Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Skien and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $2,336 in Skien, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Skien
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Skien Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Skien

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,336

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,336 in Skien versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Skien $2,336
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,267 in Skien versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Skien $3,267
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,197 in Skien versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Skien $4,197
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Skien is roughly 74% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Skien is 73% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.21 NOK 200

$14.49 RON 68.6

46.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$103 NOK 971

$58.1 RON 275

77.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.47 NOK 146

$7.48 RON 35.40

106.82%

Cappuccino

$5.11 NOK 48.11

$3.44 RON 16.29

48.55%

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

$4.36 NOK 41.01

$2.37 RON 11.22

83.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 NOK 27.96

$2.30 RON 10.88

29.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.89 NOK 112

$3.70 RON 17.51

221.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.33 NOK 116

$4.16 RON 19.69

196.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 NOK 19.84

$1.67 RON 7.90

26.35%

White Bread (500g)

$3.92 NOK 36.90

$1.37 RON 6.50

186.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.57 NOK 42.98

$1.72 RON 8.14

165.70%

Eggs

$5.66 NOK 53.3

$3.64 RON 17.22

55.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.16 NOK 124

$9.08 RON 42.98

44.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.17 NOK 143

$6.84 RON 32.35

121.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.79 NOK 205

$12.00 RON 56.8

81.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.35 NOK 31.49

$1.23 RON 5.80

172.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.70 NOK 25.42

$1.63 RON 7.73

65.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.49 NOK 32.86

$1.57 RON 7.45

122.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.95 NOK 56.0

$2.54 RON 12.01

134.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 NOK 21.04

$0.79 RON 3.75

183.54%

Onion (1kg)

$2.78 NOK 26.12

$0.77 RON 3.66

261.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.04 NOK 28.63

$0.87 RON 4.13

249.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 NOK 23.33

$0.99 RON 4.70

150.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.02 NOK 179

$6.31 RON 29.86

201.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.76 NOK 148

$6.20 RON 29.34

154.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.35 NOK 31.58

$1.19 RON 5.63

181.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 NOK 40.76

$1.57 RON 7.45

175.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.26 NOK 30.64

$0.86 RON 4.08

279.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.91 NOK 451

$21.10 RON 99.8

127.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.13 NOK 105

$0.64 RON 3.05

1639.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 NOK 17.02

$0.60 RON 2.86

201.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$70.8 NOK 667

$6.43 RON 30.43

1001.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.27 NOK 21.39

$1.96 RON 9.25

15.82%

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

$47.5K NOK 447.3K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

63.85%

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

$43.4K NOK 408.1K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

62.76%

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

$93.9 NOK 884

$196 RON 927

-52.09%

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

$33.89 NOK 319

$8.04 RON 38.04

321.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 NOK 504

$9.35 RON 44.21

472.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.10 NOK 406

$50.2 RON 238

-14.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

Cinema Ticket

$15.29 NOK 144

$8.15 RON 38.55

87.61%

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

$239 NOK 2,247

$628 RON 2,971

-61.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K NOK 148.1K

$14.1K RON 66.6K

11.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.7 NOK 600

$89.6 RON 424

-28.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.4 NOK 568

$38.32 RON 181

57.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.9 NOK 827

$79.3 RON 375

10.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$153 NOK 1,442

$90.4 RON 428

69.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,042 NOK 9,811

$678 RON 3,209

53.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$975 NOK 9,183

$448 RON 2,121

117.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,035 NOK 9,746

$1,083 RON 5,125

-4.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$939 NOK 8,841

$725 RON 3,430

29.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,395 NOK 32.0K

$3,751 RON 17.7K

-9.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,149 NOK 29.6K

$2,195 RON 10.4K

43.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,236 NOK 39.9K

$1,329 RON 6,290

218.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.37

6.75

-35.26%

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

Last update for Skien: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Skien

$975 41.8%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 54% $527

Groceries & Markets

Skien

$470 20.1%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 52.1% $245

Eating Out

Skien

$391 16.7%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 42.4% $166

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Skien

$181 7.8%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 17.6% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Skien

$164 7%

Bucharest

$134 10% 18.5% $30

Getting Around

Skien

$81 3.5%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 65.2% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Skien

$74 3.2%

Bucharest

$67 5% 9.7% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,042 in Skien and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Skien pays 219% 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: $103 in Skien vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $470 vs $225 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Skien

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

18:13 6:13 PM

19:13 7:13 PM

1 h ahead of Skien

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,769

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 →

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Between locations

Skien Bucharest 1,990 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Skien
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

Skien vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Skien and Bucharest differ by about 74% in total monthly costs ($2,336 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 219% higher in Skien, 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: $1,042 in Skien versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,336 per month in Skien versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 74% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 127% less than in Skien. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $2,336 in Skien, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Skien. 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, Skien 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 74% less than in Skien. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.