Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tromso and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $3,073 in Tromso, rent and utilities included – about $20,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

149

Cost of Living Index in Tromso
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Tromso Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Tromso

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,073

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,073 in Tromso versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Tromso $3,073
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,616 in Tromso versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Tromso $4,616
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,158 in Tromso versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Tromso $6,158
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Tromso is roughly 129% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tromso is 128% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$34.24 NOK 322

$14.49 RON 68.6

136.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$103 NOK 974

$58.1 RON 275

78.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.60 NOK 147

$7.48 RON 35.40

108.56%

Cappuccino

$6.77 NOK 63.7

$3.44 RON 16.29

96.80%

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

$4.78 NOK 45.00

$2.37 RON 11.22

101.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 NOK 34.75

$2.30 RON 10.88

60.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.57 NOK 118

$3.70 RON 17.51

239.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.64 NOK 128

$4.16 RON 19.69

227.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.49 NOK 23.48

$1.67 RON 7.90

49.10%

White Bread (500g)

$3.26 NOK 30.72

$1.37 RON 6.50

137.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.92 NOK 36.91

$1.72 RON 8.14

127.91%

Eggs

$5.18 NOK 48.80

$3.64 RON 17.22

42.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.61 NOK 109

$9.08 RON 42.98

27.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.85 NOK 140

$6.84 RON 32.35

117.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$40.81 NOK 384

$12.00 RON 56.8

240.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.96 NOK 37.24

$1.23 RON 5.80

221.95%

Banana (1kg)

$2.92 NOK 27.46

$1.63 RON 7.73

79.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.35 NOK 50.3

$1.57 RON 7.45

240.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.07 NOK 57.2

$2.54 RON 12.01

138.98%

Potato (1kg)

$3.53 NOK 33.27

$0.79 RON 3.75

346.84%

Onion (1kg)

$4.89 NOK 46.02

$0.77 RON 3.66

535.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.98 NOK 28.07

$0.87 RON 4.13

242.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 NOK 19.67

$0.99 RON 4.70

111.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$16.36 NOK 154

$6.31 RON 29.86

159.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.30 NOK 163

$6.20 RON 29.34

179.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.94 NOK 37.07

$1.19 RON 5.63

231.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.66 NOK 43.91

$1.57 RON 7.45

196.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.03 NOK 47.39

$0.86 RON 4.08

484.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.0 NOK 631

$21.10 RON 99.8

217.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$15.40 NOK 145

$0.64 RON 3.05

2306.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 NOK 19.21

$0.60 RON 2.86

240.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.6 NOK 533

$6.43 RON 30.43

780.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.33 NOK 21.93

$1.96 RON 9.25

18.88%

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

$48.3K NOK 454.8K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

66.60%

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

$43.5K NOK 409.1K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

63.15%

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

$253 NOK 2,383

$196 RON 927

29.23%

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

$49.95 NOK 470

$8.04 RON 38.04

521.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.3 NOK 775

$9.35 RON 44.21

780.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.5 NOK 475

$50.2 RON 238

0.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.87 NOK 441

$25.33 RON 120

85.04%

Cinema Ticket

$17.44 NOK 164

$8.15 RON 38.55

113.99%

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

$313 NOK 2,949

$628 RON 2,971

-50.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,407 NOK 69.7K

$14.1K RON 66.6K

-47.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.6 NOK 617

$89.6 RON 424

-26.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.36 NOK 333

$38.32 RON 181

-7.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$145 NOK 1,361

$79.3 RON 375

82.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 NOK 1,538

$90.4 RON 428

80.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,566 NOK 14.7K

$678 RON 3,209

130.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,244 NOK 11.7K

$448 RON 2,121

177.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,786 NOK 26.2K

$1,083 RON 5,125

157.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,027 NOK 19.1K

$725 RON 3,430

179.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,960 NOK 65.5K

$3,751 RON 17.7K

85.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,271 NOK 49.6K

$2,195 RON 10.4K

140.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,125 NOK 38.8K

$1,329 RON 6,290

210.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.01

6.75

-25.78%

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

Last update for Tromso: October 10, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tromso

$1.2K 40.5%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 64% $796

Groceries & Markets

Tromso

$536 17.4%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 58% $310

Eating Out

Tromso

$526 17.1%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 57.2% $301

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tromso

$385 12.5%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 44.7% $172

Clothing & Footwear

Tromso

$184 6%

Bucharest

$134 10% 27.2% $50

Getting Around

Tromso

$113 3.7%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 75% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Tromso

$85 2.8%

Bucharest

$67 5% 22.1% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,566 in Tromso and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tromso pays 210% 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 Tromso vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $536 vs $225 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Tromso

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

18:00 6:00 PM

19:00 7:00 PM

1 h ahead of Tromso

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,908

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 18, 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 18, 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

Tromso Bucharest 2,830 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Tromso
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

Tromso vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tromso and Bucharest differ by about 129% in total monthly costs ($3,073 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 210% higher in Tromso, 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: $1,566 in Tromso versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $3,073 per month in Tromso versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 129% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 218% less than in Tromso. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $3,073 in Tromso, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Tromso. 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, Tromso 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 129% less than in Tromso. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.