjavik

$618 15.3%

Bucharest

$225 16.4% 63.6% $393

Eating Out

Reykjavik

$531 13.2%

Bucharest

$229 16.7% 56.8% $302

Clothing & Footwear

Reykjavik

$294 7.3%

Bucharest

$137 10% 53.5% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reykjavik

$219 5.4%

Bucharest

$214 15.6% 2.4% $5.3

Getting Around

Reykjavik

$144 3.6%

Bucharest

$29 2.1% 80.2% $116

Sport & Entertainment

Reykjavik

$138 3.4%

Bucharest

$68 4.9% 51.2% $71

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,615 in Reykjavik and $731 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Reykjavik pays about 3.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $122 in Reykjavik vs $61 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $618 vs $225 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

12:05 12:05 PM

14:05 2:05 PM

2 h ahead of Reykjavik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

136,894 Capital

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 = 4.75 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

Reykjavik Bucharest 3,670 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

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Reykjavik
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

Reykjavik vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $4,031 in Reykjavik and $1,371 in Bucharest, so Bucharest is about 66% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Reykjavik is about 3.5 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: $2,615 in Reykjavik versus $731 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $4,031 per month in Reykjavik versus $1,371 in Bucharest – Bucharest is about 66% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 78% less than in Reykjavik. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,371 in Bucharest versus $4,031 in Reykjavik, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Reykjavik. The gap between the two cities makes Bucharest the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Bucharest is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Reykjavik, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Bucharest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Reykjavik. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.