Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alesund and Bethlehem, PA

For one person, living is cheaper in Alesund: $2,329 a month against $2,630 in Bethlehem, PA, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bethlehem, PA outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

113

Cost of Living Index in Alesund
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Alesund Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in Bethlehem, PA
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Bethlehem, PA Living Index

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Alesund

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,329

/mo nomad

Bethlehem, PA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,630

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Alesund and in Bethlehem, PA

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Alesund and in Bethlehem, PA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,329 per month in Alesund vs $2,630 in Bethlehem, PA, rent included.

Alesund $2,329
Bethlehem, PA $2,630

A couple spends around $3,663 per month in Alesund vs $3,712 in Bethlehem, PA, rent included.

Alesund $3,663
Bethlehem, PA $3,712

A family of three spends $4,997 per month in Alesund vs $4,794 in Bethlehem, PA, rent included.

Alesund $4,997
Bethlehem, PA $4,794

Alesund is about 11% cheaper than Bethlehem, PA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Alesund and Bethlehem, PA sit above the global median – Alesund by 72%, Bethlehem, PA by 95%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.26 NOK 200

$18.12 $18.12

17.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.8 NOK 836

$50.4 $50.4

76.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.23 NOK 125

$13.18 $13.18

0.38%

Cappuccino

$4.07 NOK 38.31

$5.04 $5.04

-19.25%

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

$2.08 NOK 19.55

$2.97 $2.97

-29.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 NOK 22.12

$1.99 $1.99

18.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.33 NOK 107

$5.22 $5.22

117.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.62 NOK 90.6

$8.14 $8.14

18.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.21 NOK 20.78

$1.17 $1.17

88.89%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 NOK 28.64

$3.89 $3.89

-21.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.08 NOK 28.99

$3.91 $3.91

-21.23%

Eggs

$4.38 NOK 41.27

$4.06 $4.06

7.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.88 NOK 140

$12.17 $12.17

22.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.80 NOK 130

$16.53 $16.53

-16.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.84 NOK 196

$18.47 $18.47

12.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 NOK 24.72

$6.29 $6.29

-58.19%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 NOK 21.34

$1.32 $1.32

71.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 NOK 21.28

$4.04 $4.04

-44.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.66 NOK 34.46

$4.29 $4.29

-14.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.45 NOK 23.10

$2.23 $2.23

9.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 NOK 14.45

$2.62 $2.62

-41.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.00 NOK 28.19

$2.71 $2.71

10.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 NOK 17.11

$1.83 $1.83

-0.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.98 NOK 141

$9.67 $9.67

54.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.89 NOK 178

$17.69 $17.69

6.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.48 NOK 32.73

$1.77 $1.77

96.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.93 NOK 36.99

$6.86 $6.86

-42.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.07 NOK 47.76

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.3 NOK 822

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.15 NOK 114

$4.90 $4.90

147.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 NOK 18.03

$3.03 $3.03

-36.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$73.0 NOK 687

$35.21 $35.21

107.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 NOK 20.59

$0.93 $0.93

135.48%

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

$48.5K NOK 456.6K

$22.6K $22.6K

114.85%

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

$42.8K NOK 402.5K

$24.3K $24.3K

76.09%

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

$285 NOK 2,683

$203 $203

40.71%

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

$32.82 NOK 309

$39.54 $39.54

-17.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.2 NOK 557

$79.2 $79.2

-25.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.6 NOK 552

$36.73 $36.73

59.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.12 NOK 293

Cinema Ticket

$17.43 NOK 164

$15.16 $15.16

14.97%

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

$235 NOK 2,209

$1,004 $1,004

-76.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,542 NOK 23.9K

$64.9K $64.9K

-96.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.7 NOK 816

$53.3 $53.3

62.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.43 NOK 428

$30.05 $30.05

51.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 NOK 1,082

$66.1 $66.1

73.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 NOK 1,312

$84.2 $84.2

65.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,090 NOK 10.3K

$1,561 $1,561

-30.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$783 NOK 7,368

$1,373 $1,373

-42.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,159 NOK 10.9K

$2,225 $2,225

-47.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,615 NOK 15.2K

$2,155 $2,155

-25.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,476 NOK 42.1K

$2,149 $2,149

108.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,399 NOK 22.6K

$2,123 $2,123

12.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,224 NOK 39.8K

$3,507 $3,507

20.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

6.5

-35.08%

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

Last update for Alesund: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bethlehem, PA: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alesund

$783 33.6%

Bethlehem, PA

$1.4K 52.2% 75.4% $590

Groceries & Markets

Alesund

$420 18%

Bethlehem, PA

$437 16.6% 4% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alesund

$377 16.2%

Bethlehem, PA

$321 12.2% 14.8% $56

Eating Out

Alesund

$352 15.1%

Bethlehem, PA

$307 11.7% 12.8% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Alesund

$174 7.5%

Bethlehem, PA

$105 4% 39.5% $69

Getting Around

Alesund

$129 5.6%

Bethlehem, PA

$20 * 0.8% 84.5% $109

Sport & Entertainment

Alesund

$93 4%

Bethlehem, PA

$67 2.6% 28.2% $26

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,090 in Alesund versus $1,561 in Bethlehem, PA. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 20% higher in Alesund, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89.0 in Alesund versus $50.0 in Bethlehem, PA. Groceries tell a different story – $420 in Alesund vs $437 in Bethlehem, PA – so Alesund wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Alesund

🇺🇸 Bethlehem, PA

🕒 Local time

13:32 1:32 PM

07:32 7:32 AM

6 h behind Alesund

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,683

75,624

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Alesund Bethlehem, PA 5,690 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Alesund
Bethlehem, PA

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

Alesund vs Bethlehem, PA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,329 in Alesund, $2,630 in Bethlehem, PA – roughly 13% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,493 per month in Alesund and $3,945 in Bethlehem, PA. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Alesund, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89.0 in Alesund and $50.0 in Bethlehem, PA. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 4% more in Bethlehem, PA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Alesund, where all-in costs run around $2,329, than in Bethlehem, PA at $2,630. In Alesund it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bethlehem, PA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Alesund has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,329 in Alesund to $2,630 in Bethlehem, PA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Alesund. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bethlehem, PA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.