Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sarpsborg and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,337 a month against $2,841 in Sarpsborg, rent and utilities included – about $18,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

135

Cost of Living Index in Sarpsborg
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Sarpsborg Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Sarpsborg

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,841

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,337

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,841 in Sarpsborg versus $1,337 in Bucharest.

Sarpsborg $2,841
Bucharest $1,337

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,154 in Sarpsborg versus $2,029 in Bucharest.

Sarpsborg $4,154
Bucharest $2,029

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,467 in Sarpsborg versus $2,721 in Bucharest.

Sarpsborg $5,467
Bucharest $2,721

Living in Sarpsborg is roughly 112% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sarpsborg is 110% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$40.33 NOK 380

$14.45 RON 68.4

179.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.6 NOK 938

$58.1 RON 275

71.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.43 NOK 183

$7.53 RON 35.65

158.03%

Cappuccino

$5.72 NOK 53.8

$3.45 RON 16.33

65.80%

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

$2.78 NOK 26.16

$2.46 RON 11.65

13.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 NOK 24.48

$2.23 RON 10.54

16.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.25 NOK 58.8

$3.76 RON 17.78

66.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.41 NOK 79.1

$4.19 RON 19.84

100.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.80 NOK 26.36

$1.62 RON 7.67

72.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.33 NOK 31.37

$1.30 RON 6.13

156.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.13 NOK 38.86

$1.70 RON 8.05

142.94%

Eggs

$4.28 NOK 40.27

$3.79 RON 17.93

12.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 NOK 119

$8.86 RON 41.90

42.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.89 NOK 150

$6.90 RON 32.67

130.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$36.18 NOK 341

$12.14 RON 57.4

198.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.76 NOK 35.39

$1.30 RON 6.17

189.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.83 NOK 26.60

$1.60 RON 7.55

76.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.88 NOK 36.55

$1.57 RON 7.42

147.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.00 NOK 47.07

$2.68 RON 12.67

86.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 NOK 28.05

$0.81 RON 3.82

267.90%

Onion (1kg)

$3.32 NOK 31.28

$0.79 RON 3.73

320.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.60 NOK 24.45

$0.91 RON 4.30

185.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 NOK 24.58

$0.97 RON 4.58

169.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.94 NOK 169

$6.41 RON 30.34

179.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.77 NOK 167

$6.18 RON 29.24

187.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.30 NOK 31.02

$1.23 RON 5.83

168.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.59 NOK 43.22

$1.67 RON 7.91

174.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.70 NOK 25.40

$0.87 RON 4.10

210.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.1 NOK 707

$20.98 RON 99.3

257.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.17 NOK 115

$0.66 RON 3.10

1743.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 NOK 18.10

$0.60 RON 2.85

220.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$62.9 NOK 592

$6.19 RON 29.28

916.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 NOK 21.00

$1.93 RON 9.15

15.54%

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

$54.3K NOK 511.0K

$28.7K RON 135.9K

88.94%

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

$43.0K NOK 405.0K

$26.3K RON 124.6K

63.41%

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

$299 NOK 2,815

$196 RON 926

52.86%

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

$31.27 NOK 294

$8.49 RON 40.19

268.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.1 NOK 509

$9.05 RON 42.84

497.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 NOK 472

$49.54 RON 234

1.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.34 NOK 380

$25.03 RON 118

61.17%

Cinema Ticket

$19.99 NOK 188

$8.24 RON 39.01

142.60%

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

$243 NOK 2,286

$636 RON 3,007

-61.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K NOK 123.0K

$14.6K RON 69.0K

-10.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 NOK 1,073

$88.5 RON 419

28.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.2 NOK 586

$38.77 RON 183

60.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 NOK 1,086

$78.8 RON 373

46.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$178 NOK 1,679

$90.6 RON 428

96.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 NOK 11.6K

$695 RON 3,288

77.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,013 NOK 9,537

$446 RON 2,109

127.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,563 NOK 14.7K

$1,084 RON 5,130

44.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,370 NOK 12.9K

$712 RON 3,368

92.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,847 NOK 55.0K

$3,797 RON 18.0K

54.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,175 NOK 39.3K

$2,202 RON 10.4K

89.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,626 NOK 24.7K

$1,354 RON 6,406

93.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.18

6.75

-23.26%

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

Last update for Sarpsborg: October 19, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sarpsborg

$1K 35.7%

Bucharest

$446 33.3% 56% $567

Eating Out

Sarpsborg

$519 18.3%

Bucharest

$226 16.9% 56.6% $294

Groceries & Markets

Sarpsborg

$516 18.1%

Bucharest

$225 16.9% 56.3% $290

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sarpsborg

$384 13.5%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 44.5% $171

Clothing & Footwear

Sarpsborg

$211 7.4%

Bucharest

$133 10% 36.9% $78

Getting Around

Sarpsborg

$108 3.8%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 73.9% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Sarpsborg

$90 3.2%

Bucharest

$66 4.9% 26.7% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,232 in Sarpsborg and $695 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sarpsborg pays 94% 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: $100 in Sarpsborg vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $516 vs $225 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Sarpsborg

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

23:17 11:17 PM

00:17 12:17 AM

1 h ahead of Sarpsborg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

59,906

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 20, 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 20, 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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Highest

Between locations

Sarpsborg Bucharest 1,930 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Sarpsborg
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

Sarpsborg vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sarpsborg and Bucharest differ by about 112% in total monthly costs ($2,841 vs $1,337 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 94% higher in Sarpsborg, 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: $1,232 in Sarpsborg versus $695 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,841 per month in Sarpsborg versus $1,337 in Bucharest – a 112% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 258% less than in Sarpsborg. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,337 in Bucharest versus $2,841 in Sarpsborg, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Sarpsborg. 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, Sarpsborg 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 112% less than in Sarpsborg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.