Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arendal and Bergen

For one person, living is cheaper in Arendal: $2,750 a month against $3,093 in Bergen, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

133

Cost of Living Index in Arendal
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Arendal Living Index
147

Cost of Living Index in Bergen
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Bergen Living Index

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Arendal

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,750

/mo nomad

Bergen

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,093

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arendal and in Bergen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,750 in Arendal versus $3,093 in Bergen.

Arendal $2,750
Bergen $3,093

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,932 in Arendal versus $4,619 in Bergen.

Arendal $3,932
Bergen $4,619

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,113 in Arendal versus $6,145 in Bergen.

Arendal $5,113
Bergen $6,145

Living in Arendal costs roughly 11% less than in Bergen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Arendal 102% above, Bergen 127% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.71 NOK 190

$23.85 NOK 219

-13.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.1 NOK 617

$141 NOK 1,298

-52.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.06 NOK 148

$16.30 NOK 150

-1.47%

Cappuccino

$5.51 NOK 50.6

$5.62 NOK 51.6

-1.96%

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

$3.75 NOK 34.49

$5.19 NOK 47.69

-27.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 NOK 31.41

$4.57 NOK 42.00

-25.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.85 NOK 109

$12.92 NOK 119

-8.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.58 NOK 97.2

$10.71 NOK 98.4

-1.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.49 NOK 22.88

$2.35 NOK 21.55

5.96%

White Bread (500g)

$3.55 NOK 32.60

$3.83 NOK 35.21

-7.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.01 NOK 36.82

$3.45 NOK 31.66

16.23%

Eggs

$4.76 NOK 43.74

$6.67 NOK 61.3

-28.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.98 NOK 138

$14.89 NOK 137

0.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.93 NOK 137

$17.88 NOK 164

-16.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$34.94 NOK 321

$37.65 NOK 346

-7.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.61 NOK 33.12

$4.10 NOK 37.68

-11.95%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 NOK 25.27

$2.80 NOK 25.74

-1.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.49 NOK 32.03

$3.70 NOK 34.00

-5.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.99 NOK 45.83

$5.54 NOK 50.9

-9.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 NOK 23.52

$2.46 NOK 22.64

4.07%

Onion (1kg)

$3.16 NOK 29.02

$3.41 NOK 31.32

-7.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.90 NOK 26.67

$3.08 NOK 28.28

-5.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 NOK 22.28

$1.83 NOK 16.83

32.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.37 NOK 169

$17.65 NOK 162

4.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.07 NOK 138

$19.73 NOK 181

-23.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.74 NOK 34.39

$3.83 NOK 35.17

-2.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 NOK 40.85

$4.44 NOK 40.78

0.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.78 NOK 34.73

$5.32 NOK 48.92

-28.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.4 NOK 867

$89.0 NOK 817

6.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.36 NOK 58.4

$12.82 NOK 118

-50.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 NOK 16.69

$1.95 NOK 17.94

-6.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$108 NOK 996

$74.9 NOK 688

44.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.33 NOK 21.43

$2.41 NOK 22.11

-3.32%

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

$49.6K NOK 456.1K

$50.1K NOK 460.0K

-0.85%

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

$41.7K NOK 383.2K

$44.8K NOK 411.3K

-6.82%

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

$263 NOK 2,413

$292 NOK 2,679

-9.92%

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

$34.00 NOK 312

$33.90 NOK 311

0.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.7 NOK 733

$85.1 NOK 782

-6.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.05 NOK 340

$48.43 NOK 445

-23.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.06 NOK 405

Cinema Ticket

$15.90 NOK 146

$19.28 NOK 177

-17.53%

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

$335 NOK 3,073

$251 NOK 2,305

33.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.5K NOK 133.4K

$12.0K NOK 110.0K

21.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$131 NOK 1,199

$108 NOK 989

21.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.64 NOK 410

$56.1 NOK 515

-20.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 NOK 1,196

$120 NOK 1,103

8.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$210 NOK 1,926

$166 NOK 1,524

26.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,159 NOK 10.6K

$1,627 NOK 15.0K

-28.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 NOK 9,676

$1,283 NOK 11.8K

-17.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,593 NOK 14.6K

$2,668 NOK 24.5K

-40.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,518 NOK 13.9K

$1,928 NOK 17.7K

-21.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,347 NOK 39.9K

$8,228 NOK 75.6K

-47.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,230 NOK 29.7K

$5,382 NOK 49.4K

-39.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,235 NOK 38.9K

$4,732 NOK 43.5K

-10.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.68

5.27

-11.20%

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

Last update for Arendal: October 27, 2026

Last update for Bergen: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arendal

$1.1K 38.3%

Bergen

$1.3K 41.5% 21.9% $230

Groceries & Markets

Arendal

$506 18.4%

Bergen

$545 17.6% 7.8% $39

Eating Out

Arendal

$389 14.2%

Bergen

$432 14% 11.1% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arendal

$376 13.7%

Bergen

$411 13.3% 9.1% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Arendal

$232 8.4%

Bergen

$202 6.5% 12.7% $29

Getting Around

Arendal

$125 4.5%

Bergen

$133 4.3% 6.3% $7.9

Sport & Entertainment

Arendal

$69 2.5%

Bergen

$87 2.8% 26.3% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,159 in Arendal and $1,627 in Bergen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bergen pays 12% 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: $67 in Arendal vs $141 in Bergen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $506 vs $545 per month, with Arendal cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Arendal

🇳🇴 Bergen

🕒 Local time

20:56 8:56 PM

Same time as Arendal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

46,406

292,482

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.88 USD

100 NOK = 9.75 EUR

100 NOK = 10.88 USD

100 NOK = 9.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Arendal Bergen 290 km

From you

Arendal
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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

Arendal vs Bergen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,750 in Arendal and $3,093 in Bergen, so Arendal is about 11% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 10% lower in Arendal. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,159 in Arendal versus $1,627 in Bergen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $335 in Arendal versus $251 in Bergen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Bergen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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, Arendal and Bergen are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Arendal wins on affordability, Bergen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.