Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arendal and Jessheim

For one person, living is cheaper in Arendal: $2,723 a month against $2,917 in Jessheim, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Jessheim outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

132

Cost of Living Index in Arendal
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Arendal Living Index
140

Cost of Living Index in Jessheim
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Jessheim Living Index

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Arendal

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,723

/mo nomad

Jessheim

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,917

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arendal and in Jessheim

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 Jessheim actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,723 in Arendal versus $2,917 in Jessheim.

Arendal $2,723
Jessheim $2,917

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,887 in Arendal versus $4,171 in Jessheim.

Arendal $3,887
Jessheim $4,171

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,051 in Arendal versus $5,424 in Jessheim.

Arendal $5,051
Jessheim $5,424

Living in Arendal costs roughly 7% less than in Jessheim, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Arendal 101% above, Jessheim 115% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.04 NOK 189

$20.85 NOK 196

-3.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 NOK 630

$80.8 NOK 761

-17.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.74 NOK 148

$15.84 NOK 149

-0.63%

Cappuccino

$5.71 NOK 53.7

$5.81 NOK 54.7

-1.72%

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

$3.70 NOK 34.85

$3.91 NOK 36.82

-5.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 NOK 30.04

$3.09 NOK 29.12

3.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.82 NOK 111

$10.83 NOK 102

9.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.75 NOK 101

$12.55 NOK 118

-14.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.52 NOK 23.75

$2.53 NOK 23.82

-0.40%

White Bread (500g)

$3.48 NOK 32.77

$4.25 NOK 40.00

-18.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.92 NOK 36.88

$2.61 NOK 24.56

50.19%

Eggs

$4.77 NOK 44.87

$3.83 NOK 36.07

24.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.96 NOK 141

$14.70 NOK 138

1.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.06 NOK 142

$15.98 NOK 150

-5.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$34.40 NOK 324

$31.25 NOK 294

10.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.51 NOK 33.02

$3.30 NOK 31.08

6.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.72 NOK 25.61

$2.72 NOK 25.64

Oranges (1kg)

$3.53 NOK 33.25

$3.51 NOK 33.00

0.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.75 NOK 44.74

$4.36 NOK 41.06

8.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.59 NOK 24.42

$2.68 NOK 25.26

-3.36%

Onion (1kg)

$3.17 NOK 29.86

$2.96 NOK 27.90

7.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.85 NOK 26.80

$3.09 NOK 29.06

-7.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.32 NOK 21.84

$2.39 NOK 22.51

-2.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.55 NOK 165

$19.47 NOK 183

-9.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.86 NOK 140

$16.90 NOK 159

-12.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.74 NOK 35.20

$3.41 NOK 32.10

9.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.49 NOK 42.22

$4.32 NOK 40.63

3.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.83 NOK 36.03

$4.71 NOK 44.33

-18.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.7 NOK 854

$100 NOK 942

-9.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.32 NOK 59.5

$11.88 NOK 112

-46.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 NOK 16.01

$1.81 NOK 17.07

-6.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$105 NOK 984

$71.7 NOK 675

45.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 NOK 21.19

$2.36 NOK 22.25

-4.66%

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

$49.2K NOK 463.1K

$49.3K NOK 464.6K

-0.31%

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

$42.5K NOK 399.8K

$40.6K NOK 382.1K

4.63%

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

$261 NOK 2,454

$430 NOK 4,052

-39.42%

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

$34.82 NOK 328

$33.26 NOK 313

4.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.7 NOK 750

$55.2 NOK 520

44.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.56 NOK 354

Cinema Ticket

$16.23 NOK 153

$16.32 NOK 154

-0.55%

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

$325 NOK 3,059

$236 NOK 2,219

37.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K NOK 135.3K

$16.0K NOK 150.4K

-10.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$128 NOK 1,204

$102 NOK 958

25.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.77 NOK 412

$61.1 NOK 575

-28.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 NOK 1,219

$129 NOK 1,215

0.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$207 NOK 1,945

$161 NOK 1,511

28.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 NOK 10.8K

$1,353 NOK 12.7K

-15.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,043 NOK 9,820

$1,136 NOK 10.7K

-8.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,564 NOK 14.7K

$1,934 NOK 18.2K

-19.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,491 NOK 14.0K

$1,747 NOK 16.4K

-14.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,223 NOK 39.7K

$8,446 NOK 79.5K

-50.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,136 NOK 29.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,080 NOK 38.4K

$3,862 NOK 36.4K

5.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.68

4.94

-5.26%

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

Last update for Arendal: October 18, 2026

Last update for Jessheim: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arendal

$1K 38.3%

Jessheim

$1.1K 39% 8.9% $93

Groceries & Markets

Arendal

$501 18.4%

Jessheim

$495 17% 1.2% $6.2

Eating Out

Arendal

$384 14.1%

Jessheim

$391 13.4% 1.8% $7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arendal

$375 13.8%

Jessheim

$519 17.8% 38.3% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Arendal

$229 8.4%

Jessheim

$204 7% 10.9% $25

Getting Around

Arendal

$121 4.4%

Jessheim

$140 4.8% 15.7% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Arendal

$70 2.6%

Jessheim

$33 * 1.1% 53.4% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,145 in Arendal and $1,353 in Jessheim. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Arendal pays 6% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67.0 in Arendal vs $81.0 in Jessheim. Groceries flip the comparison at $501 vs $495, with Jessheim cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Arendal

🇳🇴 Jessheim

🕒 Local time

03:00 3:00 AM

Same time as Arendal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

46,406

24,547

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Arendal Jessheim 230 km

From you

Arendal
Jessheim

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 Jessheim: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arendal and Jessheim differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($2,723 vs $2,917 including rent). Arendal is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 6% higher in Arendal, 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: $1,145 in Arendal versus $1,353 in Jessheim. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $325 in Arendal versus $236 in Jessheim. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Jessheim pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Arendal is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Jessheim 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 Arendal gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Jessheim. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.